Pharmacology Chapter 1 – Introduction to Drugs
(NCLEX-Style Exam Questions & Rationales)|Complete
Questions with A+ Graded Rationales Latest Updated
2026
Ans:
B
Feedback:
Pharmacology is the study of the biologic effects of chemicals. Nurses are involved with clinical
pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics, which is a branch of pharmacology that deals with the
uses of drugs to treat, prevent, and diagnose disease. The radiology nurse is administering a
drug to help diagnose a disease. The oncology nurse is administering a drug to help treat a
disease. Pharmacoeconomics includes any costs involved in drug therapy. Pharmacodynamics
involves how a drug affects the body and pharmacokinetics is how the body acts on the body.
A nurse working in radiology administers iodine to a patient who is having a computed
tomography (CT) scan. The nurse working on the oncology unit administers chemotherapy to
patients who have cancer. At the Public Health Department, a nurse administers a measles-
mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine to a 14-month-old child as a routine immunization. Which
branch of pharmacology best describes the actions of all three nurses?
A) Pharmacoeconomics
B) Pharmacotherapeutics
C) Pharmacodynamics
D) Pharmacokinetics
Ans:
B
Feedback:
Narcotics with a high abuse potential are classified as Schedule II drugs because of severe
dependence liability. Schedule I drugs have high abuse potential and no accepted medical use.
,Schedule III drugs have a lesser abuse potential than II and an accepted medical use. Schedule
IV drugs have low abuse potential and limited dependence liability.
A physician has ordered intramuscular (IM) injections of morphine, a narcotic, every 4 hours as
needed for pain in a motor vehicle accident victim. The nurse is aware this drug has a high
abuse potential. Under what category would morphine be classified?
A) Schedule I
B) Schedule II
C) Schedule III
D) Schedule IV
Ans:
C
Feedback:
Phase III studies involve use of a drug in a vast clinical population in which patients are asked to
record any symptoms they experience while taking the drugs. Nurses may be responsible for
helping collect and analyze the information to be shared with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) but would not conduct research independently because nurses do not prescribe
medications. Use of animals in drug testing is done in the preclinical trials. Select patients who
are involved in phase II studies to participate in studies where the participants have the disease
the drug is intended to treat. These patients are monitored closely for drug
When involved in phase III drug evaluation studies, what responsibilities would the nurse have?
A)Working with animals who are given experimental drugs
B)Choosing appropriate patients to be involved in the drug study
C)Monitoring and observing patients closely for adverse effects
D) Conducting research to determine effectiveness of the drug
Ans:
A
Feedback:
Bioavailability is the portion of a dose of a drug that reaches the systemic circulation and is
, available to act on body cells. Binders used in a generic drug may not be the same as those used
in the brand name drug. Therefore, the way the body breaks down and uses the drug may differ,
which may eliminate a generic drug substitution. Critical concentration is the amount of a drug
that is needed to cause a therapeutic effect and should not differ between generic and brand
name medications. Distribution is the phase of pharmacokinetics, which involves the movement
of a drug to the body's tissues and is the same in generic and brand
What concept is considered when generic drugs are substituted for brand name drugs?
A)Bioavailability
B)Critical concentration
C)Distribution
D)Half-life
Ans:
D
Feedback:
It is important for the nurse to specifically question use of over-the-counter medications
because patients may not consider them important. The patient is unlikely to know the meaning
of orphan drugs unless they too are health care providers. Safety during pregnancy, use of a
generic medication, or classification of orphan drugs are things the patient would be unable to
answer but could be found in reference books if the nurse wishes to research them.
A nurse is assessing the patient's home medication use. After listening to the patient list current
medications, the nurse asks what priority question?
A)Do you take any generic medications?
B)Are any of these medications orphan drugs?
C)Are these medications safe to take during pregnancy?
D)Do you take any over-the-counter medications?
Ans:
C
Feedback:
(NCLEX-Style Exam Questions & Rationales)|Complete
Questions with A+ Graded Rationales Latest Updated
2026
Ans:
B
Feedback:
Pharmacology is the study of the biologic effects of chemicals. Nurses are involved with clinical
pharmacology or pharmacotherapeutics, which is a branch of pharmacology that deals with the
uses of drugs to treat, prevent, and diagnose disease. The radiology nurse is administering a
drug to help diagnose a disease. The oncology nurse is administering a drug to help treat a
disease. Pharmacoeconomics includes any costs involved in drug therapy. Pharmacodynamics
involves how a drug affects the body and pharmacokinetics is how the body acts on the body.
A nurse working in radiology administers iodine to a patient who is having a computed
tomography (CT) scan. The nurse working on the oncology unit administers chemotherapy to
patients who have cancer. At the Public Health Department, a nurse administers a measles-
mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine to a 14-month-old child as a routine immunization. Which
branch of pharmacology best describes the actions of all three nurses?
A) Pharmacoeconomics
B) Pharmacotherapeutics
C) Pharmacodynamics
D) Pharmacokinetics
Ans:
B
Feedback:
Narcotics with a high abuse potential are classified as Schedule II drugs because of severe
dependence liability. Schedule I drugs have high abuse potential and no accepted medical use.
,Schedule III drugs have a lesser abuse potential than II and an accepted medical use. Schedule
IV drugs have low abuse potential and limited dependence liability.
A physician has ordered intramuscular (IM) injections of morphine, a narcotic, every 4 hours as
needed for pain in a motor vehicle accident victim. The nurse is aware this drug has a high
abuse potential. Under what category would morphine be classified?
A) Schedule I
B) Schedule II
C) Schedule III
D) Schedule IV
Ans:
C
Feedback:
Phase III studies involve use of a drug in a vast clinical population in which patients are asked to
record any symptoms they experience while taking the drugs. Nurses may be responsible for
helping collect and analyze the information to be shared with the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA) but would not conduct research independently because nurses do not prescribe
medications. Use of animals in drug testing is done in the preclinical trials. Select patients who
are involved in phase II studies to participate in studies where the participants have the disease
the drug is intended to treat. These patients are monitored closely for drug
When involved in phase III drug evaluation studies, what responsibilities would the nurse have?
A)Working with animals who are given experimental drugs
B)Choosing appropriate patients to be involved in the drug study
C)Monitoring and observing patients closely for adverse effects
D) Conducting research to determine effectiveness of the drug
Ans:
A
Feedback:
Bioavailability is the portion of a dose of a drug that reaches the systemic circulation and is
, available to act on body cells. Binders used in a generic drug may not be the same as those used
in the brand name drug. Therefore, the way the body breaks down and uses the drug may differ,
which may eliminate a generic drug substitution. Critical concentration is the amount of a drug
that is needed to cause a therapeutic effect and should not differ between generic and brand
name medications. Distribution is the phase of pharmacokinetics, which involves the movement
of a drug to the body's tissues and is the same in generic and brand
What concept is considered when generic drugs are substituted for brand name drugs?
A)Bioavailability
B)Critical concentration
C)Distribution
D)Half-life
Ans:
D
Feedback:
It is important for the nurse to specifically question use of over-the-counter medications
because patients may not consider them important. The patient is unlikely to know the meaning
of orphan drugs unless they too are health care providers. Safety during pregnancy, use of a
generic medication, or classification of orphan drugs are things the patient would be unable to
answer but could be found in reference books if the nurse wishes to research them.
A nurse is assessing the patient's home medication use. After listening to the patient list current
medications, the nurse asks what priority question?
A)Do you take any generic medications?
B)Are any of these medications orphan drugs?
C)Are these medications safe to take during pregnancy?
D)Do you take any over-the-counter medications?
Ans:
C
Feedback:
