Administering Tylenol to a friend

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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?

Specializes in Critical Care.

I really hope you just misunderstood your teacher because that's a level of ignorance that really should prohibit someone from being a nursing educator.

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Specializes in Telemetry.
This sounds so ridiculous, I can't help but think that either the professor misspoke or you misheard.

The closest thing I can think of, is maybe she was warning against giving Tylenol to co-workers while on the clock?

Even that is silly. I'll freely admit I've given stock-supply Tylenol, mylanta, etc to CNAs or other nurses on occasion. I don't know a single nurse who hasn't.

BRANDON!!! Long time, no see! Hope you're doing well!

Yeah I really can't imagine where she got those crazy ideas. That kind of thinking just doesn't work in the real world.

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Specializes in Behavioral Health.

Your friend is at your house and asks if she can eat some of your Triscuits. Do you:

A. Give her triscuits, despite not having a diet order from an MD and lose your license.

B. Give her triscuits, despite them being dusted with garlic which is a dietary supplement not ordered by an MD and lose your license.

C. Smack the triscuits from her hand, clutch your license to your chest and weep, terrified of everything everywhere.

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Specializes in orthopedic/trauma, Informatics, diabetes.

We were told something smilar when I was in school: can't give any medications once we are a nurse. I call BS too. If I have a bottle of tylenol and my friend is looking for some, I give it to them.

One thing I did not know was that if someone asks to check something (blood pressure, blood sugar, etc) and there is an irregularity, you have to follow up on it. I helped at a health care fair at church when I was a student. A cardiac nurse was there to check BPs and if they were questionable she gave a card for her practice and told me that if it was a dangerous level, she had to call 911 (no one did)

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Your friend is at your house and asks if she can eat some of your Triscuits. Do you:

A. Give her triscuits, despite not having a diet order from an MD and lose your license.

B. Give her triscuits, despite them being dusted with garlic which is a dietary supplement not ordered by an MD and lose your license.

C. Smack the triscuits from her hand, clutch your license to your chest and weep, terrified of everything everywhere.

Or just buy Wheat Thins.

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I am sick and tired of instructors scaring new nurses like this. I brought $100 to class one day and challenged all of the students to go through our disciplinary actions...they could go back as far as they wanted to.

Find me ONE NURSE that lost her license over a medical MISTAKE.

Just one. The first one to bring it me an example that I could verify (through the Board's website), got the money.

The point of the exercise was to expose this urban myth that has been passed down for years and it NEEDS TO STOP.

Not a single student could find one. I kept my $100.

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We were told something smilar when I was in school: can't give any medications once we are a nurse. I call BS too. If I have a bottle of tylenol and my friend is looking for some, I give it to them.

One thing I did not know was that if someone asks to check something (blood pressure, blood sugar, etc) and there is an irregularity, you have to follow up on it. I helped at a health care fair at church when I was a student. A cardiac nurse was there to check BPs and if they were questionable she gave a card for her practice and told me that if it was a dangerous level, she had to call 911 (no one did)

I call BS on the 911 too. If someone is able to make their own decisions, you can't force treatment on them any more than you can force it in the ER. It is not up to the nurse to call 911 if the person is oriented and capable of making their own medical decisions. No, the nurse is not liable. That's a bunch of BS too.

What is the point of calling 911? For EMS to waste their resources to show up on a person that is gong to refuse services anyway? Why call 911? Why not say, "Well, this is a dangerously high level, you really need to go to the ER and have it checked out."

However, if the person takes antihypertensives for spikes...the person should know this. They should be capable of self-treating and then if it's still high go to to the ER. But call 911? Freaking ridiculous.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
I think your professor meant of your friend comes over showing you a rash or complaining of symptoms you shouldn't say "oh it's xyz" and "here take this medication to fix it". That could be construed as diagnosing and prescribing.

Then that's what the instructor should have said. What she DID say, if the OP is conveying the conversation accurately, is a whole lot of bull.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.
Your friend is at your house and asks if she can eat some of your Triscuits. Do you:

A. Give her triscuits, despite not having a diet order from an MD and lose your license.

B. Give her triscuits, despite them being dusted with garlic which is a dietary supplement not ordered by an MD and lose your license.

C. Smack the triscuits from her hand, clutch your license to your chest and weep, terrified of everything everywhere.

Again, why I love you so.

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Specializes in Pedi.

Oh, for crying out loud. This is one of the dumbest things I have ever heard. If you're at your house with your friend, you are a normal person. Both of you can take Tylenol that you purchased over the counter by following the instructions on the bottle. That's why it's an OTC med, it doesn't require a prescription. For inpatients, tylenol requires an order.

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BRANDON!!! Long time, no see! Hope you're doing well!

This!

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Your friend is at your house and asks if she can eat some of your Triscuits. Do you:

A. Give her triscuits, despite not having a diet order from an MD and lose your license.

B. Give her triscuits, despite them being dusted with garlic which is a dietary supplement not ordered by an MD and lose your license.

C. Smack the triscuits from her hand, clutch your license to your chest and weep, terrified of everything everywhere.

BWAHAHAHA!!!

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