Study Guide for FINAL exam in Pharmacology

Your Reviews and Rationales textbook, as well as, your HESI review

book and primary course textbook used in combination with your

notes and information covered in class will help you complete this

study guide and prepare for the final exam.

Do not be intimidated if you see a drug name that you have not

specifically talked about in class. This will happen on the NCLEX-

RN exam and will happen to you as a newly graduated or

experienced nurse. You will be asked to handle drugs you have

never heard of before. However, there are basic safety and

pharmacologic principles that you should have picked up in your

reading, studying and other activities in this course.

1. Know administration and side/adverse effects of nitroglycerin as well as client teaching

2. Know the best times to draw a peak and trough as well as the reasons why you would

need a peak and trough

3. Know what to assess in patients taking an antiemetic

4. Know administration and side/adverse effects of anticoagulants as well as client teaching

5. Know the uses and side/adverse effects of Orlistat

6. Know the contraindications and patient teaching for Tetracyclines and each antibiotic

drug class we covered

7. Know client teaching for laxatives and how they work

8. Know side/adverse effects and patient teaching for opioid analgesics

 Study Guide for FINAL exam in Pharmacology

9. Know the general rule for discontinuing medications

10. What are the signs and symptoms of vitamin D toxicity?

11. Know the rights of drug administration and what information to document after giving a

medication

12. Know the rules (things to consider or teach your patient) for each route of drug

administration

13. Know uses, side effects, drug interactions and patient teaching for patients taking

NSAIDS

14. What are calcium channel blockers used for and what is some patient teaching related to

their use?

15. What are some things to monitor with statin drugs?

16. Know your insulin tables from process 1, when you would most likely expect

hypoglycemia, and how to time meals in relation to the type of insulin given.

17. What are some signs and symptoms of thyrotoxicosis and which drug is likely to cause

this?

18. Know the drugs used to treat GERD and how each one works

19. What are some foods to watch for in relation to drug interactions? Hint: grape fruit, dairy

products, Tyramine rich foods

20. What is the role of calcitonin in the body?

21. What is Tensilon used for and why is it ideal for this use?

22. What are some side/adverse effects of Dilantin?

23. What are some drug interactions that are common to antibiotics?

24. Know uses, side/adverse effects, patient teaching for patients taking Macrodantin
 Study Guide for FINAL exam in Pharmacology

25. Know uses, side effects and all client teaching for patients taking flagyl

26. What are antitussives, expectorants and mucolytics? What would you tell a patient as

part of teaching for these drugs?

27. What client teaching must be included for patients taking inhaled medications?

28. Why is theophylline use in COPD declining?

29. Know the adverse and side effects of the aminoglycosides

30. Know how penicillins work, and what is their relationship with cephalosporins?

31. What is the purpose of adding a beta lactam inhibitor to a penicillin

32. What are some side effects and client teaching for patients taking Cogentin?

33. Know nursing considerations for using mannitol and its uses.

34. What are some side or adverse effects of lithium and what lab tests would you monitor?

What patient teaching needs to be done in relation to lithium?

35. What are some contraindications for using Lamisil?

36. What is Aricept, how does it work, what are some side effects and what must be

monitored?

37. What are diuretics used for and what are some nursing considerations and patient

teaching?

38. What client teaching must be given to a patient using a transdermal patch?

39. What are some examples of drug with drug interactions? Hint: synergistic etc.

40. What are some side effects of opioid analgesics?

41. Review cholinergic vs anticholinergic and adrenergic vs adrenergic antagonist.

a. What are some side effects of each class

b. What must be monitored with each class

 Study Guide for FINAL exam in Pharmacology

c. What client teaching is involved with each?

42. Know the nursing process and remember the steps

43. Review each drug class we went over this semester and the primary nursing

considerations related to each drug class.

***Do practice questions and use your Reviews and Rationales

textbook to understand how questions are asked and strategies for

arriving at the correct answer.***