Just Because You're a Nurse

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Specializes in ER, Peds ER.

Anyone else have the issue where just because you're a nurse, your friends and family expect you to know everything about anything having to do with medicine? It's been happening since I was in nursing school and still continues. My family or friends will get sick (or their kids will get sick) and they'd call me describe symptoms and expect me to be able to tell them how to fix it or what was wrong right off the top of my head. And when I don't know the answer or I tell them "Why don't you go see a doctor?" Seven times out of ten the response I get from them is "Well you're a nurse, i figured you'd know..." Now it's even worse because my girlfriend just found out she's pregnant, so she's constantly calling (we're currently a long distance relationship) with questions she expects me to know the answers to when I've told her numerous times OB and maternity was and is not my thing AT ALL. And she actually gets upset when I don't have answers.

And while I like that they have the confidence in me to expect me to have the answers, it does tend to get old after a while. So who else has the issue with their loved ones expecting you to know anything and everything about medicine and nursing?

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I'm in my last year of nursing school and I get that all the time! My grandma asks me, "Look at this place on my arm. What is it?" Umm...I don't know, grandma. Go see your dermatologist since you have a hx of melanoma! It is a compliment but it does get old, too.

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Specializes in L&D, OB Triage.

I have the same problem, and I am only half way done. I usually give them as much info as I can from my textbook or something, but I always give the caveat "I am a nursing student, not a professional. Go see the doctor and make sure you tell him the same thing you told me!" I don't mind helping my little sibs with health homework assignments, etc. though.

It does make me feel kinda nice that they think of me first, but it is a little annoying and does get kinda old.

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Specializes in ER, Peds ER.

It is a compliment and I mean it was cute when my god daughter would run up and ask how to fix her boo boos and things like that. But it gets old quickly. I guess I never realized how much it got on my nerves until my girlfriend got pregnant and automatically wants me to know all the answers to everything about her body and being pregnant. And I don't have them, I guess it's better she call me then call her doctor every five minutes.

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Specializes in ICU/Critical Care.

When I am home, I don't want to think about work or think about anything nursing related so I usually get very irritated when family calls me to ask me medical advice. I tell them the same thing I tell everybody, see a doctor.

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Specializes in ER, Peds ER.

I've said that a time or two or ten, won't do it ever again though at least not anytime soon. I was having a day where I went from work to class and then back to work, with only about 4 hours of sleep fit in there, and on top of that both nights at work were awful, and I actually told my girlfriend to stop asking me and call the doctor (I'm sure it didn't come out sounding quite as nice) and it sent her into tears.

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Specializes in LTC, office.

I find it very irritating. A friend of mine who is a mother keeps asking me health questions about her children. I work in a surgery department at a clinic and see 98% adults. I know very little about pediatrics and quite frankly I don't ever plan to! I have told her that time and time again, yet she keep asking. :rolleyes:

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Specializes in ED.

I use to get that more when I first started in nursing. I did date a guy whose mother use to call me every day looking for medical advice. It got quite annoying as she was close to being a hypochondriac. My standard answer now is to call the doctor, so most people don't bother me. The questions I tend to get now are more about meds, diabetic stuff.... more types of things that as a nurse I can help with.

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Specializes in med-surg 5 years geriatrics 12 years.

Goes with the job. I have family and friends ask at times. I just tell them there is never one cause for anything and they need to call their PCP. As time goes on it hasl lessened a bit but still get the questions..." since you are a nurse ".

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I would always give them what I thought it was, together with the most frightening fatal diagnosis possible - "well, Mom, it could be your sinuses, or you could have ruptured a cerebral aneurysm. Are you having any trouble moving your left arm?"

For some reason, I don't get those questions nearly as often as I used to.

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Specializes in NICU Level III.

One of my "friends" will only talk to me to ask for fertility advice. I don't know how many times I can tell her that my thing is babies once they are OUT of the mother and she needs to consult Google or her MD (a lot of her questions are...when can I get pregnant? what is hypothyroidism..stuff google CAN help with)!

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I give the same answer as everyone else here when I get questions..Sorry, that's not my field of nursing. The problem is that you occasionally have nurses who like to pretend they know everything (OK so I'm thinking of my SIL, who is a new grad LVN working in a SNF, but feels super comfortable giving advice about anything from CA tx to OB stuff). I'm constantly telling the rest of our family things such as, "um, no, I wouldn't have the faintest idea of what to do if you went into labor right now Sally, even if SIL thinks she would know. I guess I'd call 911 and panic along with everyone else. I don't do labor or babies..If you were to have a heart attack on the other hand, I'm your girl!!" :D

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