ATI Pharmacology Proctored / Actual Exam Questions with Correct Answers
& Rationales / 2025
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 - (answers)A. One
(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 - (answers)C. Liver failure
E. Concurrent use of medication the same pathway metabolizes
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
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 - (answers)B. Ask the client to look
up at the ceiling.
D. Drop the medication into the center of the client's conjunctival sac.
E. Instruct the client to close her eye gently after instillation
(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. - (answers)C. "I will apply the patch to
an area of skin with no hair."
,(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 provide a urine specimen after the next dose of medication.
D. Administer the medication,and obtain a blood specimen 30 min late - (answers)A. Obtain a
blood specimen immediately prior to administering the next dose of medication.
(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.
D. Safeguard medications.
E. Identify the client's diagnosis - (answers)A. Maintain skill competency.
C. Monitor for adverse effects.
D. Safeguard medications.
(A.maintaining skill competency and using appropriate administration techniques are legal
responsibilities of the nurse
C. A nurse is legally responsible for monitoring for side and adverse effects of medication
, D. Safeguarding of medications, such as controlled substances, is a legal responsibility of the
nurse)
A nurse reviewing a client's health record notes a new prescription for Lisinopril 10 mg PO once
every day. The nurse should identify this as which of the following types of prescription?
A. Single
B. Stat
C. Routine
D. Standing - (answers)C. Routine
(A routine or standard prescription identifies medications to give on a regular schedule with or
without a termination date or a specific number of doses. The nurse will administer
this medication every day until the provider discontinues it.)
A nurse is reviewing a new prescription for Ondansetron 4 mg PO PRN for nausea and vomiting
for a client who has Hyperemesis Gravidarum. The nurse should clarify which of the following
parts of the prescription with the provider?
A. Name
B. Dosage
C. Route
D. Frequency - (answers)D. Frequency
(This prescription does not include the time or frequency of medication administration. The
nurse must clarify this with the prescribing provide)
A nurse is admitting a client and completing a preassessment before administering medications.
Which of the following data should the nurse include in the preassessment? (Select all that
apply.)
& Rationales / 2025
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 - (answers)A. One
(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 - (answers)C. Liver failure
E. Concurrent use of medication the same pathway metabolizes
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
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 - (answers)B. Ask the client to look
up at the ceiling.
D. Drop the medication into the center of the client's conjunctival sac.
E. Instruct the client to close her eye gently after instillation
(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. - (answers)C. "I will apply the patch to
an area of skin with no hair."
,(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 provide a urine specimen after the next dose of medication.
D. Administer the medication,and obtain a blood specimen 30 min late - (answers)A. Obtain a
blood specimen immediately prior to administering the next dose of medication.
(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.
D. Safeguard medications.
E. Identify the client's diagnosis - (answers)A. Maintain skill competency.
C. Monitor for adverse effects.
D. Safeguard medications.
(A.maintaining skill competency and using appropriate administration techniques are legal
responsibilities of the nurse
C. A nurse is legally responsible for monitoring for side and adverse effects of medication
, D. Safeguarding of medications, such as controlled substances, is a legal responsibility of the
nurse)
A nurse reviewing a client's health record notes a new prescription for Lisinopril 10 mg PO once
every day. The nurse should identify this as which of the following types of prescription?
A. Single
B. Stat
C. Routine
D. Standing - (answers)C. Routine
(A routine or standard prescription identifies medications to give on a regular schedule with or
without a termination date or a specific number of doses. The nurse will administer
this medication every day until the provider discontinues it.)
A nurse is reviewing a new prescription for Ondansetron 4 mg PO PRN for nausea and vomiting
for a client who has Hyperemesis Gravidarum. The nurse should clarify which of the following
parts of the prescription with the provider?
A. Name
B. Dosage
C. Route
D. Frequency - (answers)D. Frequency
(This prescription does not include the time or frequency of medication administration. The
nurse must clarify this with the prescribing provide)
A nurse is admitting a client and completing a preassessment before administering medications.
Which of the following data should the nurse include in the preassessment? (Select all that
apply.)
