NURS 8024 ADVANCED PHARMACOLOGY WEEK 1 2026/2027 – STUDY GUIDE,
PRACTICE QUESTIONS & EXAM PREP
Pharmacokinetics - correct answer ✔✔what the body does to the drug
Pharmacodynamics - correct answer ✔✔what the drug does to the body
Toxicology - correct answer ✔✔The undesirable effects of chemicals on living systems
Pharmacotherapeutics - correct answer ✔✔dynamic that achieves the desired therapeutic effect of the
drug without causing other undesirable effects
Legend drugs - correct answer ✔✔another name for prescription drugs
Pharmacogenomics - correct answer ✔✔the study of genetically determined variations in the response
to drugs
Pharmacologic Agonist - correct answer ✔✔agent binds to and activates the
receptor - directly or indirectly causing an effect, full or partial agonists
Pharmacological Antagonist - correct answer ✔✔Agent binds to receptor-completes with other
molecules and prevents binding by other molecules-it inhibits other molecules from binding
Pro-drug - correct answer ✔✔An inactive percursor chemical-must be abosorbed and distributed and
converted to the active form of the drug by biologic processes.
What is ADME? - correct answer ✔✔Absorption
Distribution
Metabolism
Elimination
Absorption - correct answer ✔✔entry of pharmacologic agent into plasma
Distribution - correct answer ✔✔agent leaves the bloodstream and distributes to interstitial and
intracellular fluids
Metablosim - correct answer ✔✔chemical processes that occur to make the drug useful in the
bloodstream--done by the liver, kidney, or other tissue
Ellimination - correct answer ✔✔Leaving the body-via urine, bile, feces, lungs, sweat, breast milk
2 Major Administration Routes - correct answer ✔✔1. Enteral -most common, easy, cheap-BUT drug
absorption pathways can be complicated
2. Parenteral-IV, fast, more expensive, once in-cannot get back
Enteral drug administration - correct answer ✔✔oral, sublingual, rectal
, drug absorption pathways complicated
**First-pass metabolism can limit the amount of drug that enters systemic circulation
influenced by food and other drugs
What is first pass metabolism? - correct answer ✔✔The concentration of drug is greatly reduced BEFORE
reaching systemic circulation. This mainly involves liver enzymes, but also includes gastric enzymes, gut
wall enzymes, and bacterial enzymes. Bioavaliability is reduced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQQns7RAUzA
Parenteral drug administration - correct answer ✔✔-IV, IM, SubQ
- More control over actual dose of drug
- Directly into systemic circulation-bypass first pass metabolism
- used for drugs poorly absorbed by GI
-Rapid onset of action
-Disadvantage: cannot take the drug back, infection risk
Inhalation route of administration - correct answer ✔✔Rapid delivery, large surface area, good for gases,
aerolsols, respiratory drugs
Rectal Route of administration - correct answer ✔✔50% of circulatory drainage BYPASSES portal
circulation
Meaning: Less first pass effect
Drug Transport Methods: - correct answer ✔✔Passive diffusion (no E needed)
Active transport (requires E)
Endocytosis
Passive diffusion (simple diffusion) - correct answer ✔✔no energy needed, related to concentration
gradient across membrane, HIGHER concentration goes to LOWER concentration
Active Transport - correct answer ✔✔requires energy (ATP), Able to move drug from LOWER to HIGHER
concentration
Endocytosis - correct answer ✔✔Transport large molecules
Engulfment of drug molecule by cell membrane and transport into cell
Exocytosis - correct answer ✔✔Process by which a cell releases large amounts of material
Drug Absorption - correct answer ✔✔Drugs are typically weak acids or weak bases
Role and size of MOLECULAR WEIGHT in drug absorption
Drug Molecular Weights - correct answer ✔✔Most drugs weight from 100-1000
smaller sizes are easier to cross membranes
However, drugs can vary in size from MW of 7 (Lithium) to 50,000 (thrombolytic enzymes)
Solubility - correct answer ✔✔Hydrophilic (Lipophobic)
Lipophilic (hydrophobic)
PRACTICE QUESTIONS & EXAM PREP
Pharmacokinetics - correct answer ✔✔what the body does to the drug
Pharmacodynamics - correct answer ✔✔what the drug does to the body
Toxicology - correct answer ✔✔The undesirable effects of chemicals on living systems
Pharmacotherapeutics - correct answer ✔✔dynamic that achieves the desired therapeutic effect of the
drug without causing other undesirable effects
Legend drugs - correct answer ✔✔another name for prescription drugs
Pharmacogenomics - correct answer ✔✔the study of genetically determined variations in the response
to drugs
Pharmacologic Agonist - correct answer ✔✔agent binds to and activates the
receptor - directly or indirectly causing an effect, full or partial agonists
Pharmacological Antagonist - correct answer ✔✔Agent binds to receptor-completes with other
molecules and prevents binding by other molecules-it inhibits other molecules from binding
Pro-drug - correct answer ✔✔An inactive percursor chemical-must be abosorbed and distributed and
converted to the active form of the drug by biologic processes.
What is ADME? - correct answer ✔✔Absorption
Distribution
Metabolism
Elimination
Absorption - correct answer ✔✔entry of pharmacologic agent into plasma
Distribution - correct answer ✔✔agent leaves the bloodstream and distributes to interstitial and
intracellular fluids
Metablosim - correct answer ✔✔chemical processes that occur to make the drug useful in the
bloodstream--done by the liver, kidney, or other tissue
Ellimination - correct answer ✔✔Leaving the body-via urine, bile, feces, lungs, sweat, breast milk
2 Major Administration Routes - correct answer ✔✔1. Enteral -most common, easy, cheap-BUT drug
absorption pathways can be complicated
2. Parenteral-IV, fast, more expensive, once in-cannot get back
Enteral drug administration - correct answer ✔✔oral, sublingual, rectal
, drug absorption pathways complicated
**First-pass metabolism can limit the amount of drug that enters systemic circulation
influenced by food and other drugs
What is first pass metabolism? - correct answer ✔✔The concentration of drug is greatly reduced BEFORE
reaching systemic circulation. This mainly involves liver enzymes, but also includes gastric enzymes, gut
wall enzymes, and bacterial enzymes. Bioavaliability is reduced.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BQQns7RAUzA
Parenteral drug administration - correct answer ✔✔-IV, IM, SubQ
- More control over actual dose of drug
- Directly into systemic circulation-bypass first pass metabolism
- used for drugs poorly absorbed by GI
-Rapid onset of action
-Disadvantage: cannot take the drug back, infection risk
Inhalation route of administration - correct answer ✔✔Rapid delivery, large surface area, good for gases,
aerolsols, respiratory drugs
Rectal Route of administration - correct answer ✔✔50% of circulatory drainage BYPASSES portal
circulation
Meaning: Less first pass effect
Drug Transport Methods: - correct answer ✔✔Passive diffusion (no E needed)
Active transport (requires E)
Endocytosis
Passive diffusion (simple diffusion) - correct answer ✔✔no energy needed, related to concentration
gradient across membrane, HIGHER concentration goes to LOWER concentration
Active Transport - correct answer ✔✔requires energy (ATP), Able to move drug from LOWER to HIGHER
concentration
Endocytosis - correct answer ✔✔Transport large molecules
Engulfment of drug molecule by cell membrane and transport into cell
Exocytosis - correct answer ✔✔Process by which a cell releases large amounts of material
Drug Absorption - correct answer ✔✔Drugs are typically weak acids or weak bases
Role and size of MOLECULAR WEIGHT in drug absorption
Drug Molecular Weights - correct answer ✔✔Most drugs weight from 100-1000
smaller sizes are easier to cross membranes
However, drugs can vary in size from MW of 7 (Lithium) to 50,000 (thrombolytic enzymes)
Solubility - correct answer ✔✔Hydrophilic (Lipophobic)
Lipophilic (hydrophobic)
