Administering Tylenol to a friend

[Em31200]

Hi everyone, I'm a second semester nursing student and today in class my professor said something interesting I had never considered. We are learning about medication administration currently and her question was: "Your best friend is at your house and complains of a headache. She asks you for some of your Tylenol. Do you give it to her?" Almost everyone said yes that it was ok because it was your friend, not in your job setting, and she was a consenting adult capable of making her own decision to take the medication. Our professor said that was wrong and that you can't give any medication to your friend because you are not a licensed prescriber and you could lose your license if something happened your friend. She also said that same applies to your own children. So what are you supposed to do if your kid is sick and needs cough medication? You're always accountable if something bad were to happen?

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

It's true; mistakes are going to happen. I remember once I was on the med-surg floor and one of my patients had advanced alzheimers, couldn't get out of the chair, just mumbled gibberish in order to communicate, and worst of all he needed frequent nasotracheal suctioning or else he would desat into like the 60s. I think he had pneumonia. This was pretty early on in my nursing career and when I look back now, I realize that this patient needed to be in the MICU -- BADLY. But he had been on a regular floor all damn day and the nurses just kept passing on in report that he was fine, he just needed to be suctioned like crazy.

Well, I was able to do that for a couple hours after my shift started. But then I wasn't able to enter the room for an hour because I was stuck doing other things and then I came back and found him ghost-white, dead, with secretions drooling out of his mouth because he couldn't clear them on his own. Part of me was so angry at him for producing mucous NONSTOP and forcing me to be in there so much, but I really should have been mad at the staffing situation and the idiots in charge for not recognizing this patients acuity. It was a really annoying situation and definitely was not therapeutic for me.

No, the one to be mad at was YOU, because you totally failed this patient.

You accepted a report that the patient was "just fine", while complaining that he needed frequent suctioning. You apparently didn't bring your charge nurse up to date.

You left a deteriorating patient alone for an hour-no mention of notifying the charge nurse that he needed frequent monitoring.

You actually became annoyed that he "forced" you to spend so much time with him.

If the "idiots in charge" didn't recognize his acuity, why didn't you open your mouth and say something?

You called it a "really annoying" situation, and whined that it wasn't therapeutic for you.

Frankly, I sincerely hope that this entire story is bad fiction, because a nurse who acts like this should not be anywhere near actual patients.

I'm having a very hard time believing that you are a nurse at all, much less a critical care nurse.

I think I'm going to refrain from reading anything else you post-there are much more entertaining ways to waste time than reading utter dreck.

[Farawyn]

I'm thinking RNDynamic is fake.

If not, I rescind my sarcastic empathy!

[blondy2061h, MSN, RN]

Should I get a Tylenol rider on my home owners' insurance? What about a Motrin or Benadryl rider? What about an Aspirin rider? That could be dual purpose- what if someone has a coronary event at my house!

[Nurse Leigh]

Would offering someone vitamin & mineral water be giving supplements without a prescription? Oh the potassium!!

[Jensmom7, BSN, RN]

Would offering someone vitamin & mineral water be giving supplements without a prescription? Oh the potassium!!

What about bananas?? Oh, the humanity!!

[Nurse Leigh]

What about bananas?? Oh, the humanity!!

Well now that could be deadly!

[WellThatsOod]

*throwing away all the OTC meds in the house*

Sorry kids, you're just going to have to blow your noses every 2 seconds.

What happens if your kid gets a paper cut?

[Farawyn]

*throwing away all the OTC meds in the house*

Sorry kids, you're just going to have to blow your noses every 2 seconds.

What happens if your kid gets a paper cut?

Don't even...

[FolksBtrippin, BSN, RN]

I hope that you misinterpreted the professor. Because if this was not a misunderstanding, then your professor is an ass and/or an idiot.

[RNdynamic]

You called it a "really annoying" situation, and whined that it wasn't therapeutic for you.

Frankly, I sincerely hope that this entire story is bad fiction, because a nurse who acts like this should not be anywhere near actual patients.

Acts like what? I'm not saying I was nurse of the year that night. I could have done better but I was fairly inexperienced and I was keeping with what I thought was status quo. It's unlikely that situation would go the way it did, were I in that spot again now. Also, it was very annoying and very untherapeutic for me. Those were my feelings. It isn't as if I can control my neurochemistry.

I'm having a very hard time believing that you are a nurse at all, much less a critical care nurse.

I think I'm going to refrain from reading anything else you post-there are much more entertaining ways to waste time than reading utter dreck.

I have experience in med-surg, float pools, orienting, and charge nursing. These are things that they train nurses to do only after 2 years in most places.

Also, it doesn't take a whole lot to be a critical care nurse. ICU nurses just like to pretend it's the hardest thing out there because that gives them an imagined sense of status. True, you need is a lot of technical knowledge in order to be successful, but anyone can get that with training. Meanwhile, in med-surg you're more on your own than ever. You have to be way more self-reliant and you find yourself alone and without support in scary situations way more than you ever do in the ICU. I've always had way more support in the ICU than I ever did on the floors. You often see job postings for the ICU requiring med-surg experience first, but sometimes I think it should be the other way around.

[Dogen]

It isn't as if I can control my neurochemistry.

Sure you can. A little clonazepam and risperidone and you'll be right as rain.

[cracklingkraken, ASN, RN]

Also, it doesn't take a whole lot to be a critical care nurse. ICU nurses just like to pretend it's the hardest thing out there because that gives them an imagined sense of status. True, you need is a lot of technical knowledge in order to be successful, but anyone can get that with training.

Uh oh... Opening a can of worms, I see.

Luckily, I have popcorn.