1
NR-565 Weekly Summaries Week 1 -8
Summary
Greetings,
During Week 1 we completed the prescription writing assignment, we introduced ourselves, and
completed all lecture material.
Some key points to take away from this week are:
• Advanced practice providers have a professional duty to select, prescribe, monitor, and
optimize drug therapy as part of their role in managing patient care.
• The extent to which this can be done autonomously is dependent on legislation that varies
depending on professional licensure, physician affiliation requirements, and state laws.
• Safe prescribing starts with understanding a drug's mechanism of action and its reactions and
interactions with other agents. People respond to medications in a wide variety of ways with
several influencing factors. Understanding these factors can help anticipate drug responses
and guide prescribing practice.
• Prescribing across the lifespan requires an awareness of how age-related changes in
pharmacokinetics impact drug effects and responses, especially in pediatric and pregnant
patients and older adults.
• Prescription writing bears many considerations including cost, current practice guidelines,
medication interactions, side effects, monitoring, and patient education to promote medication
adherence.
• A correctly written prescription includes required specific components including the 6 Rights of
Medication of Administration you know from your professional nursing experience.
Week 2 Summary
Class,
This week we learned that effective pain management requires controlling pain while ensuring
patient safety. Appropriate selection of therapies requires knowledge of the medication and
treatment goals for each patient, as well as the risk for harmful outcomes.
Several areas that we focused on in week 2 include:
• Acute Pain Management
• Chronic Pain Management
• Opioid Management
• Regulations of Controlled Substances
• Opioid Epidemic & Responsible Prescribing
pg. 1
, 2
• Opioid Use Disorder
• State Prescription Drug
• Monitoring Programs
• Drug Schedules
Key points covered this week include:
• Treatment goals about pain relief should be a shared decision with the patient.
• Choosing an appropriate opioid analgesic depends on several factors, such as the desired
onset and duration of action, and consideration of potential adverse reactions.
• Use of opioid pain medication has known risks, including overdose and opioid use disorder.
• Guidelines and PDMPs assist the NP in the safe prescribing of controlled substances.
• The nurse practitioner has an ethical and legal obligation to be aware of current statutes and
regulatory changes to ensure safe prescribing.
Week 3 Summary
Hi class,
The cardiovascular system is complex with several conditions that can require pharmacological
intervention. This week, you explored pharmacological interventions for angina, hypertension,
heart failure, dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation, and drugs that impact coagulation.
Several areas that we focused on in week 2 include:
1. Hypertension
• Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Thiazide diuretics
• ACEI
• ARB
• Calcium Channel Blockers
• Labetalol
2. Heart Failure
• Clinical Practice Guidelines
Key points covered this week include:
• Use caution when combining ACEIs with potassium-sparing diuretics due to an increased risk
of hyperkalemia.
• ACEIs and ARBS will precipitate acute renal failure when bilateral renal artery stenosis is
present.
• Alpha-blockers are not first-line drugs for HTN unless the patient has pre-existing benign
prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).
pg. 2
NR-565 Weekly Summaries Week 1 -8
Summary
Greetings,
During Week 1 we completed the prescription writing assignment, we introduced ourselves, and
completed all lecture material.
Some key points to take away from this week are:
• Advanced practice providers have a professional duty to select, prescribe, monitor, and
optimize drug therapy as part of their role in managing patient care.
• The extent to which this can be done autonomously is dependent on legislation that varies
depending on professional licensure, physician affiliation requirements, and state laws.
• Safe prescribing starts with understanding a drug's mechanism of action and its reactions and
interactions with other agents. People respond to medications in a wide variety of ways with
several influencing factors. Understanding these factors can help anticipate drug responses
and guide prescribing practice.
• Prescribing across the lifespan requires an awareness of how age-related changes in
pharmacokinetics impact drug effects and responses, especially in pediatric and pregnant
patients and older adults.
• Prescription writing bears many considerations including cost, current practice guidelines,
medication interactions, side effects, monitoring, and patient education to promote medication
adherence.
• A correctly written prescription includes required specific components including the 6 Rights of
Medication of Administration you know from your professional nursing experience.
Week 2 Summary
Class,
This week we learned that effective pain management requires controlling pain while ensuring
patient safety. Appropriate selection of therapies requires knowledge of the medication and
treatment goals for each patient, as well as the risk for harmful outcomes.
Several areas that we focused on in week 2 include:
• Acute Pain Management
• Chronic Pain Management
• Opioid Management
• Regulations of Controlled Substances
• Opioid Epidemic & Responsible Prescribing
pg. 1
, 2
• Opioid Use Disorder
• State Prescription Drug
• Monitoring Programs
• Drug Schedules
Key points covered this week include:
• Treatment goals about pain relief should be a shared decision with the patient.
• Choosing an appropriate opioid analgesic depends on several factors, such as the desired
onset and duration of action, and consideration of potential adverse reactions.
• Use of opioid pain medication has known risks, including overdose and opioid use disorder.
• Guidelines and PDMPs assist the NP in the safe prescribing of controlled substances.
• The nurse practitioner has an ethical and legal obligation to be aware of current statutes and
regulatory changes to ensure safe prescribing.
Week 3 Summary
Hi class,
The cardiovascular system is complex with several conditions that can require pharmacological
intervention. This week, you explored pharmacological interventions for angina, hypertension,
heart failure, dyslipidemia, atrial fibrillation, and drugs that impact coagulation.
Several areas that we focused on in week 2 include:
1. Hypertension
• Clinical Practice Guidelines
• Thiazide diuretics
• ACEI
• ARB
• Calcium Channel Blockers
• Labetalol
2. Heart Failure
• Clinical Practice Guidelines
Key points covered this week include:
• Use caution when combining ACEIs with potassium-sparing diuretics due to an increased risk
of hyperkalemia.
• ACEIs and ARBS will precipitate acute renal failure when bilateral renal artery stenosis is
present.
• Alpha-blockers are not first-line drugs for HTN unless the patient has pre-existing benign
prostatic hypertrophy (BPH).
pg. 2
