CNUR 202 FINAL EXAM | COMPREHENSIVE STUDY GUIDE, NCLEX-STYLE
PRACTICE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 2026/2027
The study of drugs - ANS ✔✔Pharmacology
The clinical uses of drugs to prevent and treat disease - ANS ✔✔Pharmacotherapeutics
Assess
Diagnose
Plan
Intervene
Evaluate (monitor) - ANS ✔✔Nursing process
Chemical composition - ANS ✔✔Chemical name
Commonly known, less expensive drug - ANS ✔✔Generic name
Patented, belongs to company - ANS ✔✔Trade name
Group of drugs with similar properties - ANS ✔✔Classification
Natural drugs sources - ANS ✔✔Pharmacognosy
Drugs enter body and disintegrates - ANS ✔✔Pharmaceutical phase
Drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted - ANS ✔✔Pharmacokinetics
,Available drug interacts with receptors to produce effects - ANS ✔✔Pharmacodynamics
The pharmacokinetic phase or time from a drug entering the body until drug enters the
bloodstream, affected by forms of medication, route of administration, and patient variables. -
ANS ✔✔Absorption
Extent of drug absorption to systemic blood circulation - ANS ✔✔Bioavailability
Drugs inhaled or administered through this way are absorbed rapidly through mucous
membranes - ANS ✔✔Buccal or sublingual
Drugs administered this way is affected by form (liquid or solid), acid or food in stomach - ANS
✔✔By mouth
Absorption of this route is affected by route, blood flow to site of entry, administration, and
dosage - ANS ✔✔Injected drugs
The route a drug takes to the site of action, depends on adequate blood circulation. - ANS
✔✔Distribution
If drug is _________________ or bound to albumin in blood, it cannot pass outside blood to
tissues. Only drug molecules that are not ___________________ can be freely distributed to
tissue outside blood vessels. - ANS ✔✔Protein bound
1) an inactive metabolite or less active form
2) a more soluble compound
3) a more potent metabolite - ANS ✔✔Metabolism
,LIver metabolizes drugs absorbed in the __________________ tract - ANS ✔✔Gastrointestinal
The ____________________ inactivates a portion then moves drug to excretion - ANS ✔✔First-
pass effect
- In infants with immature hepatic enzyme system
- In people with impaired hepatic blood flow (includes livers disease in older adults)
- People with severe hepatic, renal, CV disease, low serum albumin, or starvation
- With drug-drug interactions (when drugs compete for the same metabolizing enzymes) - ANS
✔✔Drug metabolism is decreased
- With some conditions (fast acetylator, a genetic influence on response to a substance:
pharmacogenetics)
- Drugs (enzyme inducers, or if people develop tolerance for example barbiturates, phenytoin,
rifampin) - ANS ✔✔Drug metabolism is increased
Drug is expelled or excreted from the body with a functioning circulatory system.
Most drugs are excreted by kidneys in urine
Liver can excrete drugs in bile, which is eliminated by bowels
Less commonly drugs are eliminated by lungs, sweat glands, salivary and mammary glands. -
ANS ✔✔Excretion
(Elimination half life) is the time required for the serum concentration of a drug to decrease by
50% - ANS ✔✔Serum half life
Is when the amount of drug removed by elimination is equal to amount of drug absorbed with
each dose. The goal of reaching steady state is to have consistent amount of drug correlating to
maximum therapeutic benefits. - ANS ✔✔Steady state
, The time is takes for a drug to elicit a therapeutic response, example: insulin lispro (Humalog):
15-30 minutes - ANS ✔✔Onset
The time it takes for a drug to reach its maximum therapeutic response, example: insulin lispro
(Humalog): 30 minutes - 2.5 hours - ANS ✔✔Peak
The length of time a sufficient drug concentration is therapeutic, example: insulin lispro
(Humalog): 3-6.5 hours - ANS ✔✔Duration
Too much drug in body, from a single dose (at peak) or multiple doses - ANS ✔✔Drug toxicity
Is desired response to correct a physiological or biochemical condition - ANS ✔✔Therapeutic
effect of a drug
Is the ratio of a drug's toxic level to the therapeutic level. - ANS ✔✔Therapeutic index
Small difference between the therapeutic level of a dose and a toxic dose - ANS ✔✔Low
therapeutic index
When a person's response to repeated doses decreases - ANS ✔✔Drug tolerance
Is a physiological or psychological need for the drug - ANS ✔✔Dependence
Drug molecule joins with receptor at reactive site of a cell to accept drug, produce desired
effect, can not change function of cell, but can increase or decrease function - ANS ✔✔Receptor
interactions
Drug interacts with enzyme system to alter a physiological response of a cell or cells to enzyme's
interaction with its normal target molecules. Chemical reaction "glues" drug to site. Drug can
PRACTICE QUESTIONS & ANSWERS 2026/2027
The study of drugs - ANS ✔✔Pharmacology
The clinical uses of drugs to prevent and treat disease - ANS ✔✔Pharmacotherapeutics
Assess
Diagnose
Plan
Intervene
Evaluate (monitor) - ANS ✔✔Nursing process
Chemical composition - ANS ✔✔Chemical name
Commonly known, less expensive drug - ANS ✔✔Generic name
Patented, belongs to company - ANS ✔✔Trade name
Group of drugs with similar properties - ANS ✔✔Classification
Natural drugs sources - ANS ✔✔Pharmacognosy
Drugs enter body and disintegrates - ANS ✔✔Pharmaceutical phase
Drugs are absorbed, distributed, metabolized, and excreted - ANS ✔✔Pharmacokinetics
,Available drug interacts with receptors to produce effects - ANS ✔✔Pharmacodynamics
The pharmacokinetic phase or time from a drug entering the body until drug enters the
bloodstream, affected by forms of medication, route of administration, and patient variables. -
ANS ✔✔Absorption
Extent of drug absorption to systemic blood circulation - ANS ✔✔Bioavailability
Drugs inhaled or administered through this way are absorbed rapidly through mucous
membranes - ANS ✔✔Buccal or sublingual
Drugs administered this way is affected by form (liquid or solid), acid or food in stomach - ANS
✔✔By mouth
Absorption of this route is affected by route, blood flow to site of entry, administration, and
dosage - ANS ✔✔Injected drugs
The route a drug takes to the site of action, depends on adequate blood circulation. - ANS
✔✔Distribution
If drug is _________________ or bound to albumin in blood, it cannot pass outside blood to
tissues. Only drug molecules that are not ___________________ can be freely distributed to
tissue outside blood vessels. - ANS ✔✔Protein bound
1) an inactive metabolite or less active form
2) a more soluble compound
3) a more potent metabolite - ANS ✔✔Metabolism
,LIver metabolizes drugs absorbed in the __________________ tract - ANS ✔✔Gastrointestinal
The ____________________ inactivates a portion then moves drug to excretion - ANS ✔✔First-
pass effect
- In infants with immature hepatic enzyme system
- In people with impaired hepatic blood flow (includes livers disease in older adults)
- People with severe hepatic, renal, CV disease, low serum albumin, or starvation
- With drug-drug interactions (when drugs compete for the same metabolizing enzymes) - ANS
✔✔Drug metabolism is decreased
- With some conditions (fast acetylator, a genetic influence on response to a substance:
pharmacogenetics)
- Drugs (enzyme inducers, or if people develop tolerance for example barbiturates, phenytoin,
rifampin) - ANS ✔✔Drug metabolism is increased
Drug is expelled or excreted from the body with a functioning circulatory system.
Most drugs are excreted by kidneys in urine
Liver can excrete drugs in bile, which is eliminated by bowels
Less commonly drugs are eliminated by lungs, sweat glands, salivary and mammary glands. -
ANS ✔✔Excretion
(Elimination half life) is the time required for the serum concentration of a drug to decrease by
50% - ANS ✔✔Serum half life
Is when the amount of drug removed by elimination is equal to amount of drug absorbed with
each dose. The goal of reaching steady state is to have consistent amount of drug correlating to
maximum therapeutic benefits. - ANS ✔✔Steady state
, The time is takes for a drug to elicit a therapeutic response, example: insulin lispro (Humalog):
15-30 minutes - ANS ✔✔Onset
The time it takes for a drug to reach its maximum therapeutic response, example: insulin lispro
(Humalog): 30 minutes - 2.5 hours - ANS ✔✔Peak
The length of time a sufficient drug concentration is therapeutic, example: insulin lispro
(Humalog): 3-6.5 hours - ANS ✔✔Duration
Too much drug in body, from a single dose (at peak) or multiple doses - ANS ✔✔Drug toxicity
Is desired response to correct a physiological or biochemical condition - ANS ✔✔Therapeutic
effect of a drug
Is the ratio of a drug's toxic level to the therapeutic level. - ANS ✔✔Therapeutic index
Small difference between the therapeutic level of a dose and a toxic dose - ANS ✔✔Low
therapeutic index
When a person's response to repeated doses decreases - ANS ✔✔Drug tolerance
Is a physiological or psychological need for the drug - ANS ✔✔Dependence
Drug molecule joins with receptor at reactive site of a cell to accept drug, produce desired
effect, can not change function of cell, but can increase or decrease function - ANS ✔✔Receptor
interactions
Drug interacts with enzyme system to alter a physiological response of a cell or cells to enzyme's
interaction with its normal target molecules. Chemical reaction "glues" drug to site. Drug can
