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BMS 620 PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADE A+ 2024
1. In which of the following patients would a nurse expect to experience alterations in
drug metabolism?
A) A 35-year-old woman with cervical cancer
B) A 41-year-old man with kidney stones
C) A 50-year-old man with cirrhosis of the liver
D) A 62-year-old woman in acute renal failure
2. A patient has a blood serum drug level of 50 units/mL. The drug's half-life is 1 hour. If
concentrations above 25 units/mL are toxic and no more of the drug is given, how long
will it take for the blood level to reach the nontoxic range?
A) 30 minutes
B) 1 hour
C) 2 hours D) 3 hours
3. A nurse has been administering a drug to a patient intramuscularly (IM). The physician
discontinued the IM dose and wrote an order for the drug to be given orally. The nurse
notices that the oral dosage is considerably higher than the parenteral dose and
understands that this due to A) passive diffusion.
B) active transport.
C) glomerular filtration.
D) first-pass effect.
4. A nurse receives an order to administer a critically ill patient two drugs immediately
(stat). The nurse begins the process by
A) washing his or her hands before handling the medications.
B) consulting a drug guide for compatibility.
C) questioning the patient concerning allergies.
D) identifying the patient by checking the armband and asking the patient to state his
name.
5. A 38-year-old patient is obese and has abscesses around his inner thigh muscles. He is
receiving IV antibiotics, but no improvement has been seen. The patient questions the
nurse about the most likely cause for the drug therapy failure. The nurse explains to
the patient that the
A) surface area of the abscesses is not large enough for the drug to have the desired
therapeutic effect.
B) route of administering the medication should not have been IV.
C) distribution of the drug to the area of the abscesses is impaired.
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D) distribution of the drug to the thigh muscles is generally impaired, even in healthy
individuals.
6. A patient has been receiving regular doses of an agonist for 2 weeks. Which of the
following should the nurse anticipate? A) The drug will decrease in effectiveness
B) The drug will increase in effectiveness
C) There will be a steady state with no anticipated changes
D) The drug will cause excessive therapeutic effects even when administered in small
doses.
7. A nurse is discussing with a patient the efficacy of a drug that his physician has
suggested, and he begin taking. Efficacy of a drug means which of the following?
A) The amount of the drug that must be given to produce a particular response
B) How well a drug produces its desired effect
C) A drug's strength of attraction for a receptor site
D) A drug's ability to stimulate its receptor
8. A patient has been admitted to the intensive care unit following a myocardial
infarction. His nurse is preparing to administer his ordered medications when she
notices that one drug ordered is used for treating seizure disorders. The nurse does not
find a history of seizures in the patient's record. The most appropriate action for the
nurse is to A) ask the charge nurse if she knows why the drug has been ordered.
B) look up the drug to see if there are other conditions that the drug could be
prescribed for.
C) question the physician about the prescribed medication.
D) call the pharmacist and inquire about therapeutic uses of the drug.
9. A nurse notes new drug orders for a patient who is already getting several medications.
Which of the following is the most important consideration when preparing to
administer the new drugs?
A) How the patient will feel about new medications added to her drug therapy
B) Possible drugñdrug interactions that might occur
C) Any special nursing considerations that the nurse must be aware of D) If generic
preparations of the drugs can be used
10. A nurse is caring for a patient who has had part of her small intestine removed due to
cancer. She has also now developed hypertension and has been prescribed a new
medication to decrease her blood pressure. While planning the patient's care, the nurse
should consider a possible alteration in which of the following aspects of
pharmacokinetics? A) Absorption
B) Distribution
C) Metabolism
D) Elimination
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BMS 620 PHARMACOTHERAPEUTICS QUESTIONS AND
ANSWERS GRADE A+ 2024
1. In which of the following patients would a nurse expect to experience alterations in
drug metabolism?
A) A 35-year-old woman with cervical cancer
B) A 41-year-old man with kidney stones
C) A 50-year-old man with cirrhosis of the liver
D) A 62-year-old woman in acute renal failure
2. A patient has a blood serum drug level of 50 units/mL. The drug's half-life is 1 hour. If
concentrations above 25 units/mL are toxic and no more of the drug is given, how long
will it take for the blood level to reach the nontoxic range?
A) 30 minutes
B) 1 hour
C) 2 hours D) 3 hours
3. A nurse has been administering a drug to a patient intramuscularly (IM). The physician
discontinued the IM dose and wrote an order for the drug to be given orally. The nurse
notices that the oral dosage is considerably higher than the parenteral dose and
understands that this due to A) passive diffusion.
B) active transport.
C) glomerular filtration.
D) first-pass effect.
4. A nurse receives an order to administer a critically ill patient two drugs immediately
(stat). The nurse begins the process by
A) washing his or her hands before handling the medications.
B) consulting a drug guide for compatibility.
C) questioning the patient concerning allergies.
D) identifying the patient by checking the armband and asking the patient to state his
name.
5. A 38-year-old patient is obese and has abscesses around his inner thigh muscles. He is
receiving IV antibiotics, but no improvement has been seen. The patient questions the
nurse about the most likely cause for the drug therapy failure. The nurse explains to
the patient that the
A) surface area of the abscesses is not large enough for the drug to have the desired
therapeutic effect.
B) route of administering the medication should not have been IV.
C) distribution of the drug to the area of the abscesses is impaired.
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D) distribution of the drug to the thigh muscles is generally impaired, even in healthy
individuals.
6. A patient has been receiving regular doses of an agonist for 2 weeks. Which of the
following should the nurse anticipate? A) The drug will decrease in effectiveness
B) The drug will increase in effectiveness
C) There will be a steady state with no anticipated changes
D) The drug will cause excessive therapeutic effects even when administered in small
doses.
7. A nurse is discussing with a patient the efficacy of a drug that his physician has
suggested, and he begin taking. Efficacy of a drug means which of the following?
A) The amount of the drug that must be given to produce a particular response
B) How well a drug produces its desired effect
C) A drug's strength of attraction for a receptor site
D) A drug's ability to stimulate its receptor
8. A patient has been admitted to the intensive care unit following a myocardial
infarction. His nurse is preparing to administer his ordered medications when she
notices that one drug ordered is used for treating seizure disorders. The nurse does not
find a history of seizures in the patient's record. The most appropriate action for the
nurse is to A) ask the charge nurse if she knows why the drug has been ordered.
B) look up the drug to see if there are other conditions that the drug could be
prescribed for.
C) question the physician about the prescribed medication.
D) call the pharmacist and inquire about therapeutic uses of the drug.
9. A nurse notes new drug orders for a patient who is already getting several medications.
Which of the following is the most important consideration when preparing to
administer the new drugs?
A) How the patient will feel about new medications added to her drug therapy
B) Possible drugñdrug interactions that might occur
C) Any special nursing considerations that the nurse must be aware of D) If generic
preparations of the drugs can be used
10. A nurse is caring for a patient who has had part of her small intestine removed due to
cancer. She has also now developed hypertension and has been prescribed a new
medication to decrease her blood pressure. While planning the patient's care, the nurse
should consider a possible alteration in which of the following aspects of
pharmacokinetics? A) Absorption
B) Distribution
C) Metabolism
D) Elimination
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