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?

This is just weird bat-doodle nonsense and the polar opposite of what I was told in lvn school. Our first day the instructor told us we could kill ten people before they took our license.

I went home and had the freakiest nightmare where I was walking down a line of beds taking blood pressures and one by one they would die. The fun bit was my instructor counting them off behind me..that's one..that's two..that's three..

I'm about to start an RN program next month and I'm not sure what I'll do if a teacher starts feeding me that kind of bull.

:roflmao:

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Specializes in Med-Surg, OB, ICU, Public Health Nursing.

Plain tylenol ? "April Fools"

Sharing tylenol with codeine, a whole different scenario.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Float Pool Nursing.

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.

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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.

So, you took Tylenol that your co-worker gave you and you got all better?

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Specializes in Critical Care, Float Pool Nursing.

Well, first what I tried to do was to take tylenol tablets and jam them into the back of the patient's mouth hoping it would cure him. I thought tylenol could bring people back to life when I first started but it didn't work because I couldn't push them down his throat far enough. I tried some of the tylenol syrup next hoping it would sort of coalesce and be absorbed into his oral mucosa. Still didn't work. Now I don't give tylenol to patients anymore -- it doesn't work.

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Well, first what I tried to do was to take tylenol tablets and jam them into the back of the patient's mouth hoping it would cure him. I thought tylenol could bring people back to life when I first started but it didn't work.

Shoulda tried a whip it, dude.

But since he was old and not hot, he's probably better off.

As long as YOU are okay.

Are you okay?

:rolleyes:

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Its already been said but I hope the OP misunderstood. That is too ridiculous. And for any scared students who are reading this: I know someone who used to work for her state's BON, and she did not ride around on a broomstick spying on nurse's personal lives and snatching up licenses.

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Specializes in Urology, HH, med/Surg.

Ok, so we've covered the 'giving a friend Tylenol'. Many excellent points have been made. And yes, I too am hoping maybe there was a bit of misunderstanding on the students part, EXCEPT

She also stated the instructor said something about not being able to give your own children meds without an order??

If she heard all of that correctly- someone has no business teaching!

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Shoulda tried a whip it, dude.

But since he was old and not hot, he's probably better off.

Right and right again. That is definitely a situation where you bust out the nitrous! And you need to be careful around those oldies their wrinkles may be contagious.

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My instructors told us that as well. I think it's a common fear tactic.

I was only a B+ student. I got the Tylenol question wrong, I guess.

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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.

Oh my god.. I love you... I just piddled a little..

Oh.. and my answer is C... FEAR everything and everyone.

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Shoulda tried a whip it, dude.

But since he was old and not hot, he's probably better off.

As long as YOU are okay.

Are you okay?

HAHAHA!

RNdynamic, That is certainly traumatic for you. How dare that guy be sick and need suctioning. I bet you told him to knock it off too, and he simply didn't listen. How dare he think you had time for that...didnt he realize that every time you suctioned him you risked getting that gross mucous into your angelic flowing hair? EW. And you could have also chipped a nail. Double EW. That was just selfish of him. Please don't take any responsibility on yourself for not making it your top priority to transfer him to an ICU. He was totally appropriate for a regular nursing floor *extreme sarcasm*

Are you really serious about all the stuff you post, RNdynamic?? You can't be serious.

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