Hello all!
I have been asked to post the following for an RN IBCLC who is
currently not on line.  She is interested in your thoughts on the
following and thanks you in advance for your wisdom.  I will forward
your thoughts to her. This is the scenario she is involved in:

I have been reprimanded for "prescribing" medications because I told a
mother that in my experience the one-time 150 mg dose of fluconazole
she had been given for presumed ductal yeast generally does not work
and her continued pain might be alleviated if she were to take the
medication for a longer period.  After this conversation, I called her
doctor, explained the situation, described what I knew to be the
recommended treatment of 100 mg for 10-14 days, and he refused to
prescribe it (because the PDR said it wasn't recommended in lactating
mothers--he wasn't interested in my references).  I then called the
mother back, declined to argue with the doctor (which is what she
wanted), told her I had done what I could, and said she'd have to take
it up with him herself.  When she did, the doctor had a
fit that I had "prescribed" medications, and blew up all over the
place.  He, the manager of the OB unit, and the hospital lawyer have
agreed that it is not my place to discuss medications with patients,
that this is prescribing.
 Is this truly so?  They have also decided that it is not my place to
give out any handouts that mention meds; any recommending of
medications can only be done by the physician.  I find this insane.
Am I out of line?  (I've been in this job over 6 years and this
normally isn't a problem so I'll probably watch out for this one doc
and otherwise do what I've always done, but I find
this *very* irritating.)