RN Pharmacology ACTUAL EXAM 242 QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES
A provider prescribes phenobarbital for a client who has a seizure disorder. The
medication has a long half-life of 4 days. How many times per day should the nurse
expect to administer this medication?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four << correct answer >> A. Medications with long half-lives remain at their
therapeutic levels between doses for long periods of time. The nurse should expect to
administer this medication once a day.
A staff educator is reviewing medication dosages and factors that influence medication
metabolism with a group of nurses at an in-service presentation. Which of the following
factors should the educator include as a reason to administer lower medication
dosages? (Select all that apply.)
A. Increased renal secretion
B. Increased medication-metabolizing enzymes
C. Liver failure
D. Peripheral vascular disease
E. Concurrent use of medication the same pathway metabolizes << correct answer >>
Answer:
C. Liver failure decreases metabolism and thus increases the concentration of a
medication. This requires decreasing the dosage.
E. When the same pathway metabolizes two medications, they compete for metabolism,
thereby increasing the concentration of one or both medications. This requires
decreasing the dosage of one or both medications.
A nurse is preparing to administer
eye drops to a client. Which of
the following actions should the
,nurse take? (Select all that apply.)
A.have the client lie on her side.
B.Ask the client to look
up at the ceiling.
C.Tell the client to blink when the drops enter her eye.
D.Drop the medication
into the center of the
client's conjunctival sac.
E.Instruct the client to close her eye gently after instillation << correct answer >> B. The
client should look upward to
keep the drops from falling onto her cornea.
D. The nurse should drop the medication into the
center of the conjunctival sac to promote distribution.
E. The client should close her eye gently
to promote distribution of the medication
A nurse is completing discharge teaching for a client who has a new prescription for
transdermal patches. Which of the following
statements should the nurse identify as an indication that the client
understands the instructions?
A."I will clean the site with
an alcohol swab before
I apply the patch."
B."I will rotate the application sites weekly."
C."I will apply the patch to an area of skin with no hair."
D."I will place the new patch on the site of the old patch. << correct answer >> C. The
client should apply the patch to a hairless
area of skin to promote absorption of the medication.
A nurse reviewing a client's
medical record notes a new prescription for verifying the trough
level of the client's medication. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
A.Obtain a blood specimen
immediately prior to
administering the next
,dose of medication.
B.Verify that the client has
been taking the medication
for 24 hr before obtaining
a blood specimen.
C.Ask the client to pr
ovide a urine specimen after the next dose of medication.
D.Administer the medication,and obtain a blood specimen 30 min late << correct
answer >> A. To verify trough levels of a medication, the
nurse should obtain a blood specimen immediately
before administering the next dose of medication.
A nurse is preparing a client's medications. Which of the following actions should the
nurse take in following legal practice
guidelines? (Select all that apply.)
A.maintain skill competency.
B.Determine the dosage.
C. monitor for adverse effects.
D.Safeguard medications.
E.Identify the client's diagnosis << correct answer >> A.maintaining skill competency
and using appropriate
administration techniques are legal responsibilities of the nurse
C. A nurse is legally responsible for monitoring
for side and adverse effects of medication
D. Safeguarding of medications, such as controlled
substances, is a legal responsibility of the nurse
A nurse reviewing a client's health record notes a new prescription for lisinopril 10 mg
PO once every day. The nurse should identify this as which of the following types of
prescription?
A.Single
B.Stat
C.Routine
, D.Standing << correct answer >> C. A routine or standard prescription identifies
medications
to give on a regular schedule with or without a termination
date or a specific number of doses. The nurse will administer
this medication every day until the provider discontinues it.
A nurse is reviewing a new
prescription for ondansetron 4 mg
PO PRN for nausea and vomiting for a client who has hyperemesis
gravidarum. The nurse should clarify which of the following parts of the
prescription with the provider?
A.Name
B.Dosage
C.Route
D.Frequency << correct answer >> D. This prescription does not include the time or
frequency of medication administration. The nurse must clarify this with the prescribing
provide
A nurse is admitting a client and completing a preassessment before administering
medications.
Which of the following data
should the nurse include in the preassessment? (Select all that apply.)
A.Use of herbal teas
B.Daily fluid intake
C.Current health status
D.Previous surgical history
E.Food allergies << correct answer >> A. The nurse should inquire about the client's
use of herbal products, which often contain caffeine, prior to medication
administration because caffeine can affect medication biotransformation
C. The nurse should review the client's current health status
because new prescriptions can cause alterations in current health status
E. The nurse should inquire about food allergies during
the preassessment to identify any potential reactions or interactions
AND ANSWERS WITH RATIONALES
A provider prescribes phenobarbital for a client who has a seizure disorder. The
medication has a long half-life of 4 days. How many times per day should the nurse
expect to administer this medication?
A. One
B. Two
C. Three
D. Four << correct answer >> A. Medications with long half-lives remain at their
therapeutic levels between doses for long periods of time. The nurse should expect to
administer this medication once a day.
A staff educator is reviewing medication dosages and factors that influence medication
metabolism with a group of nurses at an in-service presentation. Which of the following
factors should the educator include as a reason to administer lower medication
dosages? (Select all that apply.)
A. Increased renal secretion
B. Increased medication-metabolizing enzymes
C. Liver failure
D. Peripheral vascular disease
E. Concurrent use of medication the same pathway metabolizes << correct answer >>
Answer:
C. Liver failure decreases metabolism and thus increases the concentration of a
medication. This requires decreasing the dosage.
E. When the same pathway metabolizes two medications, they compete for metabolism,
thereby increasing the concentration of one or both medications. This requires
decreasing the dosage of one or both medications.
A nurse is preparing to administer
eye drops to a client. Which of
the following actions should the
,nurse take? (Select all that apply.)
A.have the client lie on her side.
B.Ask the client to look
up at the ceiling.
C.Tell the client to blink when the drops enter her eye.
D.Drop the medication
into the center of the
client's conjunctival sac.
E.Instruct the client to close her eye gently after instillation << correct answer >> B. The
client should look upward to
keep the drops from falling onto her cornea.
D. The nurse should drop the medication into the
center of the conjunctival sac to promote distribution.
E. The client should close her eye gently
to promote distribution of the medication
A nurse is completing discharge teaching for a client who has a new prescription for
transdermal patches. Which of the following
statements should the nurse identify as an indication that the client
understands the instructions?
A."I will clean the site with
an alcohol swab before
I apply the patch."
B."I will rotate the application sites weekly."
C."I will apply the patch to an area of skin with no hair."
D."I will place the new patch on the site of the old patch. << correct answer >> C. The
client should apply the patch to a hairless
area of skin to promote absorption of the medication.
A nurse reviewing a client's
medical record notes a new prescription for verifying the trough
level of the client's medication. Which of the following actions should the nurse take?
A.Obtain a blood specimen
immediately prior to
administering the next
,dose of medication.
B.Verify that the client has
been taking the medication
for 24 hr before obtaining
a blood specimen.
C.Ask the client to pr
ovide a urine specimen after the next dose of medication.
D.Administer the medication,and obtain a blood specimen 30 min late << correct
answer >> A. To verify trough levels of a medication, the
nurse should obtain a blood specimen immediately
before administering the next dose of medication.
A nurse is preparing a client's medications. Which of the following actions should the
nurse take in following legal practice
guidelines? (Select all that apply.)
A.maintain skill competency.
B.Determine the dosage.
C. monitor for adverse effects.
D.Safeguard medications.
E.Identify the client's diagnosis << correct answer >> A.maintaining skill competency
and using appropriate
administration techniques are legal responsibilities of the nurse
C. A nurse is legally responsible for monitoring
for side and adverse effects of medication
D. Safeguarding of medications, such as controlled
substances, is a legal responsibility of the nurse
A nurse reviewing a client's health record notes a new prescription for lisinopril 10 mg
PO once every day. The nurse should identify this as which of the following types of
prescription?
A.Single
B.Stat
C.Routine
, D.Standing << correct answer >> C. A routine or standard prescription identifies
medications
to give on a regular schedule with or without a termination
date or a specific number of doses. The nurse will administer
this medication every day until the provider discontinues it.
A nurse is reviewing a new
prescription for ondansetron 4 mg
PO PRN for nausea and vomiting for a client who has hyperemesis
gravidarum. The nurse should clarify which of the following parts of the
prescription with the provider?
A.Name
B.Dosage
C.Route
D.Frequency << correct answer >> D. This prescription does not include the time or
frequency of medication administration. The nurse must clarify this with the prescribing
provide
A nurse is admitting a client and completing a preassessment before administering
medications.
Which of the following data
should the nurse include in the preassessment? (Select all that apply.)
A.Use of herbal teas
B.Daily fluid intake
C.Current health status
D.Previous surgical history
E.Food allergies << correct answer >> A. The nurse should inquire about the client's
use of herbal products, which often contain caffeine, prior to medication
administration because caffeine can affect medication biotransformation
C. The nurse should review the client's current health status
because new prescriptions can cause alterations in current health status
E. The nurse should inquire about food allergies during
the preassessment to identify any potential reactions or interactions
