,NU 150/NU150 Exam 1 | Pharmacology (2026)
Q&A | Galen College
1. A nurse is preparing to administer a medication and asks the patient to state
their name and date of birth. This action verifies which right of medication
administration?
A) Right patient
B) Right drug
C) Right dose
D) Right time
Correct Answer: Right patient
Rationale: The Joint Commission requires at least two patient identifiers before
medication administration. Asking for name and date of birth confirms the right
patient. Right drug, dose, and time are verified through other steps, but this
specific action directly targets correct patient identification.
2. The nurse is teaching a nursing student about the first-pass effect. Which
statement accurately explains this concept?
A) It occurs after intramuscular injection.
B) Orally administered drugs are metabolized by the liver before reaching
systemic circulation.
C) It increases the bioavailability of most oral medications.
D) It is unrelated to drug metabolism.
,Correct Answer: Orally administered drugs are metabolized by the liver before
reaching systemic circulation.
Rationale: First-pass effect describes hepatic metabolism of oral drugs before
they enter the systemic circulation, reducing bioavailability. IV, IM, and
sublingual routes bypass first-pass metabolism. Understanding this concept
guides route selection and dosing.
3. A patient is receiving furosemide for heart failure. Which serum electrolyte
should the nurse monitor most closely?
A) Calcium
B) Magnesium
C) Potassium
D) Sodium
Correct Answer: Potassium
Rationale: Furosemide is a loop diuretic that promotes potassium excretion,
leading to hypokalemia. Cardiac monitoring is essential because low potassium
can cause dysrhythmias. Sodium and magnesium levels may also change, but
potassium is the primary concern.
4. A patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus is NPO for a morning procedure. The
nurse should anticipate which management regarding the patient’s insulin?
A) Administer the usual insulin dose.
B) Give half the usual NPH dose.
C) Hold all insulin and notify the provider for an adjusted order.
, D) Administer rapid-acting insulin with sips of water.
Correct Answer: Hold all insulin and notify the provider for an adjusted order.
Rationale: Administering insulin without food intake risks severe hypoglycemia.
The provider must be contacted to adjust the insulin regimen, possibly using a
basal insulin only or intravenous dextrose. Never give a full meal-time dose
when NPO without an order.
5. When mixing regular insulin and NPH insulin in the same syringe, the nurse
should draw up which insulin first?
A) Regular (clear) insulin
B) NPH (cloudy) insulin
C) Either can be drawn first
D) The insulin with the earlier expiration date
Correct Answer: Regular (clear) insulin
Rationale: “Clear before cloudy” prevents contaminating the clear regular
insulin vial with NPH, which could alter its action. Air is injected into the NPH
vial first, then into the regular vial, and regular is drawn up followed by NPH.
This maintains purity.
6. The nurse is teaching a patient why metformin must be held before receiving
IV contrast dye. Which statement explains the rationale?
A) Metformin interacts with the dye to cause anaphylaxis.
Q&A | Galen College
1. A nurse is preparing to administer a medication and asks the patient to state
their name and date of birth. This action verifies which right of medication
administration?
A) Right patient
B) Right drug
C) Right dose
D) Right time
Correct Answer: Right patient
Rationale: The Joint Commission requires at least two patient identifiers before
medication administration. Asking for name and date of birth confirms the right
patient. Right drug, dose, and time are verified through other steps, but this
specific action directly targets correct patient identification.
2. The nurse is teaching a nursing student about the first-pass effect. Which
statement accurately explains this concept?
A) It occurs after intramuscular injection.
B) Orally administered drugs are metabolized by the liver before reaching
systemic circulation.
C) It increases the bioavailability of most oral medications.
D) It is unrelated to drug metabolism.
,Correct Answer: Orally administered drugs are metabolized by the liver before
reaching systemic circulation.
Rationale: First-pass effect describes hepatic metabolism of oral drugs before
they enter the systemic circulation, reducing bioavailability. IV, IM, and
sublingual routes bypass first-pass metabolism. Understanding this concept
guides route selection and dosing.
3. A patient is receiving furosemide for heart failure. Which serum electrolyte
should the nurse monitor most closely?
A) Calcium
B) Magnesium
C) Potassium
D) Sodium
Correct Answer: Potassium
Rationale: Furosemide is a loop diuretic that promotes potassium excretion,
leading to hypokalemia. Cardiac monitoring is essential because low potassium
can cause dysrhythmias. Sodium and magnesium levels may also change, but
potassium is the primary concern.
4. A patient with type 1 diabetes mellitus is NPO for a morning procedure. The
nurse should anticipate which management regarding the patient’s insulin?
A) Administer the usual insulin dose.
B) Give half the usual NPH dose.
C) Hold all insulin and notify the provider for an adjusted order.
, D) Administer rapid-acting insulin with sips of water.
Correct Answer: Hold all insulin and notify the provider for an adjusted order.
Rationale: Administering insulin without food intake risks severe hypoglycemia.
The provider must be contacted to adjust the insulin regimen, possibly using a
basal insulin only or intravenous dextrose. Never give a full meal-time dose
when NPO without an order.
5. When mixing regular insulin and NPH insulin in the same syringe, the nurse
should draw up which insulin first?
A) Regular (clear) insulin
B) NPH (cloudy) insulin
C) Either can be drawn first
D) The insulin with the earlier expiration date
Correct Answer: Regular (clear) insulin
Rationale: “Clear before cloudy” prevents contaminating the clear regular
insulin vial with NPH, which could alter its action. Air is injected into the NPH
vial first, then into the regular vial, and regular is drawn up followed by NPH.
This maintains purity.
6. The nurse is teaching a patient why metformin must be held before receiving
IV contrast dye. Which statement explains the rationale?
A) Metformin interacts with the dye to cause anaphylaxis.
