[Brob]

Hi Everyone,

I am a student nurse about to begin my OB rotation. I am from a theory standpoint looking forward to it but was wondering if anybody could give me an idea what the reaction might be to a male nurse from patients.

Do you think they will be accepting or will I be making anyone uncomfortable? Thanks for your help!!!

[Gator,SN]

Brob,
While I was in labor with my youngest son, I had a male nurse and I thought he was wonderful! When I had my first child I don't think I would have been comfortable though ( I was young and very modest)......We have several male nurses on my floor now and its a mixed reaction from women. If this is what you want to do, go for it!! People just need a chance to experience something different in order to appreciate it. If you are providing them with excellent care they will accept you.
Good luck!

[kimtab]

The male students in my clinical group had a good time in L&D and no problems with patients at all- but said they felt uncomfortable in Post-partum. Still, they got through it. They found that having the instructor do the first postpartal assessment with them observing helped.

If you can relax it could be a lot of fun. There are tons of opportunities for patient teaching and the family dynamic is really interesting.

Kim

[Nurse2be]

How many of the doctor's who deliver babies are men? Why is it that male nurses should make women feel any more uncomfortable than a male doctor. This just doesn't make any sense to me. For what it's worth, I don't think your gender is what matters - it's the care your provide. Just my thoughts.

Best of luck to you! I just graduated in December, and am hoping to actually work in OB.

Take care,

Emily

[TweetiePieRN]

I personally wouldn't mind having a nurse that was a man for my postpartum experience. I can, however, understand why a woman would not want one though. A man is not able to give birth, so it may be hard for a woman to relive her birth experience after-the-fact with a male (except maybe the husband). It's probably hard for some women to feel that a man will totally understand what she is going thru. In our hospital, all the ob nurses have children, so they are able to share their own first-hand experiences with pts.

I don't have kids yet. In my OB rotation, I felt uncomfortable showing the new mothers how to breastfeed, since i have never actually done it!! I was thinking that maybe a male would feel uncomfortable in this situation, rightly so.

[tdg_rn]

Man!

I'm still a couple of semesters from my OB rotation but I have to tell you - I've been thinking about the same thing. I have reasoned out the same things the ladies said. It all makes sense. I'm just going to go with the flow and see what happens.

Terence

[Speculating]

Originally posted by Brob
Hi Everyone,

I am a student nurse about to begin my OB rotation. I am from a theory standpoint looking forward to it but was wondering if anybody could give me an idea what the reaction might be to a male nurse from patients.

Do you think they will be accepting or will I be making anyone uncomfortable? Thanks for your help!!!

I don’t mean to scare you off Brob, but it was the most uncomfortable time during my entire clinical rotation. I didn’t say bad – uncomfortable. Being a guy myself, I didn’t know what to do. Should I put my hands in my pockets or just kind of lean one on my waist? How long can you look before they start thinking your a weirdo? Just hook up with a nurse ASAP, and let her know you feel somewhat out of place. The younger ladies usually feel very uncomfortable – not to mention their SO. You’ll find the women in their thirties or so with a couple of kids at home usually don’t mind you watching the birth. I came across one of these women and being a single guy I had one of coolest experiences of a lifetime watching a live birth. Don’t worry it’s usually a short rotation and the instructors will generally understand your position. There is a lot more to L&D than vaginas. The nursery was a great day too. If your lucky, you’ll get to witness one of the scariest things known to man a CIRCUMCISION aaaahhh

[marilynmom]

When I had my first daughter I had a male OB nurse came in to give me a vaginal exam and a breast exam. He was very confident about it and I didn't think anything of it at all!

And let me tell you most women who are in labor are either going to act crazy towards everyone or not give a crap!!

If YOU are not nervous about things then the women wont be either. Confidence about your abilities will take you a long way.

Marilyn

[hmccartn]

When I completed my maternity clinical, this past summer, I was in a group with a few male nurses...They didn't have a problem at all...I think people are more likely to be concerned about having a student than a male...That is unless they come from a traditional muslim family..then they might have an issue (I know this from experience not just judgement)

[Speculating]

Originally posted by hmccartn
When I completed my maternity clinical, this past summer, I was in a group with a few male nurses...They didn't have a problem at all...I think people are more likely to be concerned about having a student than a male...That is unless they come from a traditional muslim family..then they might have an issue (I know this from experience not just judgement)

Your absolutely correct, but male student is even worse. I think if the students were alowed to were scrubs instead of those goofy smocks with a two foot patch that says STUDENT. They would be able to walk in with some authority and do what any nurse would do with nothing off limits that shouldn't be.