Are family members asking you for med advice?

Nursing Students General Students

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Specializes in Med/Surg < 1yr.

I will graduate as a diploma RN in Dec 08 and recently my brother-in-law became sick and wouldn't you know it, his wife calls me to see if I know what's wrong with him.

My 2 yr old niece starts having severe diarrhea and of course my sister runs to my house to ask me what I think.

My daughter has suddenly become a hypochrondiac with a new condition everyday on just about every part of the body imaginable.

I almost hate to pick up the phone when a family member calls, I tell them, even when I become a nurse, I am not the family health center, do what you've done before I entered the field, talk to your doctor!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in Home Health, Case Management, OR.

Family and friends do that to me now and I am still 1st year NS!! They have been doing it since I was doing my pre-reqs! They say "Since you're the nurse"......Strange I do not remember completing nursing school, or taking NCLEX....yet I am a nurse to you people haha? I try to help as much as I can by looking up things in my drug book or my nursing books, but otherwise I tell them to go to the doctor!! ;)

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Specializes in Cardio-Pulmonary; Med-Surg; Private Duty.

My neighbors have been doing that for a few years... and I just decided a few months ago to get into nursing (I'm a bookkeeper for a construction company now!).

Just a few weeks ago, their teenage son got his hand slammed in a car door. Dad knocks on my door and asks me to come look at it. On the way over to their house, I said, "You do know that I'm not licensed yet, right?" (I just started my first pre-nursing class last night... I'm not even in nursing school yet!)

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Ok, i was walking into walmart the other day and the greeter at the door stops me and asks me if i know anything about bone spurs and proceeds to describe his symptoms. I've never seen him before in my life and don't start NS for 2 more weeks. That was strange.:eek: Am I starting to get that NS student look?:nurse::wtosts::barf02:

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Yup.

In fact, I had someone ask me about what kind of medication to put on a laceration.

Ummmm..... the laceration was on a poodle's neck...:uhoh21:

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Tee hee hee! I'm an advanced practice nurse and my husband is very, very proud of me. We are at a dinner party a few months ago (he is a school teacher) and he introduces me to a couple and I greet them and they ask me what I do. I say I'm a nurse, but hubby interrupts me and says that I'm an advanced practice nurse. So, the guy says, "I'm out of my vicodin for my back pain and my doc is on vacation this week. Could you write me a script for thirty of them?" Uh, no, no, no!

Ugh....

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Specializes in Emergency Room.

Oh yes! I am only in my 2nd week of nursing school and they've been asking me for advice for MONTHS!

My standard answer is " I'm not really a nurse, I just play one at school. Call your doctor".

I just dread what will happen when I really AM an RN.

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Specializes in None.
Oh yes! I am only in my 2nd week of nursing school and they've been asking me for advice for MONTHS!

My standard answer is " I'm not really a nurse, I just play one at school. Call your doctor".

I just dread what will happen when I really AM an RN.

Me to browneye, I might have to get a sign that states: IF Im not at the hospital dont ASK question's, and if your bold enough to do so, back away slowly and no one gets HURT!!!:banghead::yeah:

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.

Please I am only in pre-nursing stage and people at the office ( do not work in the medical field as my full time job right now) come up to me and ask me all kinds of stuff. Someone in the Accounting Department asked what she should do for constipation? Like really do I need to know that? :no: I can't wait to hear the questions when I have to lettere RN behind my name.:bugeyes::bugeyes:

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Specializes in Telemetry.
Yup.

In fact, I had someone ask me about what kind of medication to put on a laceration.

Ummmm..... the laceration was on a poodle's neck...:uhoh21:

Sigh. . . That makes me very wary of the quality of your nursing education. I for one had Nursing Care for Poodles in first semester. :lol: Seriously though, as soon as I got my first stethoscope, I became information central for all my friends and family. They still don't seem to grasp the idea that I cannot and will not diagnose them!

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Specializes in ICU.

I'm still taking pre-reqs - but my family calls to ask me questions all the time. I personally dont mind at all. If I know the answer I gladly tell them, and if I dont know, I go and look it up. Makes me feel smart I guess. LOL!

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It is not all the time, but yes, people do ask me. Usually my answer is "we haven't learned that yet." LOL I'm only second semester for crying out loud!!! Give me a little time here! :D

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