NR 565 Midterm Study Guide
Advanced Pharmacology Fundamentals Exam
Study Guide with 100% Correct Answers.
Latest Updated 2026/2027.
)
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,NR 565 Midterm Study Guide
Advanced Pharmacology Fundamentals Exam Study
Guide with 100% Correct Answers.
Latest Updated 2026/2027.
)
Week 1
• Which schedule drugs can APRNs prescribe?
• DEA license will allow for prescribing of Schedules 2-5. There can be restrictions as
noted in collaborative agreement. May be facility/state dependent.
• Who determines and regulates prescriptive authority?
• Determines: Also known as independent prescribing. APRNS can prescribe without
limitation and is state dependent. Includes "legend" (prescription) and controlled drugs,
health/medical services, DME, etc.
Regulates: regulated by health professional board, state board of nursing or the State
Board of Medicine, or the State Board of Pharmacy, as determined by each state. Federal
government controls drug regulations but has no control over prescriptive authority.
• Prescriptive authority is the legal right to prescribe drugs.
• How does limited prescriptive authority impact patients within the
healthcare system?
• Limited prescriptive authority creates numerous barriers to quality, affordable, and
accessible patient care. For example, restrictions on the distance of the APRN or PA
from the physician providing supervision or collaboration may prevent outreach to area
of greatest need. An increase in patient waits.
• What are the key responsibilities of prescribing?
The ability to prescribe medications is both a privilege and a burden. Have a documented
provider-patient relationship, do not prescribe medications to family or friends or
yourself, Document a thorough history and physical examination, include any discussions
you have with the patient about risk factors, side effects, or therapy options, have
documented plan regarding drug monitoring or titration, if you consult additional
providers not that you did so. Use the references provided in the following boxes to assist
in safely and rationally choosing one medication over another.
Be sensible, accept responsibility, do not fear it, know constraints and limitations, always
learn and update, keep Rx pads in safe place, confirm allergies, verify medication list with
patient, do not let insurance dictate quantity of Rx, Charting is key (particularly with off
label use), Provide use and rationale.
• What should be used to make prescribing decisions?
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,NR 565 Midterm Study Guide
Advanced Pharmacology Fundamentals Exam Study
Guide with 100% Correct Answers.
Latest Updated 2026/2027.
)
• The best way to keep your patients (and yourself) safe is to be prudent and deliberate in
your decision-making process. Cost, availability, current practice guidelines, medication
interactions including interactions with food, side effects, need for monitoring, how
drug is metabolized (hepatic or renal), special populations (pregnancy, nursing, older
adults)
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, NR 565 Midterm Study Guide
Advanced Pharmacology Fundamentals Exam Study
Guide with 100% Correct Answers.
Latest Updated 2026/2027.
)
Cost: It is of critical importance that providers ask patients if they have difficulty
obtaining their medication because it is cost-prohibitive.
Guidelines: It is the provider's responsibility to keep abreast of new
recommendations or changes in guidelines and to incorporate these into their
prescribing practices.
Availability: The drug you want may not be available in your facility or at a specific
pharmacy. This can affect your choice of medications.
Interactions: There are very few medications that do not interact with either
another medication or food. Polypharmacy greatly increases the risk of interactions.
Some of these interactions are negligible, but some can have life-threatening
consequences.
Side Effects: All drugs have side effects. Some are adverse, and some may be
beneficial.
Allergies: Unfortunately, your patient may have an allergy to that medication or class
of drug. It is of critical importance to determine the type of reaction and to
document it in the patient's chart. Then, the selection of an appropriate drug may
begin.
Hepatic and Renal Function: Many drugs are metabolized and eliminated by the liver
and kidneys. If these systems are impaired, this can lead to increased adverse effects
and possible medication overdose.
Need for monitoring: Some drugs require frequent monitoring at initiation or
throughout the duration of treatment.
Special Populations: Populations that deserve special mention when thinking about
medications include pregnant or nursing mothers and older adults.
• Be familiar with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes of older
adults and how that would translate to baseline information needed to
prescribe.
messages.downloaded_by
Advanced Pharmacology Fundamentals Exam
Study Guide with 100% Correct Answers.
Latest Updated 2026/2027.
)
messages.downloaded_by
,NR 565 Midterm Study Guide
Advanced Pharmacology Fundamentals Exam Study
Guide with 100% Correct Answers.
Latest Updated 2026/2027.
)
Week 1
• Which schedule drugs can APRNs prescribe?
• DEA license will allow for prescribing of Schedules 2-5. There can be restrictions as
noted in collaborative agreement. May be facility/state dependent.
• Who determines and regulates prescriptive authority?
• Determines: Also known as independent prescribing. APRNS can prescribe without
limitation and is state dependent. Includes "legend" (prescription) and controlled drugs,
health/medical services, DME, etc.
Regulates: regulated by health professional board, state board of nursing or the State
Board of Medicine, or the State Board of Pharmacy, as determined by each state. Federal
government controls drug regulations but has no control over prescriptive authority.
• Prescriptive authority is the legal right to prescribe drugs.
• How does limited prescriptive authority impact patients within the
healthcare system?
• Limited prescriptive authority creates numerous barriers to quality, affordable, and
accessible patient care. For example, restrictions on the distance of the APRN or PA
from the physician providing supervision or collaboration may prevent outreach to area
of greatest need. An increase in patient waits.
• What are the key responsibilities of prescribing?
The ability to prescribe medications is both a privilege and a burden. Have a documented
provider-patient relationship, do not prescribe medications to family or friends or
yourself, Document a thorough history and physical examination, include any discussions
you have with the patient about risk factors, side effects, or therapy options, have
documented plan regarding drug monitoring or titration, if you consult additional
providers not that you did so. Use the references provided in the following boxes to assist
in safely and rationally choosing one medication over another.
Be sensible, accept responsibility, do not fear it, know constraints and limitations, always
learn and update, keep Rx pads in safe place, confirm allergies, verify medication list with
patient, do not let insurance dictate quantity of Rx, Charting is key (particularly with off
label use), Provide use and rationale.
• What should be used to make prescribing decisions?
messages.downloaded_by
,NR 565 Midterm Study Guide
Advanced Pharmacology Fundamentals Exam Study
Guide with 100% Correct Answers.
Latest Updated 2026/2027.
)
• The best way to keep your patients (and yourself) safe is to be prudent and deliberate in
your decision-making process. Cost, availability, current practice guidelines, medication
interactions including interactions with food, side effects, need for monitoring, how
drug is metabolized (hepatic or renal), special populations (pregnancy, nursing, older
adults)
messages.downloaded_by
, NR 565 Midterm Study Guide
Advanced Pharmacology Fundamentals Exam Study
Guide with 100% Correct Answers.
Latest Updated 2026/2027.
)
Cost: It is of critical importance that providers ask patients if they have difficulty
obtaining their medication because it is cost-prohibitive.
Guidelines: It is the provider's responsibility to keep abreast of new
recommendations or changes in guidelines and to incorporate these into their
prescribing practices.
Availability: The drug you want may not be available in your facility or at a specific
pharmacy. This can affect your choice of medications.
Interactions: There are very few medications that do not interact with either
another medication or food. Polypharmacy greatly increases the risk of interactions.
Some of these interactions are negligible, but some can have life-threatening
consequences.
Side Effects: All drugs have side effects. Some are adverse, and some may be
beneficial.
Allergies: Unfortunately, your patient may have an allergy to that medication or class
of drug. It is of critical importance to determine the type of reaction and to
document it in the patient's chart. Then, the selection of an appropriate drug may
begin.
Hepatic and Renal Function: Many drugs are metabolized and eliminated by the liver
and kidneys. If these systems are impaired, this can lead to increased adverse effects
and possible medication overdose.
Need for monitoring: Some drugs require frequent monitoring at initiation or
throughout the duration of treatment.
Special Populations: Populations that deserve special mention when thinking about
medications include pregnant or nursing mothers and older adults.
• Be familiar with pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic changes of older
adults and how that would translate to baseline information needed to
prescribe.
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