Advanced Pharmacology Exam 1
Exam Questions and Answers (Latest
2026).
Once you graduate from an NP program, in order to prescribe you'll need: - CORRECT ANSWERS
-Advanced nurse prescriber license
-DEA #
What is the purpose of a DEA #? - CORRECT ANSWERS Needed to prescribed scheduled drugs
Rules for prescribing Schedule II drugs: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Written script needed
-1 month supply only
-No refills
What is the PDMP? - CORRECT ANSWERS Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
Used to effectively track patient's controlled substance uses across different health facilities (in the
same state)
What are clinical practice guidelines? - CORRECT ANSWERS Recommendations that are
intended to optimize patient care that are informed by a systematic review of the evidence and an
assessment of the benefits/harms of alternative care practices
Ex: sepsis, CAP
Common causes of medication errors: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Illegible writing
-Drug names that sound alike
,-Medications that look alike
-Administering a drug with the wrong route
What is pharmacokinetics? What are its 4 categories? - CORRECT ANSWERS What the body
does to the drug
1. Absorption
2. Metabolism
3. Distribution
4. Excretion
Quickest route of absorption? Slowest? - CORRECT ANSWERS IV = quickest
IM = slowest
What is the most common way drugs pass through cell membranes? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Passive diffusion
What characteristics of a drug allow it to pass most quickly through cell membranes (usually through
passive diffusion)? - CORRECT ANSWERS Small, uncharged (unionized), lipid soluble--pass
through membrane without any energy
What does it mean when a drug is ionized? - CORRECT ANSWERS It means that the drug is
stuck in the compartment it was ionized in and has to be moved to the next compartment (cannot be
absorbed into the bloodstream)
Where do weak acids absorb? - CORRECT ANSWERS Stomach
Where do weak bases absorb? - CORRECT ANSWERS Small intestine
,pH of stomach: - CORRECT ANSWERS 2-4
pH of small intestine: - CORRECT ANSWERS 6-7
pH of large intestine: - CORRECT ANSWERS 6-7
pH of bloodstream: - CORRECT ANSWERS 7.35-7.45
pH of bladder: - CORRECT ANSWERS 5-8
pH of breastmilk: - CORRECT ANSWERS 7.1
Where will a drug absorb if it is a weak base that ionizes at a pH of 4 and lower? - CORRECT ANSWERS
In the small intestine (since the stomach has a pH of 2-4, so the drug will become ionized and move to
the small intestine where it will be able to absorb into the bloodstream)
How can we manipulate the urine pH in cases of overdose? - CORRECT ANSWERS Drugs that
are weak acids (aspirin) can be trapped and excreted through the urine.
We raise pH of the urine (with sodium bicarb) to force the drug to ionize and allow it to be excreted, not
reabsorbed through the bloodstream.
What is distribution? - CORRECT ANSWERS How a drug will be transported to the tissues it
needs to go to in order for it to exert its effects
Drug factors related to distribution: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Lipid solubility
, -Molecular size
-Degree of ionization
-Duration of action
-Cellular binding
-Therapeutic effects
-Toxic effects
(lipid soluble, small, and non-ionized drugs will distribute more quickly)
Body factors related to distribution: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Vascularity (poor perfusion,
disruption of blood flow due to trauma--difficulty distributing)
-Blood barriers (blood-brain-barrier can be problematic if we need to get drugs to the brain--will need
very high dosing since only a small amount of the drug will get through)
-Transport mechanisms
-Plasma binding proteins
-Disease states
-Volume of distribution
-Drug interactions
What is the key plasma protein involved with protein binding for medications? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Albumin
Why do we monitor albumin? - CORRECT ANSWERS Indicative of nutritional status and how
well protein-bound drugs will be transported to their target locations
What happens to the therapeutic effect of a drug when the patient is elderly and has very low levels of
albumin? - CORRECT ANSWERS The drug does not bind to the protein (albumin) as much as
expected, so there is a lot of free drug floating in the plasma; high risk for drug toxicity
Exam Questions and Answers (Latest
2026).
Once you graduate from an NP program, in order to prescribe you'll need: - CORRECT ANSWERS
-Advanced nurse prescriber license
-DEA #
What is the purpose of a DEA #? - CORRECT ANSWERS Needed to prescribed scheduled drugs
Rules for prescribing Schedule II drugs: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Written script needed
-1 month supply only
-No refills
What is the PDMP? - CORRECT ANSWERS Prescription Drug Monitoring Program
Used to effectively track patient's controlled substance uses across different health facilities (in the
same state)
What are clinical practice guidelines? - CORRECT ANSWERS Recommendations that are
intended to optimize patient care that are informed by a systematic review of the evidence and an
assessment of the benefits/harms of alternative care practices
Ex: sepsis, CAP
Common causes of medication errors: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Illegible writing
-Drug names that sound alike
,-Medications that look alike
-Administering a drug with the wrong route
What is pharmacokinetics? What are its 4 categories? - CORRECT ANSWERS What the body
does to the drug
1. Absorption
2. Metabolism
3. Distribution
4. Excretion
Quickest route of absorption? Slowest? - CORRECT ANSWERS IV = quickest
IM = slowest
What is the most common way drugs pass through cell membranes? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Passive diffusion
What characteristics of a drug allow it to pass most quickly through cell membranes (usually through
passive diffusion)? - CORRECT ANSWERS Small, uncharged (unionized), lipid soluble--pass
through membrane without any energy
What does it mean when a drug is ionized? - CORRECT ANSWERS It means that the drug is
stuck in the compartment it was ionized in and has to be moved to the next compartment (cannot be
absorbed into the bloodstream)
Where do weak acids absorb? - CORRECT ANSWERS Stomach
Where do weak bases absorb? - CORRECT ANSWERS Small intestine
,pH of stomach: - CORRECT ANSWERS 2-4
pH of small intestine: - CORRECT ANSWERS 6-7
pH of large intestine: - CORRECT ANSWERS 6-7
pH of bloodstream: - CORRECT ANSWERS 7.35-7.45
pH of bladder: - CORRECT ANSWERS 5-8
pH of breastmilk: - CORRECT ANSWERS 7.1
Where will a drug absorb if it is a weak base that ionizes at a pH of 4 and lower? - CORRECT ANSWERS
In the small intestine (since the stomach has a pH of 2-4, so the drug will become ionized and move to
the small intestine where it will be able to absorb into the bloodstream)
How can we manipulate the urine pH in cases of overdose? - CORRECT ANSWERS Drugs that
are weak acids (aspirin) can be trapped and excreted through the urine.
We raise pH of the urine (with sodium bicarb) to force the drug to ionize and allow it to be excreted, not
reabsorbed through the bloodstream.
What is distribution? - CORRECT ANSWERS How a drug will be transported to the tissues it
needs to go to in order for it to exert its effects
Drug factors related to distribution: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Lipid solubility
, -Molecular size
-Degree of ionization
-Duration of action
-Cellular binding
-Therapeutic effects
-Toxic effects
(lipid soluble, small, and non-ionized drugs will distribute more quickly)
Body factors related to distribution: - CORRECT ANSWERS -Vascularity (poor perfusion,
disruption of blood flow due to trauma--difficulty distributing)
-Blood barriers (blood-brain-barrier can be problematic if we need to get drugs to the brain--will need
very high dosing since only a small amount of the drug will get through)
-Transport mechanisms
-Plasma binding proteins
-Disease states
-Volume of distribution
-Drug interactions
What is the key plasma protein involved with protein binding for medications? - CORRECT ANSWERS
Albumin
Why do we monitor albumin? - CORRECT ANSWERS Indicative of nutritional status and how
well protein-bound drugs will be transported to their target locations
What happens to the therapeutic effect of a drug when the patient is elderly and has very low levels of
albumin? - CORRECT ANSWERS The drug does not bind to the protein (albumin) as much as
expected, so there is a lot of free drug floating in the plasma; high risk for drug toxicity
