People really do ask you for medical advice! Wow...

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Specializes in Informatics, Orthopaedics.

So, I have been reading a lot of the posts in the Nursing section, and have seen the part about how everyone asks for medical advice once they find out you are a nurse.

Well, I am a first year nursing STUDENT, and I just had my first experience with it...I just had someone ask me about the burning sensation when they pee. At work. With everyone listening.

Uh. Maybe go see your doctor? I am certain asking a novice in the midst of a group of cubicles filled with your co-workers is probably not the ideal way to get advice about your UTI/STD.

:no:

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Haha, I haven't even started nursing school and I get this kind of stuff all the time.

I was meeting friends to go on a road trip and the first thing my friend said to me, at 7am, was, "I have blood in my stool, should I be worried?" Nice to see you too!

I even get billing questions and questions about medical mysteries that people see on TV. Then they act like I'm dumb because I don't have an answer. Hello!?!

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Specializes in Oncology/hematology.

Yes, it's true. I'm not even a nursing student yet either (start on the 20th). Haven't had one second of clinicals, not one second of lecture. I have had 3 people come up to me now asking for advice. I also have people all the time tell me their nasty, personal medical histories because "You're a nurse, so you understand." No, I'm not a nurse and even if I was, I don't want to listen to you outside of the work environment, thank you!

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I worked at a veterinary clinic up until May. A farmer that I know came in and when I told him I would be leaving there to go to school full time to be a nurse, I got an earful all about his "prostrate." It was awesome! LOL

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Specializes in LTC, home health, critical care, pulmonary nursing.

My standard answer to any question like that is "Go see your doctor." Because I'm not YOUR nurse. And I don't want to hear about your "prostrate."

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I get it too from my family. My husband's skin problems, my friend's gallbladder, and just today I had to assess a tiny scab on my mother in law's leg that she thought was a tick. I just finished my first semester today :).

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Yeah, I've had my fair share of people asking me as well!

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Yup. I started as a lactation consultant which apparently meant I was a gynecologist as well. LOL

Then I became an EMT, which meant I was a paramedic.

Now I work as a nurse's aid. I'm officially the go to for doctor questions now.

I have given up explaining to people and simply say "Yeah, call your doc!"

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haha all during school i said 'go see your doctor' and even the professors tell you to say it too!! nursing STUDENT. haha

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Specializes in Assisted Living.

I notice that I get it alot when I have my scrubs on too!!!

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Specializes in ED.

My aunt told me, "you need to tell your pawpaw how to get his blood pressure up! He passed out!" :| ummm, really? Hello!! All I can do is shake my head. There has been many more..

One good time though, I was finishing up a&p II lab -taught by a RN- and we learned some patho etc. Anyways, we had just learned about appendicitis and she told us all of this stuff to look for. I get a call that my brother is in the ER and Is in bad pain etc. So I ask about it being curious. I asked about the rebound pain & kept telling them I bet it's appendicitis. No one would listen and kept say no way! I get a call back from my dad saying it IS appendicitis and all I could say is "YES!!" I felt like a butt, but I was totally right and proud of that. Lol my instructor had a good laugh about it. ...family will never understand.. Haha! I'm ready to start nursing school next week! It's going to be exciting, fun, and challenging!

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Specializes in NICU, Infection Control.

When I was a student, I would respond to inquiries w/"We haven't gotten to that part yet". Abt 3 months before graduation, a family member asked me "aren't you graduating any minute now? When will you find out?"

In the past few years, after being a nurse for a realllly long time, I would say, I only know babies and breastfeeding! Can't help you.

W/my mother, tho, I got a little better @ discerning her symptoms and would say, "I wonder if you need this test or that one, or more diuretic, or a little more K+, etc. She wouldn't say anything, later I would find out she'd called the doc, and sure enough, I was right. And I bought her a BP cuff; I also bought a little finger sat meter, but she got very unhappy because it was orange. :cool:

Families are sooo much fun!

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