RN Pharmacology Exam.
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 ANS: 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 ANS: 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 ANS: 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. ANS: 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 ANS: 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.
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 ANS: 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 ANS: 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 ANS: 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. ANS: 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 ANS: 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.
