NURS 615 Exam 1 – Maryville 2026/2027 |
Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics Study
Guide | Practice Questions, Answers &
Rationales
Nurse practitioner prescriptive authority is regulated by:
1. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing
2. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
3. The State Board of Nursing for each state
4. The State Board of Pharmacy - correct answer-3. The State Board of Nursing for
each state
The benefits to the patient of having an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
(APRN) prescriber include:
1. Nurses know more about Pharmacology than other prescribers because they
take it both in their basic nursing program and in their APRN program.
2. Nurses care for the patient from a holistic approach and include the patient in
decision making regarding their care.
3. APRNs are less likely to prescribe narcotics and other controlled substances.
,4. APRNs are able to prescribe independently in all states, whereas a physician's
assistant needs to have a physician supervising their practice. - correct answer-2.
Nurses care for the patient from a holistic approach and include the patient in
decision making regarding their care.
Clinical judgment in prescribing includes:
1. Factoring in the cost to the patient of the medication prescribed
2. Always prescribing the newest medication available for the disease process
3. Handing out drug samples to poor patients
4. Prescribing all generic medications to cut costs - correct answer-1. Factoring in
the cost to the patient of the medication prescribed
Criteria for choosing an effective drug for a disorder include:
1. Asking the patient what drug they think would work best for them
2. Consulting nationally recognized guidelines for disease management
3. Prescribing medications that are available as samples before writing a
prescription
4. Following U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration guidelines for prescribing -
correct answer-2. Consulting nationally recognized guidelines for disease
management
Nurse practitioner practice may thrive under health-care reform because of:
1. The demonstrated ability of nurse practitioners to control costs and improve
patient outcomes
,2. The fact that nurse practitioners will be able to practice independently
3. The fact that nurse practitioners will have full reimbursement under health-
care reform
4. The ability to shift accountability for Medicaid to the state level - correct
answer-1. The demonstrated ability of nurse practitioners to control costs and
improve patient outcomes
A patient's nutritional intake and laboratory results reflect hypoalbuminemia. This
is critical to prescribing because:
1. Distribution of drugs to target tissue may be affected.
2. The solubility of the drug will not match the site of absorption.
3. There will be less free drug available to generate an effect.
4. Drugs bound to albumin are readily excreted by the kidneys. - correct answer-
1. Distribution of drugs to target tissue may be affected.
Drugs that have a significant first-pass effect:
1. Must be given by the enteral (oral) route only
2. Bypass the hepatic circulation
3. Are rapidly metabolized by the liver and may have little if any desired action
4. Are converted by the liver to more active and fat-soluble forms - correct
answer-3. Are rapidly metabolized by the liver and may have little if any desired
action
The route of excretion of a volatile drug will likely be the:
, 1. Kidneys
2. Lungs
3. Bile and feces
4. Skin - correct answer-2. Lungs
Medroxyprogesterone (Depo Provera) is prescribed intramuscularly (IM) to create
a storage reservoir of the drug. Storage reservoirs:
1. Assure that the drug will reach its intended target tissue
2. Are the reason for giving loading doses
3. Increase the length of time a drug is available and active
4. Are most common in collagen tissues - correct answer-3. Increase the length of
time a drug is available and active
The NP chooses to give cephalexin every 8 hours based on knowledge of the
drug's:
1. Propensity to go to the target receptor
2. Biological half-life
3. Pharmacodynamics
4. Safety and side effects - correct answer-2. Biological half-life
Azithromycin dosing requires that the first day's dosage be twice those of the
other
4 days of the prescription. This is considered a loading dose. A loading dose:
Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics Study
Guide | Practice Questions, Answers &
Rationales
Nurse practitioner prescriptive authority is regulated by:
1. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing
2. The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration
3. The State Board of Nursing for each state
4. The State Board of Pharmacy - correct answer-3. The State Board of Nursing for
each state
The benefits to the patient of having an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse
(APRN) prescriber include:
1. Nurses know more about Pharmacology than other prescribers because they
take it both in their basic nursing program and in their APRN program.
2. Nurses care for the patient from a holistic approach and include the patient in
decision making regarding their care.
3. APRNs are less likely to prescribe narcotics and other controlled substances.
,4. APRNs are able to prescribe independently in all states, whereas a physician's
assistant needs to have a physician supervising their practice. - correct answer-2.
Nurses care for the patient from a holistic approach and include the patient in
decision making regarding their care.
Clinical judgment in prescribing includes:
1. Factoring in the cost to the patient of the medication prescribed
2. Always prescribing the newest medication available for the disease process
3. Handing out drug samples to poor patients
4. Prescribing all generic medications to cut costs - correct answer-1. Factoring in
the cost to the patient of the medication prescribed
Criteria for choosing an effective drug for a disorder include:
1. Asking the patient what drug they think would work best for them
2. Consulting nationally recognized guidelines for disease management
3. Prescribing medications that are available as samples before writing a
prescription
4. Following U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration guidelines for prescribing -
correct answer-2. Consulting nationally recognized guidelines for disease
management
Nurse practitioner practice may thrive under health-care reform because of:
1. The demonstrated ability of nurse practitioners to control costs and improve
patient outcomes
,2. The fact that nurse practitioners will be able to practice independently
3. The fact that nurse practitioners will have full reimbursement under health-
care reform
4. The ability to shift accountability for Medicaid to the state level - correct
answer-1. The demonstrated ability of nurse practitioners to control costs and
improve patient outcomes
A patient's nutritional intake and laboratory results reflect hypoalbuminemia. This
is critical to prescribing because:
1. Distribution of drugs to target tissue may be affected.
2. The solubility of the drug will not match the site of absorption.
3. There will be less free drug available to generate an effect.
4. Drugs bound to albumin are readily excreted by the kidneys. - correct answer-
1. Distribution of drugs to target tissue may be affected.
Drugs that have a significant first-pass effect:
1. Must be given by the enteral (oral) route only
2. Bypass the hepatic circulation
3. Are rapidly metabolized by the liver and may have little if any desired action
4. Are converted by the liver to more active and fat-soluble forms - correct
answer-3. Are rapidly metabolized by the liver and may have little if any desired
action
The route of excretion of a volatile drug will likely be the:
, 1. Kidneys
2. Lungs
3. Bile and feces
4. Skin - correct answer-2. Lungs
Medroxyprogesterone (Depo Provera) is prescribed intramuscularly (IM) to create
a storage reservoir of the drug. Storage reservoirs:
1. Assure that the drug will reach its intended target tissue
2. Are the reason for giving loading doses
3. Increase the length of time a drug is available and active
4. Are most common in collagen tissues - correct answer-3. Increase the length of
time a drug is available and active
The NP chooses to give cephalexin every 8 hours based on knowledge of the
drug's:
1. Propensity to go to the target receptor
2. Biological half-life
3. Pharmacodynamics
4. Safety and side effects - correct answer-2. Biological half-life
Azithromycin dosing requires that the first day's dosage be twice those of the
other
4 days of the prescription. This is considered a loading dose. A loading dose:
