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?

[MunoRN, RN]

There is no problem with that scenario as described above, it's pretty clear. Where is gets murky is this scenario:

Friend: "Hey, I have a headache"

Nurse friend, in his own home: "I'll go get you something for it" and comes back with APAP and gives it to friend.

Friend then has some sort of damages and wants to sue previous nursing friend for "administering".

That's totally different, assuming you are the legal guardian of your child.

What if it's was a neighbor's kid?

The friend is free to sue for anybody for anything they want, but the nurse doesn't really have to worry that a claim of "administering" will be valid since the situation described does not come close to meeting the definition of administering. Offering someone a pill is not "administering".

[Farawyn]

I would have thought Nurses would find more interesting / educational subjects than what is basic common sense.

Try asking what is the significance of the Observation charts we are taking hour after hour, day after day . What /when Is the Nurse expected to ring "alarm bells " or

To what level of skill is an RN expected to have , Medically, to deliver the healthcare the training and certificates they hold warrants.

We all know Nurses don't make final diagnosis , but are an important link in the chain to those qualified to do so.

or suggest a way the paperwork of the modern day can be reduced so RN's can be RN's again and not book keepers.

or , why in some areas, drugs have to be counted , witnessed on every change of shift .

or , are Nurses becoming more risky drug addicts than the people they are providing care to.

By the way .. Rare yr kids right and they won't need much medicating . If I read the word Tylenol again I"m gonna SCREAM.

Tylenol.

[maccamax]

Drug pushers offer pills . lololol different charge .

[Farawyn]

Drug pushers offer pills . lololol different charge .

No, drug pushers sell pills.

[maccamax]

NO farrawyn, Under section 44 , see addit 23 from subsection 49 of the dog and goat act. Financial gain isn't a part of the subject matter. Special clause 98 states , the dill with the pill offends at the time of exchange . Any favours cash or otherwise ( thrill for the dill ) isn't to be considered. ( you just wasted more of my time in waiting 29 seconds to post again. ) I just found a suppository in my ear and now I can't find my hearing aid . We Oz nurses do it tough .

[Farawyn]

Tylenol.

[learner1108]

Nurses worry about serious stuff enough. Sometimes nurses just wanna have fun. This thread is funny.

[Penelope_Pitstop, BSN, RN]

I would have thought Nurses would find more interesting / educational subjects than what is basic common sense.

Try asking what is the significance of the Observation charts we are taking hour after hour, day after day . What /when Is the Nurse expected to ring "alarm bells " or

To what level of skill is an RN expected to have , Medically, to deliver the healthcare the training and certificates they hold warrants.

We all know Nurses don't make final diagnosis , but are an important link in the chain to those qualified to do so.

or suggest a way the paperwork of the modern day can be reduced so RN's can be RN's again and not book keepers.

or , why in some areas, drugs have to be counted , witnessed on every change of shift .

or , are Nurses becoming more risky drug addicts than the people they are providing care to.

By the way .. Rare yr kids right and they won't need much medicating . If I read the word Tylenol again I"m gonna SCREAM.

Ummm...you're the one taking the time to type out such a long reply.

I'm going to admit, I didn't read it...I could only think about Charlie Brown's teacher.

PS...

[BostonFNP, APRN]

The friend is free to sue for anybody for anything they want, but the nurse doesn't really have to worry that a claim of "administering" will be valid since the situation described does not come close to meeting the definition of administering. Offering someone a pill is not "administering".

According to Mosby's Medical Dictionary, "medication administration" is defined as preparing, giving and evaluating theeffectiveness of prescription and non-prescription drugs.

According to NIC it's also considered a "nursing intervention" under that same definition.

[BostonFNP, APRN]

Maybe not only NOT the legal guardian, but the kid is walking around with undiagnosed cirrhosis,

Maybe they have G6PD deficiency!

[Farawyn]

Maybe they have G6PD deficiency!

Good lord, Boston, making me Google.

ETA:Ooooh, I knew that!