BSN 315 HESI Pharmacology Exam Practice
(Nightingale, 2025 Edition)
Comprehensive Questions & Rationales for
Nursing Students
Topics- Drug Classifications, Administration, Side Effects, and Patient
Education
Part 1: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
1. Which of the following best describes the process of pharmacokinetics?
A) The study of the effect of drugs on the body
B) The study of how the body processes drugs
C) The interaction between drugs and their target receptors
D) The determination of appropriate drug dosages
Answer: B) The study of how the body processes drugs
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics refers to the movement of drugs through the body,
including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).
2. A drug has a half-life of 6 hours. If a patient takes a 200 mg dose, how much of
the drug will remain in the body after 18 hours?
A) 100 mg
B) 25 mg
C) 50 mg
,D) 12.5 mg
Answer: B) 25 mg
Rationale: After 18 hours (3 half-lives), the drug will decrease by 50% each time:
After 6 hours: 200 mg → 100 mg
After 12 hours: 100 mg → 50 mg
After 18 hours: 50 mg → 25 mg
3. The nurse administers a drug that undergoes first-pass metabolism. Which of
the following describes this process?
A) The drug is metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic circulation
B) The drug is absorbed directly into the bloodstream from the gastrointestinal
tract
C) The drug bypasses metabolism and enters the bloodstream unchanged
D) The drug is excreted unchanged in the urine
Answer: A) The drug is metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic
circulation
Rationale: First-pass metabolism refers to the liver’s ability to metabolize a drug
before it enters the systemic circulation.
4. Which of the following factors most significantly influences drug absorption?
A) The route of administration
B) The size of the drug molecules
C) The age of the patient
,D) The method of drug excretion
Answer: A) The route of administration
Rationale: The route of administration (oral, intravenous, etc.) directly affects
how a drug is absorbed and reaches systemic circulation.
5. A drug’s therapeutic index (TI) is a measure of:
A) The ratio of the drug's lethal dose to its effective dose
B) The range within which the drug is effective for most patients
C) The ratio of the drug’s minimum toxic concentration to its minimum effective
concentration
D) The speed at which a drug produces a therapeutic effect
Answer: C) The ratio of the drug’s minimum toxic concentration to its minimum
effective concentration
Rationale: The therapeutic index (TI) is the ratio of the toxic dose to the
effective dose, providing a margin of safety for the drug.
Part 2: Drug Classifications and Therapeutic Effects
6. A patient is prescribed a beta-blocker for hypertension. The nurse knows that
this class of drugs works primarily by:
A) Increasing heart rate and blood pressure
B) Blocking the effects of acetylcholine
C) Blocking the effects of epinephrine on beta receptors
D) Reducing vascular resistance through vasodilation
Answer: C) Blocking the effects of epinephrine on beta receptors
Rationale: Beta-blockers reduce heart rate and blood pressure by blocking the
effects of epinephrine (adrenaline) on beta receptors in the heart.
, 7. Which of the following medications is used to reverse the effects of opioid
overdose?
A) Naloxone
B) Flumazenil
C) Atropine
D) Acetylcysteine
Answer: A) Naloxone
Rationale: Naloxone is an opioid antagonist used to reverse the life-threatening
effects of opioid overdose, such as respiratory depression.
8. The nurse is administering an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor.
What is the most common side effect to monitor for with this class of drugs?
A) Hyperkalemia
B) Tachycardia
C) Bradycardia
D) Hypokalemia
Answer: A) Hyperkalemia
Rationale: ACE inhibitors can cause hyperkalemia due to their effect on the
kidneys and potassium regulation.
9. A patient is prescribed a diuretic for heart failure. The nurse understands that
the purpose of this medication is to:
A) Increase blood volume
B) Decrease fluid retention
C) Lower blood pressure by increasing heart rate
(Nightingale, 2025 Edition)
Comprehensive Questions & Rationales for
Nursing Students
Topics- Drug Classifications, Administration, Side Effects, and Patient
Education
Part 1: Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics
1. Which of the following best describes the process of pharmacokinetics?
A) The study of the effect of drugs on the body
B) The study of how the body processes drugs
C) The interaction between drugs and their target receptors
D) The determination of appropriate drug dosages
Answer: B) The study of how the body processes drugs
Rationale: Pharmacokinetics refers to the movement of drugs through the body,
including absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion (ADME).
2. A drug has a half-life of 6 hours. If a patient takes a 200 mg dose, how much of
the drug will remain in the body after 18 hours?
A) 100 mg
B) 25 mg
C) 50 mg
,D) 12.5 mg
Answer: B) 25 mg
Rationale: After 18 hours (3 half-lives), the drug will decrease by 50% each time:
After 6 hours: 200 mg → 100 mg
After 12 hours: 100 mg → 50 mg
After 18 hours: 50 mg → 25 mg
3. The nurse administers a drug that undergoes first-pass metabolism. Which of
the following describes this process?
A) The drug is metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic circulation
B) The drug is absorbed directly into the bloodstream from the gastrointestinal
tract
C) The drug bypasses metabolism and enters the bloodstream unchanged
D) The drug is excreted unchanged in the urine
Answer: A) The drug is metabolized in the liver before reaching systemic
circulation
Rationale: First-pass metabolism refers to the liver’s ability to metabolize a drug
before it enters the systemic circulation.
4. Which of the following factors most significantly influences drug absorption?
A) The route of administration
B) The size of the drug molecules
C) The age of the patient
,D) The method of drug excretion
Answer: A) The route of administration
Rationale: The route of administration (oral, intravenous, etc.) directly affects
how a drug is absorbed and reaches systemic circulation.
5. A drug’s therapeutic index (TI) is a measure of:
A) The ratio of the drug's lethal dose to its effective dose
B) The range within which the drug is effective for most patients
C) The ratio of the drug’s minimum toxic concentration to its minimum effective
concentration
D) The speed at which a drug produces a therapeutic effect
Answer: C) The ratio of the drug’s minimum toxic concentration to its minimum
effective concentration
Rationale: The therapeutic index (TI) is the ratio of the toxic dose to the
effective dose, providing a margin of safety for the drug.
Part 2: Drug Classifications and Therapeutic Effects
6. A patient is prescribed a beta-blocker for hypertension. The nurse knows that
this class of drugs works primarily by:
A) Increasing heart rate and blood pressure
B) Blocking the effects of acetylcholine
C) Blocking the effects of epinephrine on beta receptors
D) Reducing vascular resistance through vasodilation
Answer: C) Blocking the effects of epinephrine on beta receptors
Rationale: Beta-blockers reduce heart rate and blood pressure by blocking the
effects of epinephrine (adrenaline) on beta receptors in the heart.
, 7. Which of the following medications is used to reverse the effects of opioid
overdose?
A) Naloxone
B) Flumazenil
C) Atropine
D) Acetylcysteine
Answer: A) Naloxone
Rationale: Naloxone is an opioid antagonist used to reverse the life-threatening
effects of opioid overdose, such as respiratory depression.
8. The nurse is administering an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor.
What is the most common side effect to monitor for with this class of drugs?
A) Hyperkalemia
B) Tachycardia
C) Bradycardia
D) Hypokalemia
Answer: A) Hyperkalemia
Rationale: ACE inhibitors can cause hyperkalemia due to their effect on the
kidneys and potassium regulation.
9. A patient is prescribed a diuretic for heart failure. The nurse understands that
the purpose of this medication is to:
A) Increase blood volume
B) Decrease fluid retention
C) Lower blood pressure by increasing heart rate
