I'm Olivia, a third year MD PhD student in the Norton College of Medicine.

My medical student minute i about a cool thing I've learned.

How do doctors decide whether to order a strap test and antibiotics?

It's actually a simpl four step rule and doesn't need any fancy equipment that you don't have at home.

Step one is asking yourself, do I have a fever?

Most common colds that cause sore throats don't cause a fever.

Strep does.

Step two is looking for common cold symptoms.

Things like a runny or stuffy nose, coughing or sneezing.

Usually signs of a viral illness that will go away on its own.

Strep throat usually doesn't cause these symptoms.

Third is soreness when you touch along the side of your neck, just between your ears and shoulders.

That's a sign that your immune system is working hard to get you better.

This can happen with a common cold too, but the pain is usually much, much worse with strep.

Last is patchy whiteness at the back of the throat.

This can be hard to see, but your phone flashlight can illuminate this.

These white patches are actually your white blood cells fighting off the infection.

Pretty cool, but you can see them at work without special equipment.

If you meet 3 or 4 of these criteria, your doctor will probably want to order a strep test.

People have places like schools or community centers who are exposed to lots of germs and more likely to get strep than those who aren't.

If you meet 1 or 2 criteria and try drinking lots of warm fluids if you get worse or don't get better in a few days, it may be time to head into the office.

And if in doubt, don't hesitate to see your local health professional.

So if you find yourself thinking, do I have strep throat?

Don't worry.

You now know what exactly to pay attention to.

Fever.

Cold symptoms like coughing, sneezing or runny nose.

Soreness on the side of the neck and Apache white throat.

I'm Olivia, and this has been my medical student minute.