Ask an NP – How to Handle Medical Requests from Family and Neighbors

00:00 So as people in my life kind of found out what I did, they people definitely come to you for medical advice.

00:07 I usually honestly, I give it to them.

00:10 I preface it with the fact that this is my experience.

00:12 I let them know how much experience I have with that, if it's something where I'm like, I have never seen while you're in a different field than I was in, I'll be like, "Look, I will read this. This is not my jam." But let me, I'll kind of go over it through and answer any questions that you have.

00:26 So as long as I would preface it with that I would not prescribe medicine for family or friends.

00:30 I drew a hard line there, if I thought they needed to go have that.

00:34 But you do kind of become that resource for people.

00:36 A lot of times they'll triage it with you.

00:38 They're like, "Do I really need to go." So I always recommend giving them a verbal disclaimer of like, "This is maybe what I would do." But if you don't feel comfortable with that, also drawing the line and saying no, I think it can become a slippery slope.

00:51 If you really aren't comfortable, you'll get more comfortable with time as it goes on.

00:55 So just kind of trust your gut with it.

00:57 And always warn people that this might not be official medical advice.

01:01 There does end up being a huge in terms of like conflict of interest of when someone's really close to you.

01:06 I also tell them that's a good point that I'm not objective, right.

01:09 And I've seen so much that I'm going to assume that you are dying.

01:12 Like, my brain is going to go the more I love you the more I'm like this is that is not an infected toenail.

01:18 You have an infected foot and it's going to your heart.

01:20 Like we are going zero to 100.

01:22 And I think warning people of that to be like I can't be just like objective here.

01:26 I am going to want to dig into this to the most of our ability and just letting people know that.

01:32 So for that reason, I'm actually more comfortable deciphering healthcare information for people who are like one step away than my immediate people who like with my kids, I'm like, "You don't have a cold. You have pneumonia.

01:43 It's everywhere. We're done. We're here.