Correcting the general public???

Nurses General Nursing

Published

Okay, this is a segue from furball's 'am I the only one' thread...

So most of us dodge our family members when it comes to medical advice....and we all know that giving medical advice is legally risky anyway, BUT.....

How many times have you been standing in the grocery line or whatever and you overhear a person talking about some illness or injury, and what they're saying is TOTALLY, COMPLETELY WRONG??? How hard do you have to fight the urge to pipe up and say, 'excuse me, I couldn't help but overhear, and you're a total MORON...' ?

I had a patient tell me (and the woman was an ER nurse....a new grad ER nurse, but a nurse still the same) that when she delivered her last baby, she was "crowning for three hours" before the doctor would let her push. UM, EXCUSE ME??? YOU'RE A TOTAL IDIOT. I just nodded and smiled politely and let her go on and on about her last delivery, all the while mentally digging my nails into my arm stifling the urge to smack her and tell her that she was a MORON. Maybe she meant the baby's head was very low in her pelvis, but you'd think she would know that CROWNING means the baby's head is STICKING OUT OF HER lady parts.

Or when I overhear some old lady tell her pregnant granddaughter not to raise her arms over her head because it'll 'strangle the baby.' Good Lord.

Sometimes I need the patience of Job.....:rolleyes:

I was once at a party and there happened to be a tube of acyclovir on the hostess' dresser, who had recently had some bad cold sores after getting a sunburn. Well someone said " That's what they use for herpes," and they started speculating and saying, "Ewww" etc. I explained to them that acyclovir can also be used for other things, including cold sores on the mouth. This girl said, " yeah, but I know for a fact that specific kind can only be used down there," (So the rest of the night she went around telling everyone that the poor hostess had an STD and that they shouldn't sit on the toilet.

Originally posted by fedupnurse

And do I ever hear you about the vitamin/"all natural" supplements JeannieM! I shudder to think what some people are mixing together between suplements and prescription meds. The general public is so clueless, and I hate to say, so are quite a few of my colleagues! The safe and all natural labeling should be changed to WARNING: MIX THIS WITH OTHER SUBSTANCES (HERBAL OR PRESCRIPTION) AND YOU CAN BLEED TO DEATH AND KILL YOU LIVER!!!!!

:rolleyes: You guys are so right.....people think herbs and 'natural' health supplement products are safe.... and of course more is better....I try to tell them treat these like a medication and MAKE SURE you tell your health care provider what you take.....

Had coworkers taking these OTC 'natural' diet products and coming to work wired like speed freaks.:rolleyes:

+ Add a Comment