Palpations, physical exams on genitals?

Nursing Students General Students

Published

In our health assessment course there is a few chapters on doing health assessments, palpating, exams etc on both male and female genitals. Is this done on eachother (students) or on manicans? As a young female nursing student I surely don't want the guys in my class to be doing that on me during labs, I'm very self concious and heavily involved in my religious beliefs and do not want the students in my class to be doing that on me. How was yours done? any sigh of relief plz

In my assessment class the most we had to show were our breasts. This was done in a closed room, and our instructor actually sat to where she couldn't see our goodies. But my partner had to perform a breast exam on me, and I did on her. If we were uncomfortable with this we could bring in a family member, but it was discouraged.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
How you guys can be nurses and so prudish is beyond me. If you honestly think they give a crap about your breasts, you should think again. They're trying to further your education. How would you like it if you didn't let guys let you place your stethoscope on their chest?

Please. If everyone had good intentions, you'd never hear about malpractice due to a provider being inappropriate.

While your assertion is more often correct than not, there was definitely a guy in my class who would've loved to cop a feel on the ladies if he'd have been given the opportunity.

Aside from that, this is a good lesson for the OP. OP, if you feel uncomfortable having people touch you, think about how your patients feel--especially those who are religious, extremely modest, or have experienced abuse or an assault.

Nurses see so much nudity on a daily basis that the concept very quickly becomes commonplace, but it's good to keep in mind that while you know you're a professional and perform exams on a daily basis, your patient doesn't necessarily know those things. They're not used to it. And often times, they're just as uncomfortable as you are now, thinking about how mortifying it'd be to have to perform exams on your classmates and vice versa.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Yes I think you can rest easy on this one. I have never seen or touched my classmates' genitals, nor have they seen or touched mine. We have to insert catheters and do peri-care on actual patients during clinicals. But this is not something we practice on each other.[/quote']

This.

I never heard (in exceptions of advance practice with volunteers in terms if health assessment) of practicing health assessment unclothed, even pericare and bed baths :no:

Just ain't happening. ;)

Do

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatrics, Emergency, Trauma.
Please. If everyone had good intentions, you'd never hear about malpractice due to a provider being inappropriate. While your assertion is more often correct than not, there was definitely a guy in my class who would've loved to cop a feel on the ladies if he'd have been given the opportunity.

Aside from that, this is a good lesson for the OP. OP, if you feel uncomfortable having people touch you, think about how your patients feel--especially those who are religious, extremely modest, or have experienced abuse or an assault.

Nurses see so much nudity on a daily basis that the concept very quickly becomes commonplace, but it's good to keep in mind that while you know you're a professional and perform exams on a daily basis, your patient doesn't necessarily know those things. They're not used to it. And often times, they're just as uncomfortable as you are now, thinking about how mortifying it'd be to have to perform exams on your classmates and vice versa.

:yes:

Up Vote Up Vote ×
How you guys can be nurses and so prudish is beyond me. If you honestly think they give a crap about your breasts you should think again. They're trying to further your education. How would you like it if you didn't let guys let you place your stethoscope on their chest?[/quote']

It was an uncomfortable situation for both of us, not because I thought he was trying to cop a feel, just because. We had mutual respect for each other, and he knew of my conservative background, the fact that we both had that mutual respect for each other I think will make us both great nurses in the future. And we were all sensitive to each other's personal space, not just males to females, but also vice versa, and females to females.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

You guys are veering off what I was asking about lol....... I'm talking about doing physical assessments on male and female genitals on classmates, as in actually inspecting and palpating classmates genitals. I don't mind the whole breasts issue with heart sounds and placement of the stethoscope. I'm talking about dropping my pants and underwear in front of a classmate during health assessment lab to do inspections and palpating. Is that done on each-other? or mannequins or bring in someone? because I sure don't want my classmates seeing my lady partsl area at all this is what I'm concerned about.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
You guys are veering off what I was asking about lol....... I'm talking about doing physical assessments on male and female genitals on classmates as in actually inspecting and palpating classmates genitals. I don't mind the whole breasts issue with heart sounds and placement of the stethoscope. I'm talking about dropping my pants and underwear in front of a classmate during health assessment lab to do inspections and palpating. Is that done on each-other? or mannequins or bring in someone? because I sure don't want my classmates seeing my lady partsl area at all this is what I'm concerned about.[/quote']

They have answered your question. That is done on manikins the only thing we had to do in my program was lift your shirt so your abdomen was exposed. Everything else where private parts were concerned are usually done on manikins.

It's a beautiful day to save lives.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

In our health assessment class, we watched videos of a male and female genital exam - nothing further. For the other parts of the assessment, the ladies wore sports bras and most students wore shorts, and we also had hospital gowns to put on so we were not too exposed during the head-to-toe assessment. I am pretty confident in saying that you will not be performing genital exams on each other.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
How you guys can be nurses and so prudish is beyond me. If you honestly think they give a crap about your breasts you should think again. They're trying to further your education. How would you like it if you didn't let guys let you place your stethoscope on their chest?[/quote']

I kinda agree with this. I mean your going into a profession where you'll be dealing with the make and female anatomy. I think it's best to get over it now. As long as things are done in a professional appropriate matter it shouldn't be an issue.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.
You guys are veering off what I was asking about lol....... I'm talking about doing physical assessments on male and female genitals on classmates, as in actually inspecting and palpating classmates genitals. I don't mind the whole breasts issue with heart sounds and placement of the stethoscope. I'm talking about dropping my pants and underwear in front of a classmate during health assessment lab to do inspections and palpating. Is that done on each-other? or mannequins or bring in someone? because I sure don't want my classmates seeing my lady partsl area at all this is what I'm concerned about.
That answer would be no...you will NOT be examining your classmates genitals. One poster mentioned breast exams...I have never seen that either in an undergraduate program..
Up Vote Up Vote ×

According to Health Assessment for Nursing Practice by Wilson and Giddens, 4th edition, Inspection of the pubic hair, skin, labia majora and minora, urethral meatus, lady partsl introitus, perineum, and orifice (in females) are considered core nursing skills. Palpation is only expected on certain circumstances, and often is done either under the supervision or by the advance practice nurse or doctor. Genital palpation just isn't a skill that most floor nurses are doing day to day, according to this book. So no, I don't think your instructor is going to ask y'all to strip bare and spread 'em. There are much more important skills to practice than this one, which apparently isn't really expected (except for in certain rare circumstances). At least according to my textbook.

That being said, hooray for modesty, but I think it would behoove you to stop freaking out about this one thing and build a bridge. Move on. Plenty of people have answered your question, but you keep asking. Why?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

One of the important points about this was briefly mentioned above, but I'd like to give it greater prominence. Students are focused so much on tasks, and that's understandable. I know you have a checklist to complete; I know that seeing and doing new procedures is a big step in your education and you really hone in on opportunities to observe and do. Fine.

But something very important gets short shrift in this process and that's the actual patient. I know, I know, you learn how to protect modesty with drapes, and to tell the patient what you're doing and what you will do before you do it. But from today forward, I'd like you to put veery conscious, deliberate effort into thinking about his experience of your interaction as much or more than your own.

Many students are young enough that they may not have had occasion to be patients themselves; maybe even their parents haven't. So I understand that empathy on this is hard to express, which is why you have to work at it. Think less about how "terrified" or "freaked out" (gawd, I hate those words) you are when you wash a scrotum or catheterize a urethra, and imagine how it feels to someone to be so ill that he or she requires you to do it, and try to hold onto that feeling instead.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment