PNM 300 Final Exam Review
Seneca College Practical Nursing Program
2026 Update | 100% Correct
Section 1: Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics (Questions 1-20)
1. A nurse is administering medications. Which statement best
describes pharmacokinetics?
a) The study of what the drug does to the body.
b) The method by which drugs cause therapeutic effects at target sites.
c) The movement of drugs within the body to reach their site of action,
be metabolized, and be excreted.
d) The clinical indications for administering drugs to prevent and treat
diseases.
Answer💜✔️: c) The movement of drugs within the body to reach
their site of action, be metabolized, and be excreted.
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics refers to the absorption,
distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of drugs. Option
A describes pharmacodynamics. Option D describes
pharmacotherapeutics .
,2. A patient with liver failure is most likely to have problems with
which pharmacokinetic phase?
a) Absorption
b) Distribution
c) Metabolism
d) Excretion
Answer💜✔️: c) Metabolism
Rationale: The liver is the primary site of drug metabolism
(biotransformation). Liver failure impairs this process, leading to
drug accumulation and toxicity .
3. Which route of administration bypasses the first-pass effect?
a) Oral
b) Rectal
c) Intravenous (IV)
d) Enteral
Answer💜✔️: c) Intravenous (IV)
Rationale: The first-pass effect occurs when drugs are absorbed
from the GI tract and metabolized in the liver before reaching
systemic circulation. IV drugs are placed directly into the
, bloodstream, bypassing the liver initially. Other routes that bypass
include sublingual, buccal, and transdermal .
4. A patient is ordered a prodrug. The nurse knows this drug is initially
inactive until it is:
a) Absorbed in the stomach.
b) Bound to protein in the blood.
c) Metabolized in the liver.
d) Excreted by the kidneys.
Answer💜✔️: c) Metabolized in the liver.
Rationale: A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive substance
that is metabolized in the body (typically the liver) into an active
form to exert its therapeutic effect.
5. The nurse is reviewing a patient's lab results. An elevated liver
function test (AST, ALT) would alert the nurse to hold a prodrug and
inform the prescriber because:
a) The drug will not be absorbed.
b) The drug will not be distributed to the target tissues.
c) The drug cannot be converted to its active form safely.
d) The drug will be excreted too quickly.
, Answer💜✔️: c) The drug cannot be converted to its active form
safely.
Rationale: Since prodrugs rely on hepatic metabolism for
activation, impaired liver function means the drug may not be
effective and could potentially accumulate, causing toxicity .
6. What is the definition of a drug's half-life?
a) The time it takes for the drug to elicit a therapeutic response.
b) The time it takes for the drug to reach its peak concentration.
c) The time it takes for half of the original drug amount to be removed
from the body.
d) The time required to absorb half the drug into the circulation.
Answer💜✔️: c) The time it takes for half of the original drug amount
to be removed from the body.
Rationale: Half-life is a key pharmacokinetic parameter that
determines dosing frequency and the time to reach steady-state
concentration .
7. The nurse administers a large initial dose of a drug to rapidly
achieve an effective therapeutic concentration. This is known as a:
a) Maintenance dose
b) Loading dose
Seneca College Practical Nursing Program
2026 Update | 100% Correct
Section 1: Pharmacokinetics & Pharmacodynamics (Questions 1-20)
1. A nurse is administering medications. Which statement best
describes pharmacokinetics?
a) The study of what the drug does to the body.
b) The method by which drugs cause therapeutic effects at target sites.
c) The movement of drugs within the body to reach their site of action,
be metabolized, and be excreted.
d) The clinical indications for administering drugs to prevent and treat
diseases.
Answer💜✔️: c) The movement of drugs within the body to reach
their site of action, be metabolized, and be excreted.
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics refers to the absorption,
distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME) of drugs. Option
A describes pharmacodynamics. Option D describes
pharmacotherapeutics .
,2. A patient with liver failure is most likely to have problems with
which pharmacokinetic phase?
a) Absorption
b) Distribution
c) Metabolism
d) Excretion
Answer💜✔️: c) Metabolism
Rationale: The liver is the primary site of drug metabolism
(biotransformation). Liver failure impairs this process, leading to
drug accumulation and toxicity .
3. Which route of administration bypasses the first-pass effect?
a) Oral
b) Rectal
c) Intravenous (IV)
d) Enteral
Answer💜✔️: c) Intravenous (IV)
Rationale: The first-pass effect occurs when drugs are absorbed
from the GI tract and metabolized in the liver before reaching
systemic circulation. IV drugs are placed directly into the
, bloodstream, bypassing the liver initially. Other routes that bypass
include sublingual, buccal, and transdermal .
4. A patient is ordered a prodrug. The nurse knows this drug is initially
inactive until it is:
a) Absorbed in the stomach.
b) Bound to protein in the blood.
c) Metabolized in the liver.
d) Excreted by the kidneys.
Answer💜✔️: c) Metabolized in the liver.
Rationale: A prodrug is a pharmacologically inactive substance
that is metabolized in the body (typically the liver) into an active
form to exert its therapeutic effect.
5. The nurse is reviewing a patient's lab results. An elevated liver
function test (AST, ALT) would alert the nurse to hold a prodrug and
inform the prescriber because:
a) The drug will not be absorbed.
b) The drug will not be distributed to the target tissues.
c) The drug cannot be converted to its active form safely.
d) The drug will be excreted too quickly.
, Answer💜✔️: c) The drug cannot be converted to its active form
safely.
Rationale: Since prodrugs rely on hepatic metabolism for
activation, impaired liver function means the drug may not be
effective and could potentially accumulate, causing toxicity .
6. What is the definition of a drug's half-life?
a) The time it takes for the drug to elicit a therapeutic response.
b) The time it takes for the drug to reach its peak concentration.
c) The time it takes for half of the original drug amount to be removed
from the body.
d) The time required to absorb half the drug into the circulation.
Answer💜✔️: c) The time it takes for half of the original drug amount
to be removed from the body.
Rationale: Half-life is a key pharmacokinetic parameter that
determines dosing frequency and the time to reach steady-state
concentration .
7. The nurse administers a large initial dose of a drug to rapidly
achieve an effective therapeutic concentration. This is known as a:
a) Maintenance dose
b) Loading dose
