St. Albans, VT-- Northwestern Medical Center’s (NMC) Emergency Department often sees as many as 90 patients per day. In addition to the patients walking through the doors, Molly Grismore, RN, NMC’s Emergency Department Nurse Manager says that they frequently receive phone calls from people in the community looking for general medical advice.
 “When someone calls our department seeking medical advice, that means a nurse is being asked to leave the bedside of someone they are actively caring for,” says Molly. “We want to provide the best care possible to those who most need our services, and being asked to answer health questions over the phone makes it difficult for us to provide the medical care our patients deserve.”
Molly adds that providing advice for individuals they are not familiar with is not good practice, and may provide for an incomplete picture of the true medical issues facing a caller.
“All physicians have a provider on call around the clock to answer questions from their patients — it’s more appropriate to place a call to a provider who already has a relationship with that individual for the best advice. If a person is facing a true medical emergency, they should dial 9-1-1 or come directly to the Emergency Department instead of calling to ask for an opinion first.”
Some health insurance companies also employ nurses that provide medical advice over the phone. Websites for both MVP HealthCare and Blue Cross/Blue Shield explain their over the phone nurse consultation services. Consult your insurance plan to find out if this is a service your health premiums already covers for you.
If you do not currently have a primary care provider, please call NMC Community Services at 524-1280 for a listing of physicians in your area.
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