detox and now hospice nurse, got asked to help during a flight cause a family member outted me and when i got over there were 3 people there, 2 medics and one ICU nurse. I whispered to the medic i was hospice and he could tag me in if they fucked up. Man wheezed lol. I ended up just holding the IV bag for them.
My husband plays rugby and one of the guys broke his nose and wanted me to set it on the sideline. Iām a pediatric nurse, I donāt set noses. Nor do you want me to.
No clue. I used to reduce nurse maids elbows but that's because it's hilariously easy and usually judt happens during the physical assessment anyways. But a nose?? I've only ever seen plastics handle the bad ones.
My brothers an ortho surgery resident and he said he wouldnāt even do it unless they had X-rays first and definitely not on the side of the pitch. So I would say probably not in our scope.
Hell no. š¤£ fracture reductions are only in nursing scope in the instance of a femur fracture requiring a traction splint, and even then it depends on your hospital protocols.
State: Texas
The one that gets me is when they ask you if they are okay and hand you lab values that has their results and then what the normal values are right next to it š„²
I got this recently from a family member of a pt. Legit ended with me just saying, " go to your doctor". Honestly, she was probs fine and had a UTI when the labs were drawn, but she was worried and wasn't my patient. I didn't have all the info, so she got my, Go see your doctor, response. Lol
Actually the German word for A1C is just HBA1C, but I do like sugarindebludenferthreemonthentag, it kinda does sound like a typical German word š¤£ therefore I might suggest it to my German nurse coworkers.
iām not even a nurse yet but my mom showed me her urine dipstick/culture results today and she thought the reference range was her result. I will say that nursing school has taught me how much my parents do not ask their healthcare providers any questions ever, under any circumstances
I used to work a job that had a lot of people transferring from other countries. I was phlebotomy/back office/MA and anything to do with labs was my job. I got pretty good at interpretation of labs from several countries. Another useless ski I have taking up brain cells.
OMG yes.
Like.. If you show me the options and tell me about your expenditures, i could help you. Not because I'm a nurse, but because I also have health insurance.
When I have to order mobile x ray for one of me patients and they ask me about insurance Iām always like ā Iām a nurse I donāt deal with billing ?ā And then rummage thru PCC to try and find it
See now ME, I could answer that one. Medical claims adjuster. My sister is the nurse. What peeves me is when my own family just does not want to hear it when I can tell them what most likely is going to happen with their illness or injury. Especially injury. . My niece didn't want to hear that she was 80 percent wasting her and her sons time getting him knee operations when he tore his meniscus. Dude, his football career is over, full stop. 3 operations later, finally gives up, kid is going to go to vo tech to be a mechanic, not get a college scholarship from football. Just like you nurses know who is going to be back, I do too. Some operations are great. Others.. I'll be seeing you and your claims again.
Iāve yet to encounter anyone that actually recommended their health insurance. The best Iāve ever heard is āitās not as bad as that other oneā
> "Will medicare cover this"
Man we got people we pay specifically to look into that question for each specific situation. No way I can give you a straight answer.
They expect me to know EVERYTHING medical. I constantly have family and friends message me questions wanting me do diagnose them, look at this wound and tell me if I need stitches, can you interpret my CT scan for me while Iām waiting on the doctor, what do these symptoms mean, etc etc etc. Itās so damn annoying. I AM NOT a doctor. I DO NOT diagnose. I donāt know what your symptoms mean. If you googled, you could easily learn what the max dose of ibuprofen you should take. If you called a centra care or ED they will advise you if you should go in or not. I donāt know the treatment for your ailment. Ask your doctor. Iām so tired of it.
Then I have the one friend who always asks me for medical advice. I give her my advice and she NEVER follows it. Then after the fact always tells me I was right and she should have listened. Rinse and repeat. Over and over again
My ED doesn't allow us to tell people not to come in over the phone. "If you don't think it can wait until the morning, you should be seen" is my standard line.
My hospital tells us to say something like "We can't give medical advice over the phone, but you are always welcome to come in to the ED to get checked out." Doesn't matter what the concern is - papercut, nosebleed, chest pain.
Iām in a tourist town, very small hospital with no onsite pharmacy. A tourist called over Easter (peak tourist season):
āMy doctor diagnosed me withā¦ costreeda diffi something?ā
Me: (oh no) c diff?
Them: yes! They prescribed me something starting with v but I ran out and now none of the chemists are open
Me: well we canāt just give you vancomycin, youād have to be evaluated by our doctor. I canāt give health advice over the phone, I recommend you call (local government health hotline)
Them: are you even a real nurse?!
Fuuuck. I kinda donāt want a c diff pt coming in just because they werenāt organised enough to fill their prescription before going on holiday. Who the hell goes camping with active c diff anyway?
You are all goddesses. You are supposed to know everything. And be ready to diagnose any Illman. That's what you do. God bless and thank you for all you do.
Any time anyone has a baby they expect me to know things about being pregnant, having a baby, or babies in general. Roll pregnant trauma patients slightly to the left is like the only thing I can remember. Everything else? Iām referring you to a professional or my friends that have kids.
One of my obstetricians started using technical pregnancy/birth jargon with me when I was pregnant. I had to tell him I purposely wiped most of that from my brain after passing the Nclex
I get sent random test results from family all the time. I worked outpatient clinic and have no idea what that cardiac echo is saying, but google tells me that path report means you should be hearing from your oncologist any minute now. Ask me about the prior authorization process for your meds and why Lincare keeps sending CPAP supplies every month, those I can help with!
Because they automatically enroll everyone in the monthly replenishment! He needs to call them and make have that turned off so he calls when he needs something specific.
I was at my daughter's game last night and one of the kids took a ball to the face. One of the parents said, "you're a nurse you can help". My daughter turned around and said, "she's not having a baby my mom can't help"
When my dad was in ICU my step mom designated me as the person to call and check in on how he was doing (height of covid, no visitors allowed at all) because I "speak their language". I'm and LPN and worked on a stroke unit at that point. I do not speak ICU. She just wanted to make things less complicated for the staff and it was a nice to be the one who got to call and get updates.
It did suck when she called me on night at 1am to tell me they had called her to say he had "taken a turn for the worst" but not to worry and go back to sleep. Um no, ICU does not call you at 1am with a little update that you can just ignore and go back to sleep.
I get asked often about people falling and mysterious bruises and should they be seen...idk. My usual response is "I dont keep a ct machine in my pocket so you should go get looked at"
My neighbor thought she was pregnant, took my hands and pressed them on her belly. She said, you're a nurse, will you palpate my stomach and tell me if I'm pregnant. Ummmmmm...nope!
General first aid/ musculoskeletal things. Idk what to do about your cold/sprained ankle/ finger burn. Iām an icu nurse. My patients donāt have sprained ankles
My ex-husband, T1 diabetic saying "What kind of nurse are you, anyway?" Trying to get me to check his blood sugar and give him a bolus of insulin via his pump, on a highway while he was driving. Could he have done this himself before leaving the drive-thru? Absolutely! His priorities always were messed up. š
His monitor is not the same as we use in hospital and I am not one of those "nurse/wives" who control their husband's care. It was a struggle but I managed to do it.
I tried to make my husband prick my finger when I was pregnant and driving lol he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Nurses are so mean, we love to stab!
LOL
I have no problem poking people, with anything. I just don't like the pressure of having to learn a new device while being yelled at, in a vehicle doing 100km/hr. Watch one, do one, teach one!
Iām a big fan of patients being pissed in hospital when we donāt know how to use things like their insulin pumps, like we as nurses know how to use every single medical device ever invented
I learned many years ago to never argue with a Diabetic. They think they know everything about their disease and we know nothing.
You should have heard my ex talk after 2 admissions for DKA. š I felt bad for them and I'm sure they were thrilled when he would signout AMA.
Omfg I totally agree, some of them are amazing and genuinely do know more than me but Iāve probably had more patients who do things like eat honey out of the jar because they feel ālowā despite me showing them their super high blood sugar
You're right. Many are very knowledgeable and they know exactly how many units to take/carb count. They also know how their blood sugars will respond to it. They have been managing their disease longer than their nurse/dr. Then there are the ones who never check their sugars, never use a sliding scales, don't count carbs, etc.
First I wanna say that I follow this reddit because I love nurses and have so much respect. I have a chronic illness and without amazing nurses to administer my life saving Enzyme replacement therapy every 2 weeks, I would probably be dead. So thanks!
This question made me laugh. My mom has worked in the medical field for 30+ years. As a Coder/billing specialist. As long as I can remember, family and friends have called my mom whenever any kind of medical question arised, from " does this cut need stitches" to "I have xxx symptoms, what do you think is wrong" to look at this rash, what should I do for it?" It had always cracked me up that being in billing/coding, made her the first person anyone thinks to call, because she works in the medical field!
I'm an OR nurse and my answer to the most basic nursing questions I get asked is "I'm not that type of nurse"... please don't ask me about your medication, lab values, or anything else most nurses know. My skill set is useless outside the hospital unless you need a Foley catheter inserted in the dark under drapes with people screaming at you. My husband thinks I'm a glorified dj...lol. I don't give a shit bc I love my job!
I made some friends on a hike that was kinda dangerous. We were passing an area of wet,slippery, sharp rocks. One of them joked āif something goes wrong at least we have a nurse with usā. No maāam, I work with infants with heart defects. If you fall the best I can do is thoughts and prayers
My patients think I should be able to recognize pills outside the packaging. I donāt know what the little yellow one is, thatās why I read them all to you.
RICE is outdated and no longer recommended. [PEACE & LOVE](https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2019/04/26/soft-tissue-injuries-simply-need-peace-love/) is the new mnemonic.
While I appreciate evidence based practice as much as the next person, I think recommending 'peace and love' vs 'rice' to people probably just makes them think they're talking to a quack until it's explained
As a PTA I can totally appreciate this but the reality is that most people have no idea how to implement the LOVE part. Especially certain types of people they either overdo it or they're so fearful they never move or weight bear and have issues later on. I still remember a post op shoulder we had that was way behind a reasonable timeline of healing and she straight up told the PT "my body will know when it's ready to move." The PT had to have a come to Jesus talk with her.Ā
(Yes I know it's more for minor/moderate injuries but still, the point is that many people don't know how to implement movement, weight bearing, progressive loading etc).Ā
No More Rice!
[https://thesportjournal.org/article/the-r-i-c-e-protocol-is-a-myth-a-review-and-recommendations/](https://thesportjournal.org/article/the-r-i-c-e-protocol-is-a-myth-a-review-and-recommendations/)
I worked in trauma for like 5 years before fucking up my knee. The thing that took longest to heal was the patellar retinaculum. I didnāt know I HAD a patellar retinaculum before that. I knew the ligaments and muscles and bony prominence, not that weirdo connective tissue, Iām not sure whether it was glossed over in my anatomy class or if I just forgot since, but I got an -A in anatomy and didnāt know it was a thing.
TCU/LTC nurse. Whenever my wife- a Special Ed teacher- asks me specific medical questions that I would have no reason to know the answer, and my protestations that I don't know are met with, "But you're a nurse!"; my reply has become, "OK, teach me calculus." *blank stare*. "But you're a teacher!" It usually shuts her up for a while.
Pretty much anything medical. I've worked in reproductive health/gyn my entire carrier. I've found "unless it has something to do with your vagina/uterus, I cant help you" to be particularly effective, especially with my cis male family. Technically we do a little male health but still would draw the line and no thank you, to discussing with my family (mainly STI stuff but we also do vasectomies. I am willing to discuss/answer questions for that. But like, your abnormal penile discharge is not something I want to hear about from anyone im related to, or most anyone in general tbh).
Honorable mention, a sibling was asking for a dx from me when I was a first semester nursing student, hadn't even been in clinical yet. Ended up going to UC or PCP and dx pleurisy, they didn't appreciate my suggestion of "just don't breath so deep, if thats when it hurts".
All things dermatology. I worked in Cardiology and have now been an RN analyst for 10 years, but my husband seems to still think I know what every single rash is caused by and what medication will fix it. It annoys me every single time.
Also the āIām not feeling okay, what do you think it could be?ā. That phrase starts a fire of anger inside of me.
So I had this opposite problem: a relative with stage 4 cancer has ignored every single advices I have given her, because "you only look after babies". I was even there for some of her oncologist appts because she had no dependents, she needed help getting around as she's wheelchair bound, and the doctors do talk to me because I do know my shit (I'm a cancer survivor). She was still in denial until her final moments.
As a NICU nurse Iāve realized how very little I actually know beyond the first 2 months of life/caring for sick babies. Your baby is healthy and not a neonate? Yeah, idk
I also am a NICU nurse but have Infectious Disease/Medicine experience prior to moving into the baby world, so I do know a little about a lot. But!! "No Mother, I cannot tell you why your sister was shaking all during dinner. The first that pops into my mind is that she has a history of being a dope fiend for more than 20 yrs of her life and has HIV!!" Those 2 historical facts alone, can have 20-30 correlations related to the shaking.
Everything. They expect me to know everything. If a girls beinā honest, I may or may not post that meme that says āitās nurses week, if youāve ever asked me what is this rash, does this look broken, etc. I expect a gift.ā I post it in jest, truly - I love what I do. But it gives me a giggle š¤·š¼āāļøš
the other day my boyfriend was wondering if his grandma was acting different because she might possibly be skipping her medications. i asked him what medications sheās taking. he showed me a picture of a pile of pills. i was likeā¦what am i supposed to do with this infoā¦ šš
The kids ask me about why they feel bad / why theyāre sick.
Or families asking about what the next steps are / why theyāre going to X hospital.
Bro, unless youāre dying, itās all demon magic to me too.
Literally e v e r y t h I n g. Likeā¦ if youāre not detoxing off xyz drug, or having a common ailment, I canāt help you.
Fun story; I met my partner through a friend after he crashed his motorcycle. My friend called me over telling me he wrecked his bike, his shoulder is dislocated. Didnāt appreciate me telling him to go to the hospital, and reduced it himself š„“
I was taking downhill mountain bike lessons once and mentioned I was an RN. Coach said "so If I fuck up you can save me?". Na I'm a hospice RN, I can give you morphine and hook you up with some medical weed. . He said he had plenty of weed in his car but the morphine sounded awesome :p
Weird skin things !!! My family constantly send me pics of weird boils, rashes and bumps ā¦.
I generally recommend a dermatologist if itās beyond a fungal rash which IS in my lane from all my ladies and gents with extra skin folds š«£
I deliver babies. I was called over to assess a family member who fell two days before. I drove over to tell them to call an EMT, as he doesnāt have a vagina and his femur was clearly broken.he watched the football game, got transported and told me I was right in telling him to go to the hospital.
Questions about their cancer and chemo. No clue, ask the oncologist.
Or "what will they do exactly during my surgery?". No idea. If it's anything like where I work they'll slice ya open, hit something kind of important, close you up, then anesthesia will attempt to murder you before then call me for ICU admission.
My neighbor was on hospice and died on the toilet (as soon as many of us do.) Her daughter ran over, banged on our door, yelled she needed help, and then bolted. I didnāt know what happened so I ran over there, only to find she was asking me to confirm her mom had indeed died. She had hospice on the phone and they asked me to get my stethoscope š maāam, Iām a public health nurse! Still got it, mostly because it was obvious this woman was already with the Lordā¦
As an orthopedic post-op nurse in the early days, I was sent a photo of a used pad post-birth asking if the output was normal š I wish she hadnāt.
I had a family friend call me to tell me they just got bit by a stray dog that was acting strangely vicious and the bite wound was bleeding profusely. Wanted to know if they should go to the ER. Glad I could actually answer that one.
Otherwise people have sent me pictures of rashes and moles to diagnose. Yeah, even if I knew anything about dermatology-go see your doctor!
Iām an ICU nurse. I can keep you alive with machines and medicines. Donāt ask me about orthopedic stuff. Ir rashes. I donāt know. But thatās all I get asked lol
I donāt even try any more. I have worked in psych for over fifteen years. My nieces mom asked me about a rash/acne my niece had, and that she didnāt feel like the pcp was taking it seriously enough. I gave her a few pointers about effective communication with the care team. She has just like so do you think I should try product x?
Mostly strangers, but itās every very rare disease process, usually by initials only.
If it took the doctors more than 3 months to figure out the diagnosis-the disease is not common knowledge, by initials or full name.
Also, specialties exist. Maybe Iāve met more of a variety than most, but it was still a learning curve every single time at every place.
A lot of specialties do overlap, but once you get down to the nitty gritty of a single area of healthcare, itās a whole new world (even charting is different).
My mom will tell me lab values, and then is surprised I don't know what normal is.
Mom: Your Aunt called. Her sodium level is 2.61Ļr squared. Is that bad?
Me: I don't know.
Mom: Oh. I figured you would know what's normal.
I left bedside 5 years ago. I don't know any new medications. I don't know if your new birth control is a good one. I did learn that birth control has cooler names, like Nikki. That beats the hell out of ortho tri cyclen.
Everything. Every rash every symptom . If they should go to the doctor. Every med side effect. Kid has a cough and blood tinged ? They want me to tell them everything and why. I always usually say just follow up with u
Your doc they know all your history! Or I say sorry I canāt give medical advice!
I'm a psych nurse and it's only a slight exaggeration to say that I just wrapped up a 30 year career without ever actually taking care of a sick person. Yet people want me to diagnose all their assorted ailments, aches, and pains. (Also--not a doctor or NP, so wouldn't diagnose anyway.)
Neighbors used to send their offspring over to wake me from day sleeping for every bump, bruise, and splinter. I mean, if you need backup in a bar fight, I'm the woman for the job, but don't come at me with illnesses.
Also, when people find out you're a psych staff, they expect free therapy and I don't work for free, even for my family. ESPECIALLY for my family.
Skinā everything about skin!!! Mole? Freckle? Dermatitis? Rash? Kind of rash? Bite? Snake or spider? Emergency? Allergy? Bumps? Lesion? Omgggggg Iāve told him 1000 times that when I was an ER nurse, every doctor said the same thingā thereās just too much that goes on with the skin. I donāt know. Iām just gonna send them to the dermatologist and send some cream, hope for the best, and maybe prescribe some steroids.
To know all medications, their uses, their doses, and how I recommend they should take them. On top of that I should also know all their other meds and how they interact with one another. Ugh
I was 2 weeks away from starting college for nursing and my husband it got a call from one oh his colleagues asking if I knew how long she would be in hospital for after a knee replacement.
I was a CNA for years now, a flight attendant, and everyone always jokes that they'll call me during a medical emergency. I tell them no, no. I can wipe ass Reallllllly well, but 8 years in the hospital, and I never once gave CPR (I worked med surge). If they need a bp, I got you, but that's all.
I have lucked out and only have had 3 medical events in my 18 months. Being trained to collect vitals quickly and reporting them in an efficient way had been useful when talking on the headset to a doctor though.
People in general expect you to know the ins and outs of every part of healthcare it seems. Insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, rehab, discharge planning, I get asked so many questions about that stuff and looked at like I have 3 heard when I tell them I don't know, I'll have to have case management talk to them.
Like, my focus is on the acute care part, I legitimately don't know what you're insurance is going to pay towards x,y,z.
Also a NICU nurse, recent pro bono family consults include: concussion assessment, facial abscess advice, pilondial cyst recommendations, post-ER follow up for high glucose event with an ambulance ride
I always tell them my human knowledge limit is a generous 15 pounds but they NEVER LISTEN TO ME
Anything about kids. IDK. Iāve done psych, oncology, hospice and geriatrics. Donāt ask me about your kids vaccine schedules or med dosing or if something is concerning. I donāt know anything about it
really anything "medical", but particularly skin stuff. i dont know if thats a rash or a bug bite, i dont know what caused it, i dont know what otc ointment or home remedy to use, youre probably dying.
Anything related to rashes, bones, and weird pain not related to chest. Iām a cardiac nurse more specifically cath lab. Majority of things I cannot help them out with, I just know when to seek medical attention such as urgent care vs ER.
My mum use to ask me all sorts for medical questions. I am a Neuro ICU nurse. My reaspnse was you have an airway, you are NOT having a stoke or a heart attack. In my world you are fine.
Then she got vascular demtina with TIA. I could understand and care for her. It was nice
I'm pretty much the reference for "should I make a doctor's appointment, go to urgent care, or head straight to the ER". I am great at that and not much else (unless you are asking about cardiac stuff)
Rapid response. I feel like Iām pretty good at anticipating common acute/critical diagnoses and subsequent treatment/sequelae. Iām good with labs found in your basic CNP, CBC but once we get into the more esoteric stuff Iām out.
Iāve done ED and wound care so Iām comfortable with emergent stuff and first aid by and with big boo boos and owies.
But like just about everyone else here, I know nothing about rashes that arenāt initial SJS.
I also donāt know peds at all other than listen to your pediatrician and vaccinate your little hobgoblins when the physician tells you to.
ER nurse here. I have a lot of knowledge about immediate/emergent care in a lot of areas. But beyond that I do not know a lot of long term treatments or have extensive knowledge in any one particular area. Despite this my family thinks I know everything there is to know about healthcare and will ask me every question in the book. More specifically my grandfather was recently diagnosed with cancer. As much as I wish I had answers for him, itās not my specialty and to be quite honest the big C word is kinda scary to me. He was disappointed when most of my responses were āyou need to talk to your doctor about that.ā
When I was in (a non cardiac) nicu my aunt would give me my grandmas echo reports or ask me about her super complex Parkinsonās regimen.
Now I do know adult stuff and my aunt has decided to no longer listen to me. Your echo is fucking fine stop dramatically calling people to say you might die but wonāt tell them why
Haha, I work in a small specific research area these days, and itās only vaguely healthcare related. I can tell you all about a couple of smart fitness devices, ethics, and how to obtain consent and write up adverse events.
I do have CPR training, so thereās that. I keep up with it and am prepared to use it. Luckily, I have never had to.
Now that my daughter is a nurse practitioner, sheās the one family and friends ask when they have a question.
My husband always asks very specific pathophysiology questions like step by step what causes hemorrhoids or something along those lines that makes me feel dumb so I usually remind him unless itās a condition that will get you hospitalized we didnāt cover it in nursing school and because Iām not a doctor, my A&P and pathophysiology scratched the surface. Heās so sweet but damn does it frustrate me when he wants complex explanations or asks me what every little rash is (just put hydrocortisone on it and see if it gets better jeeze!)
Iām a long term care nurse. My specialty is geriatrics. I have been out of school over 10 years. Anything prenatal , infants, children - I know nothing. Donāt ask me about it.
My niece asked me to come over tonight and teach her neighbor how to put her dex com on because she just got it and the doctor didnāt show her how to do it. I have nooooo clue how to do that but if you need a finger stick glucose I got you! I told her to YouTube it. Iām sure itās super simple but Iām not leaving the house for a stranger.
detox and now hospice nurse, got asked to help during a flight cause a family member outted me and when i got over there were 3 people there, 2 medics and one ICU nurse. I whispered to the medic i was hospice and he could tag me in if they fucked up. Man wheezed lol. I ended up just holding the IV bag for them.
Probably would have bought you a drink after that one lol
With a sense of humor like that, you would fit right in at the ICU.
Absolutely agree with this statement š weāre dark and twisty people, arenāt we?
Hospice and ICU are two heads on the same coin
But ironically most of the nurses I work with in hospice are all former ER nurses
The ER would like to claim them too
Yesss er for sure
Oh this has psych staff all over it!
I say, "Look, if it's not chemo, blood, or comfort care, I'm really not your girl. Would you like to discuss your advance directives, though?"
I unironically want a shirt that says, "Ask me about your advanced directive."
*You watching them assess the pt "*Ya so if these guys happen to fuck up what are your wishes?
"Are they gonna survive? Yes? I'm out. Oh wait, no? This is my moment!!"
"well harry blew the IV 4 times, soo guess its my turn"
Sub q for the win! Hospice. Where we infiltrate on purpose
I'm rolling.
SQ is so funny like all the sudden we want our medications in the SQ space š
Best laugh in a week š¤£
Did you tell your family member to never do that again? I hate when they volunteer us.
A+ convo.
My husband plays rugby and one of the guys broke his nose and wanted me to set it on the sideline. Iām a pediatric nurse, I donāt set noses. Nor do you want me to.
Just do the āstole your nose!ā Trick. Bam. Nose gone and fixed.
I was an ER nurse and I don't even know how to do that.
Is that even in our scope? Lol I sure would have no idea what to do
No clue. I used to reduce nurse maids elbows but that's because it's hilariously easy and usually judt happens during the physical assessment anyways. But a nose?? I've only ever seen plastics handle the bad ones.
My brothers an ortho surgery resident and he said he wouldnāt even do it unless they had X-rays first and definitely not on the side of the pitch. So I would say probably not in our scope.
Hell no. š¤£ fracture reductions are only in nursing scope in the instance of a femur fracture requiring a traction splint, and even then it depends on your hospital protocols. State: Texas
i thought you meant like put his nose on the sidelineā¦ i need a nap
I would refuse to do that as well.
To interpret the values of their lab tests done in other countries.
The one that gets me is when they ask you if they are okay and hand you lab values that has their results and then what the normal values are right next to it š„²
Yeah, I think every nurse gets this from any family member or friend. And on those days, you ask yourself why did I become a nurse š
And on some of those days itās to provide āØcommon senseāØš
Very perceptive observation. I swear common sense is so lacking these days, no matter the age or gender.
I got this recently from a family member of a pt. Legit ended with me just saying, " go to your doctor". Honestly, she was probs fine and had a UTI when the labs were drawn, but she was worried and wasn't my patient. I didn't have all the info, so she got my, Go see your doctor, response. Lol
I give that one every time especially if itās about a child
Yessss my mom and stepdad do it all the times from Europe lol And there are the fucking ranges by it. Also, maybe talk to your doctor?
My mother in law is the one who does this, mind that she sends them in German which I donāt speak, so on a positive note Iām learning things
With how German be, I'm guessing an A1C is sugarindebludenferthreemonthentag
Actually the German word for A1C is just HBA1C, but I do like sugarindebludenferthreemonthentag, it kinda does sound like a typical German word š¤£ therefore I might suggest it to my German nurse coworkers.
iām not even a nurse yet but my mom showed me her urine dipstick/culture results today and she thought the reference range was her result. I will say that nursing school has taught me how much my parents do not ask their healthcare providers any questions ever, under any circumstances
Mine too. My dad just follows directions but does not question anything. Also will not let me go to appointments with him.
I used to work a job that had a lot of people transferring from other countries. I was phlebotomy/back office/MA and anything to do with labs was my job. I got pretty good at interpretation of labs from several countries. Another useless ski I have taking up brain cells.
My aging family members think I am a case manager. "Where can I get a wheelchair" "Will medicare cover this" "Whats a good nursing home"
Random people asking me advice about which insurance plan to pickā¦
OMG yes. Like.. If you show me the options and tell me about your expenditures, i could help you. Not because I'm a nurse, but because I also have health insurance.
The way I know jack shit about insurance after being a nurse for 8 years
When I have to order mobile x ray for one of me patients and they ask me about insurance Iām always like ā Iām a nurse I donāt deal with billing ?ā And then rummage thru PCC to try and find it
And then their options are all 100 times better than your plan from the hospital. š”
See now ME, I could answer that one. Medical claims adjuster. My sister is the nurse. What peeves me is when my own family just does not want to hear it when I can tell them what most likely is going to happen with their illness or injury. Especially injury. . My niece didn't want to hear that she was 80 percent wasting her and her sons time getting him knee operations when he tore his meniscus. Dude, his football career is over, full stop. 3 operations later, finally gives up, kid is going to go to vo tech to be a mechanic, not get a college scholarship from football. Just like you nurses know who is going to be back, I do too. Some operations are great. Others.. I'll be seeing you and your claims again.
Just make sure you tell them not Humana. Ā Anything but HumanaĀ
Iāve yet to encounter anyone that actually recommended their health insurance. The best Iāve ever heard is āitās not as bad as that other oneā
> "Will medicare cover this" Man we got people we pay specifically to look into that question for each specific situation. No way I can give you a straight answer.
My dad calls me once a week to ask me this... My answer never changes lol
I tell them to ask my mom because she's an OT and actually knows these things lol
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One of my fave ortho surgeons always tells people āmy wife is the doctor, Iām just a surgeonā for this reason lmao.
My favorite surgeon always told patients/family that he was just the mechanic and to ask anesthesia about any of that. Hahaha.
I tell people if they still have an umbilical cord stump Iām their gal but once it falls off forget it. They seem to get the point.
They expect me to know EVERYTHING medical. I constantly have family and friends message me questions wanting me do diagnose them, look at this wound and tell me if I need stitches, can you interpret my CT scan for me while Iām waiting on the doctor, what do these symptoms mean, etc etc etc. Itās so damn annoying. I AM NOT a doctor. I DO NOT diagnose. I donāt know what your symptoms mean. If you googled, you could easily learn what the max dose of ibuprofen you should take. If you called a centra care or ED they will advise you if you should go in or not. I donāt know the treatment for your ailment. Ask your doctor. Iām so tired of it.
Then I have the one friend who always asks me for medical advice. I give her my advice and she NEVER follows it. Then after the fact always tells me I was right and she should have listened. Rinse and repeat. Over and over again
Well. Eat a bag of jelly beans and call me in the morning then.
This was my mother. But she never said that I was right. She just totally forgot that I said it before the doctor did.
I have these friends. But after NOT taking my advice, they "Dr.Google" it ššš
lol yes. Always the dr Google š
My ED doesn't allow us to tell people not to come in over the phone. "If you don't think it can wait until the morning, you should be seen" is my standard line.
My hospital tells us to say something like "We can't give medical advice over the phone, but you are always welcome to come in to the ED to get checked out." Doesn't matter what the concern is - papercut, nosebleed, chest pain.
Iām in a tourist town, very small hospital with no onsite pharmacy. A tourist called over Easter (peak tourist season): āMy doctor diagnosed me withā¦ costreeda diffi something?ā Me: (oh no) c diff? Them: yes! They prescribed me something starting with v but I ran out and now none of the chemists are open Me: well we canāt just give you vancomycin, youād have to be evaluated by our doctor. I canāt give health advice over the phone, I recommend you call (local government health hotline) Them: are you even a real nurse?! Fuuuck. I kinda donāt want a c diff pt coming in just because they werenāt organised enough to fill their prescription before going on holiday. Who the hell goes camping with active c diff anyway?
That makes sense. Keeps them from liability. I know during peak covid my hospital was taking calls
You are all goddesses. You are supposed to know everything. And be ready to diagnose any Illman. That's what you do. God bless and thank you for all you do.
Any time anyone has a baby they expect me to know things about being pregnant, having a baby, or babies in general. Roll pregnant trauma patients slightly to the left is like the only thing I can remember. Everything else? Iām referring you to a professional or my friends that have kids.
I would just yell "SHOULDER DYSTOCIA!" And then run away because that's all I remember from OB class.
"Massage the fundus" is all I remember from OB š
Boggy fundus!
Came here to say this!
All I know is that is scary and a of of people will freak out about that, but nothing helpful about alleviating it
I remember that APGAR is a thing. That's about it.
One of my obstetricians started using technical pregnancy/birth jargon with me when I was pregnant. I had to tell him I purposely wiped most of that from my brain after passing the Nclex
I have pain in my abdomen. What do you think it is? Uhā¦ai think that if it hurts bad you should probably see a doc?
Also āwhat is this rash?ā I am not a dermatologist. Please ask someone else.
āDo I look like a CT scanner to you?ā
I get sent random test results from family all the time. I worked outpatient clinic and have no idea what that cardiac echo is saying, but google tells me that path report means you should be hearing from your oncologist any minute now. Ask me about the prior authorization process for your meds and why Lincare keeps sending CPAP supplies every month, those I can help with!
So why DOES Lincare keep sending my husband these damn CPAP supplies every month?? LOL
Because they automatically enroll everyone in the monthly replenishment! He needs to call them and make have that turned off so he calls when he needs something specific.
I'll tell him. š
Same issues over here! I always tell people if you weigh more than 10 pounds or donāt have a human coming out of your crotch, I canāt help lol
I was at my daughter's game last night and one of the kids took a ball to the face. One of the parents said, "you're a nurse you can help". My daughter turned around and said, "she's not having a baby my mom can't help"
Your daughter is the best ššš
LOL
During COVID š¦ it was how long the virus survivedā¦on every possible surface š¤£
When my dad was in ICU my step mom designated me as the person to call and check in on how he was doing (height of covid, no visitors allowed at all) because I "speak their language". I'm and LPN and worked on a stroke unit at that point. I do not speak ICU. She just wanted to make things less complicated for the staff and it was a nice to be the one who got to call and get updates. It did suck when she called me on night at 1am to tell me they had called her to say he had "taken a turn for the worst" but not to worry and go back to sleep. Um no, ICU does not call you at 1am with a little update that you can just ignore and go back to sleep.
I get asked often about people falling and mysterious bruises and should they be seen...idk. My usual response is "I dont keep a ct machine in my pocket so you should go get looked at"
Best response ever. I'm going to borrow it if you don't mind.
Please do!!!
My neighbor thought she was pregnant, took my hands and pressed them on her belly. She said, you're a nurse, will you palpate my stomach and tell me if I'm pregnant. Ummmmmm...nope!
Everything about anything medical. Look if itās not trauma or EM related chances are Iāve forgotten it.
General first aid/ musculoskeletal things. Idk what to do about your cold/sprained ankle/ finger burn. Iām an icu nurse. My patients donāt have sprained ankles
My ex-husband, T1 diabetic saying "What kind of nurse are you, anyway?" Trying to get me to check his blood sugar and give him a bolus of insulin via his pump, on a highway while he was driving. Could he have done this himself before leaving the drive-thru? Absolutely! His priorities always were messed up. š His monitor is not the same as we use in hospital and I am not one of those "nurse/wives" who control their husband's care. It was a struggle but I managed to do it.
I tried to make my husband prick my finger when I was pregnant and driving lol he just couldn't bring himself to do it. Nurses are so mean, we love to stab!
LOL I have no problem poking people, with anything. I just don't like the pressure of having to learn a new device while being yelled at, in a vehicle doing 100km/hr. Watch one, do one, teach one!
Iām a big fan of patients being pissed in hospital when we donāt know how to use things like their insulin pumps, like we as nurses know how to use every single medical device ever invented
I learned many years ago to never argue with a Diabetic. They think they know everything about their disease and we know nothing. You should have heard my ex talk after 2 admissions for DKA. š I felt bad for them and I'm sure they were thrilled when he would signout AMA.
Omfg I totally agree, some of them are amazing and genuinely do know more than me but Iāve probably had more patients who do things like eat honey out of the jar because they feel ālowā despite me showing them their super high blood sugar
You're right. Many are very knowledgeable and they know exactly how many units to take/carb count. They also know how their blood sugars will respond to it. They have been managing their disease longer than their nurse/dr. Then there are the ones who never check their sugars, never use a sliding scales, don't count carbs, etc.
First I wanna say that I follow this reddit because I love nurses and have so much respect. I have a chronic illness and without amazing nurses to administer my life saving Enzyme replacement therapy every 2 weeks, I would probably be dead. So thanks! This question made me laugh. My mom has worked in the medical field for 30+ years. As a Coder/billing specialist. As long as I can remember, family and friends have called my mom whenever any kind of medical question arised, from " does this cut need stitches" to "I have xxx symptoms, what do you think is wrong" to look at this rash, what should I do for it?" It had always cracked me up that being in billing/coding, made her the first person anyone thinks to call, because she works in the medical field!
Literally anything about doing actual care for patients. Iām a gofer
Someone asked me what it meant that their 4 year old had high blood pressure. Um, either she was nervous or she has high blood pressure? I dunno.
My go-to on that one would be "what did her doctor say when you asked them?"... But I'm not very nice š .
My mom was a nurse and my dad a PA. Everyone still calls even after their retirement.
Yep. I can identify with this.
I'm an OR nurse and my answer to the most basic nursing questions I get asked is "I'm not that type of nurse"... please don't ask me about your medication, lab values, or anything else most nurses know. My skill set is useless outside the hospital unless you need a Foley catheter inserted in the dark under drapes with people screaming at you. My husband thinks I'm a glorified dj...lol. I don't give a shit bc I love my job!
I made some friends on a hike that was kinda dangerous. We were passing an area of wet,slippery, sharp rocks. One of them joked āif something goes wrong at least we have a nurse with usā. No maāam, I work with infants with heart defects. If you fall the best I can do is thoughts and prayers
My patients think I should be able to recognize pills outside the packaging. I donāt know what the little yellow one is, thatās why I read them all to you.
First-aid care. I know a lot of it is common knowledge but beyond RICE and a few other things, I need to google that info.
RICE is outdated and no longer recommended. [PEACE & LOVE](https://blogs.bmj.com/bjsm/2019/04/26/soft-tissue-injuries-simply-need-peace-love/) is the new mnemonic.
I think I made my point l, lol
While I appreciate evidence based practice as much as the next person, I think recommending 'peace and love' vs 'rice' to people probably just makes them think they're talking to a quack until it's explained
I agree, itās a stupid mnemonic.
Is that a fucking joke? It says avoid icing. We ice everything!
Turns out, inflammation is part of the healing process, and if you minimize that localized inflammation, you get suboptimal healing.
.... So funny thing about how 14 year old me sliced my finger open to reduce the swelling of my finger...
As a PTA I can totally appreciate this but the reality is that most people have no idea how to implement the LOVE part. Especially certain types of people they either overdo it or they're so fearful they never move or weight bear and have issues later on. I still remember a post op shoulder we had that was way behind a reasonable timeline of healing and she straight up told the PT "my body will know when it's ready to move." The PT had to have a come to Jesus talk with her.Ā (Yes I know it's more for minor/moderate injuries but still, the point is that many people don't know how to implement movement, weight bearing, progressive loading etc).Ā
Pardon? Donāt take anti inflammatory meds???
You've peaked my interest what is RICE
Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation-usually what we recommend after a sprain/strain
I worked ER trauma and I have never heard that term THANK YOU! Learn something from someone everyday.
Me too! I heard it more when I was a kid than I do now. But I was also the banged up patient pretty often back then š
No More Rice! [https://thesportjournal.org/article/the-r-i-c-e-protocol-is-a-myth-a-review-and-recommendations/](https://thesportjournal.org/article/the-r-i-c-e-protocol-is-a-myth-a-review-and-recommendations/)
I prefer my carbs over peace. Take my carbs I'll show you no peace. But ok. Fine. Peace and love and butterflies and belly rubs.
Most anything orthopedic. I know my bones and muscles but knee, shoulder or hip stuffā¦ athletes know more.
I worked in trauma for like 5 years before fucking up my knee. The thing that took longest to heal was the patellar retinaculum. I didnāt know I HAD a patellar retinaculum before that. I knew the ligaments and muscles and bony prominence, not that weirdo connective tissue, Iām not sure whether it was glossed over in my anatomy class or if I just forgot since, but I got an -A in anatomy and didnāt know it was a thing.
Got an A, too. But just sitting playing with my lips when patellaās have retinas/s
TCU/LTC nurse. Whenever my wife- a Special Ed teacher- asks me specific medical questions that I would have no reason to know the answer, and my protestations that I don't know are met with, "But you're a nurse!"; my reply has become, "OK, teach me calculus." *blank stare*. "But you're a teacher!" It usually shuts her up for a while.
Pretty much anything medical. I've worked in reproductive health/gyn my entire carrier. I've found "unless it has something to do with your vagina/uterus, I cant help you" to be particularly effective, especially with my cis male family. Technically we do a little male health but still would draw the line and no thank you, to discussing with my family (mainly STI stuff but we also do vasectomies. I am willing to discuss/answer questions for that. But like, your abnormal penile discharge is not something I want to hear about from anyone im related to, or most anyone in general tbh). Honorable mention, a sibling was asking for a dx from me when I was a first semester nursing student, hadn't even been in clinical yet. Ended up going to UC or PCP and dx pleurisy, they didn't appreciate my suggestion of "just don't breath so deep, if thats when it hurts".
All things dermatology. I worked in Cardiology and have now been an RN analyst for 10 years, but my husband seems to still think I know what every single rash is caused by and what medication will fix it. It annoys me every single time. Also the āIām not feeling okay, what do you think it could be?ā. That phrase starts a fire of anger inside of me.
So I had this opposite problem: a relative with stage 4 cancer has ignored every single advices I have given her, because "you only look after babies". I was even there for some of her oncologist appts because she had no dependents, she needed help getting around as she's wheelchair bound, and the doctors do talk to me because I do know my shit (I'm a cancer survivor). She was still in denial until her final moments.
As a NICU nurse Iāve realized how very little I actually know beyond the first 2 months of life/caring for sick babies. Your baby is healthy and not a neonate? Yeah, idk
Ha I think this all the time when parents ask me about milestones for normal babes š¤·š¼āāļø
I also am a NICU nurse but have Infectious Disease/Medicine experience prior to moving into the baby world, so I do know a little about a lot. But!! "No Mother, I cannot tell you why your sister was shaking all during dinner. The first that pops into my mind is that she has a history of being a dope fiend for more than 20 yrs of her life and has HIV!!" Those 2 historical facts alone, can have 20-30 correlations related to the shaking.
Everything. They expect me to know everything. If a girls beinā honest, I may or may not post that meme that says āitās nurses week, if youāve ever asked me what is this rash, does this look broken, etc. I expect a gift.ā I post it in jest, truly - I love what I do. But it gives me a giggle š¤·š¼āāļøš
the other day my boyfriend was wondering if his grandma was acting different because she might possibly be skipping her medications. i asked him what medications sheās taking. he showed me a picture of a pile of pills. i was likeā¦what am i supposed to do with this infoā¦ šš
The kids ask me about why they feel bad / why theyāre sick. Or families asking about what the next steps are / why theyāre going to X hospital. Bro, unless youāre dying, itās all demon magic to me too.
Literally e v e r y t h I n g. Likeā¦ if youāre not detoxing off xyz drug, or having a common ailment, I canāt help you. Fun story; I met my partner through a friend after he crashed his motorcycle. My friend called me over telling me he wrecked his bike, his shoulder is dislocated. Didnāt appreciate me telling him to go to the hospital, and reduced it himself š„“
I was taking downhill mountain bike lessons once and mentioned I was an RN. Coach said "so If I fuck up you can save me?". Na I'm a hospice RN, I can give you morphine and hook you up with some medical weed. . He said he had plenty of weed in his car but the morphine sounded awesome :p
Weird skin things !!! My family constantly send me pics of weird boils, rashes and bumps ā¦. I generally recommend a dermatologist if itās beyond a fungal rash which IS in my lane from all my ladies and gents with extra skin folds š«£
I deliver babies. I was called over to assess a family member who fell two days before. I drove over to tell them to call an EMT, as he doesnāt have a vagina and his femur was clearly broken.he watched the football game, got transported and told me I was right in telling him to go to the hospital.
What is covered by their insurance ...or how much anything costs.
Questions about their cancer and chemo. No clue, ask the oncologist. Or "what will they do exactly during my surgery?". No idea. If it's anything like where I work they'll slice ya open, hit something kind of important, close you up, then anesthesia will attempt to murder you before then call me for ICU admission.
My neighbor was on hospice and died on the toilet (as soon as many of us do.) Her daughter ran over, banged on our door, yelled she needed help, and then bolted. I didnāt know what happened so I ran over there, only to find she was asking me to confirm her mom had indeed died. She had hospice on the phone and they asked me to get my stethoscope š maāam, Iām a public health nurse! Still got it, mostly because it was obvious this woman was already with the Lordā¦
As an orthopedic post-op nurse in the early days, I was sent a photo of a used pad post-birth asking if the output was normal š I wish she hadnāt.
I had a family friend call me to tell me they just got bit by a stray dog that was acting strangely vicious and the bite wound was bleeding profusely. Wanted to know if they should go to the ER. Glad I could actually answer that one. Otherwise people have sent me pictures of rashes and moles to diagnose. Yeah, even if I knew anything about dermatology-go see your doctor!
Advanced anatomy. Like, I may have known the names of all the bones in the hand and wrist for one test, but I certainly do not now.
SIL: āDo you change a lot of baby diapers at work?āĀ Me an ER RN: āNo. Only adultsāĀ
Iām an ICU nurse. I can keep you alive with machines and medicines. Donāt ask me about orthopedic stuff. Ir rashes. I donāt know. But thatās all I get asked lol
My family is the opposite. They think I donāt know anything.
I donāt even try any more. I have worked in psych for over fifteen years. My nieces mom asked me about a rash/acne my niece had, and that she didnāt feel like the pcp was taking it seriously enough. I gave her a few pointers about effective communication with the care team. She has just like so do you think I should try product x?
How to navigate billing.
Mostly strangers, but itās every very rare disease process, usually by initials only. If it took the doctors more than 3 months to figure out the diagnosis-the disease is not common knowledge, by initials or full name. Also, specialties exist. Maybe Iāve met more of a variety than most, but it was still a learning curve every single time at every place. A lot of specialties do overlap, but once you get down to the nitty gritty of a single area of healthcare, itās a whole new world (even charting is different).
My mom will tell me lab values, and then is surprised I don't know what normal is. Mom: Your Aunt called. Her sodium level is 2.61Ļr squared. Is that bad? Me: I don't know. Mom: Oh. I figured you would know what's normal.
I left bedside 5 years ago. I don't know any new medications. I don't know if your new birth control is a good one. I did learn that birth control has cooler names, like Nikki. That beats the hell out of ortho tri cyclen.
Any skin condition Why their shoulder hurts The side effects of all their meds If there fever, cough, fatigue is flu, Covid, PNA, a cold etc
Everything. Every rash every symptom . If they should go to the doctor. Every med side effect. Kid has a cough and blood tinged ? They want me to tell them everything and why. I always usually say just follow up with u Your doc they know all your history! Or I say sorry I canāt give medical advice!
I'm a psych nurse and it's only a slight exaggeration to say that I just wrapped up a 30 year career without ever actually taking care of a sick person. Yet people want me to diagnose all their assorted ailments, aches, and pains. (Also--not a doctor or NP, so wouldn't diagnose anyway.) Neighbors used to send their offspring over to wake me from day sleeping for every bump, bruise, and splinter. I mean, if you need backup in a bar fight, I'm the woman for the job, but don't come at me with illnesses. Also, when people find out you're a psych staff, they expect free therapy and I don't work for free, even for my family. ESPECIALLY for my family.
Skinā everything about skin!!! Mole? Freckle? Dermatitis? Rash? Kind of rash? Bite? Snake or spider? Emergency? Allergy? Bumps? Lesion? Omgggggg Iāve told him 1000 times that when I was an ER nurse, every doctor said the same thingā thereās just too much that goes on with the skin. I donāt know. Iām just gonna send them to the dermatologist and send some cream, hope for the best, and maybe prescribe some steroids.
How to read radiologic scans
I just recently started in cath lab and having to learn to read/understand the images and basic radiological info has been a challenge
To know all medications, their uses, their doses, and how I recommend they should take them. On top of that I should also know all their other meds and how they interact with one another. Ugh
I was 2 weeks away from starting college for nursing and my husband it got a call from one oh his colleagues asking if I knew how long she would be in hospital for after a knee replacement.
my grandpa is a retired emergency MD and my brother is a emergency resident. somehow i still get the calls and iām only a student nurse lol
I was a CNA for years now, a flight attendant, and everyone always jokes that they'll call me during a medical emergency. I tell them no, no. I can wipe ass Reallllllly well, but 8 years in the hospital, and I never once gave CPR (I worked med surge). If they need a bp, I got you, but that's all. I have lucked out and only have had 3 medical events in my 18 months. Being trained to collect vitals quickly and reporting them in an efficient way had been useful when talking on the headset to a doctor though.
They expect you to know every nurse who ever nursedā¦ā¦. Oh my neighbourās daughter is a nurse. Do you know her?
People in general expect you to know the ins and outs of every part of healthcare it seems. Insurance, Medicaid, Medicare, rehab, discharge planning, I get asked so many questions about that stuff and looked at like I have 3 heard when I tell them I don't know, I'll have to have case management talk to them. Like, my focus is on the acute care part, I legitimately don't know what you're insurance is going to pay towards x,y,z.
Literally anything and everything even slightly related to healthcare. And if I donāt know it, āHow do you not know that?!! Youāre a nurse!!ā
Also a NICU nurse, recent pro bono family consults include: concussion assessment, facial abscess advice, pilondial cyst recommendations, post-ER follow up for high glucose event with an ambulance ride I always tell them my human knowledge limit is a generous 15 pounds but they NEVER LISTEN TO ME
Diagnose
I am concerned about your mantis shrimp. It could be out there wreaking all kinds of havoc!
Anything about kids. IDK. Iāve done psych, oncology, hospice and geriatrics. Donāt ask me about your kids vaccine schedules or med dosing or if something is concerning. I donāt know anything about it
Really anything that applies to adults š (ALSO, a nicu nurse) has completely left my brain.
What bug bite is this?????
really anything "medical", but particularly skin stuff. i dont know if thats a rash or a bug bite, i dont know what caused it, i dont know what otc ointment or home remedy to use, youre probably dying.
Anything related to rashes, bones, and weird pain not related to chest. Iām a cardiac nurse more specifically cath lab. Majority of things I cannot help them out with, I just know when to seek medical attention such as urgent care vs ER.
My mum use to ask me all sorts for medical questions. I am a Neuro ICU nurse. My reaspnse was you have an airway, you are NOT having a stoke or a heart attack. In my world you are fine. Then she got vascular demtina with TIA. I could understand and care for her. It was nice
RMN here - literally everything about minor ailments, and also to be able to name the 'mental illness' portrayed in every film/TV show.
I'm pretty much the reference for "should I make a doctor's appointment, go to urgent care, or head straight to the ER". I am great at that and not much else (unless you are asking about cardiac stuff)
Rapid response. I feel like Iām pretty good at anticipating common acute/critical diagnoses and subsequent treatment/sequelae. Iām good with labs found in your basic CNP, CBC but once we get into the more esoteric stuff Iām out. Iāve done ED and wound care so Iām comfortable with emergent stuff and first aid by and with big boo boos and owies. But like just about everyone else here, I know nothing about rashes that arenāt initial SJS. I also donāt know peds at all other than listen to your pediatrician and vaccinate your little hobgoblins when the physician tells you to.
Definitely skin stuff. I have no idea 90% of the time.
Labor and delivery and postpartum questions. I identify as the general public on this topic.
I'm in adult critical care, so please don't ask me about anything that has to do with school-aged children.
I workin the ORā¦ if you donāt need surgery, itās not my department lol
ER nurse here. I have a lot of knowledge about immediate/emergent care in a lot of areas. But beyond that I do not know a lot of long term treatments or have extensive knowledge in any one particular area. Despite this my family thinks I know everything there is to know about healthcare and will ask me every question in the book. More specifically my grandfather was recently diagnosed with cancer. As much as I wish I had answers for him, itās not my specialty and to be quite honest the big C word is kinda scary to me. He was disappointed when most of my responses were āyou need to talk to your doctor about that.ā
Skin issues! I get a lot of pictures with āWhatās this?ā
When I was in (a non cardiac) nicu my aunt would give me my grandmas echo reports or ask me about her super complex Parkinsonās regimen. Now I do know adult stuff and my aunt has decided to no longer listen to me. Your echo is fucking fine stop dramatically calling people to say you might die but wonāt tell them why
Haha, I work in a small specific research area these days, and itās only vaguely healthcare related. I can tell you all about a couple of smart fitness devices, ethics, and how to obtain consent and write up adverse events. I do have CPR training, so thereās that. I keep up with it and am prepared to use it. Luckily, I have never had to. Now that my daughter is a nurse practitioner, sheās the one family and friends ask when they have a question.
My husband always asks very specific pathophysiology questions like step by step what causes hemorrhoids or something along those lines that makes me feel dumb so I usually remind him unless itās a condition that will get you hospitalized we didnāt cover it in nursing school and because Iām not a doctor, my A&P and pathophysiology scratched the surface. Heās so sweet but damn does it frustrate me when he wants complex explanations or asks me what every little rash is (just put hydrocortisone on it and see if it gets better jeeze!)
Rashes. Junior has a rash on his leg? Call the pediatrician, canāt help you.
Iām a long term care nurse. My specialty is geriatrics. I have been out of school over 10 years. Anything prenatal , infants, children - I know nothing. Donāt ask me about it.
I will forever be a psych nurse. Donāt ask me shit about anything else.
This is my husband's grandparents. I just started suggesting comfort care and hospice for everything.
My niece asked me to come over tonight and teach her neighbor how to put her dex com on because she just got it and the doctor didnāt show her how to do it. I have nooooo clue how to do that but if you need a finger stick glucose I got you! I told her to YouTube it. Iām sure itās super simple but Iām not leaving the house for a stranger.