I’ve had a nurse tell me over the phone to take something, and I thought it might not be a good idea and turned out that had I done it, it may have killed me. Nurses are not doctors and to have them telling patients what to do or take with having seen a doctor is a risky business.
Some nurses aren’t very bright. But there are different levels of nurse.
Nurse “practitioners” can generally be trusted for minor illnesses and injuries, and to know when a physician needs to be called. A few US drugstore chains have opened mini-clinics in some of their retail locations, staffed with these practitioners.
Several health insurance companies also have call lines staffed with nurses. The few times I’ve tried them, they seemed to give sensible advice.