Slightly nervous about starting female cath...

[Thedreamer]

A little background. I am a gay male. Though I was a little adventurous back in high school I just never got around to actually being with a woman. And low and behold, I figured out I was homosexual in college. That being said, we practiced this week for clinical on how to start straight catheters. Mind you, I take pride in being top in my class and performing very well on my skills.

All that being said. I am terrified of actually starting a cath on a female patient. Not because I am scared of the female form or any such rubbish but because I have never actually SEEN a real life female organ down under :rotfl: and dont know how I will react.

I have worked as an EMT and picked up people half dead off the street. Ive held a mans skull together with just my hands in the ER. Ive helped in the OR in a rotation once. I can handle gory, bloody, smelly situations. Yet THIS of all things is what is terrifying me.

Does anyone have any advice they can bestow on me? I know I have to get over this phobia somehow because it is impractical and irrational. Am I just being worried because I am nervous about the situation? It had never occured to me that this would be something I would worry about until my proff made it clear that we will be getting female patients this term, as last term my instructor didnt allow males to have female patients.

My mom called it just being nervous cause its uncharted territory for me.

[JBudd, MSN]

What I might add to the anatomy lecture, is that elderly ladies may have very different "layouts". The meatus may not be visible at all, but is now located inside the lady partsl space, just up out of sight. (There have been several threads on doing caths by feel.) With the non-dominant hand, careful slip one finger down along the track where the meatus should be, up a little until you feel a little sideways ridge, and carefully slip the tip of the cath over your finger into the meatus.

I work ER, most of the guys always ask a female to do the cath itself, they are the ones holding the knees apart while I cath. I've had to do the above method 3 times in the last month, on elderly ladies.

[moonchild20002000]

I want to add another bit of advice about female anatomy.

The urethra is not always in the center,on occasion its a little off to one side or the other.Just take your time and make sure you have enough light to see.

When you are cleansing before the cath be sure to look well,sometimes you will see a little "wink" of the urethra as you cleanse the area.

When you spread the labia lower is better. Don't worry about hurting your pt.,gentle spreading is fine.

[queenjean]

A little advice from someone who used to assist with perineal repairs after childbirth--

If you are having problems holding the labia apart--like someone is large or just because your fingers are slipping--

get a couple of pieces of guaze--2x2 or 4x4. Put them on the labia under your fingers for "traction". It hurts less, I think, and you can see better then.

[locolorenzo22, BSN, RN]

Well, as a male, it's policy to ALWAYS bring a female into a room whenever you have to do any invasive private procedure. Also, as a student nurse who has done a cath once- on a plastic lady parts, with a upcoming scheduled demo on a floppy member....I'm HORRIFIED at the thought of myself actually having to cath a patient!!!!!!!!!!!!@#$@#$@#$#%^@#$@#. I KNOW I haven't done it anywhere close to enough to be able to do it properly. Ah, the joys of nursing school......

[WDWpixieRN, RN]

I'm terrified about this too, and I AM a female!

Ditto....on either a female OR male!!

[moongirl]

I hear thats how it goes in the student world, and sometimes in the RN/LPN world hehe. The only proffession in the world that gets excited over urine going into a tube

we call it "finding the gold"

:)

[SteveNNP, MSN, NP]

3) Ask the patient to cough if you can't see the meatus. I've been told this and it has worked for me...just kind of pokes out for a second.

Ha! I had a pt fart in my face when I asked her to do this!!! Never again!!! Don't worry about being nervous. It's not like most of us guys get a roadmap of the female anatomy when we hit 18 or anything.... The best piece of advice I got from an old battle-axe of an L/D instructor was to spread your fingers on each labial fold and spread 'em while pulling up. Look for the "upside-down smiley face".... a little oversimplified, but effective. I haven't cathed a an adult in months. I cath kids and babies occasionally, but the technique is essentially the same.

[DTC]

skislalom~

My instructor gave all her "nurslings" a small flashlight for Christmas,,lol. It really helped!

[naskippy]

A little background. I am a gay male. Though I was a little adventurous back in high school I just never got around to actually being with a woman. And low and behold, I figured out I was homosexual in college. That being said, we practiced this week for clinical on how to start straight catheters. Mind you, I take pride in being top in my class and performing very well on my skills.

All that being said. I am terrified of actually starting a cath on a female patient. Not because I am scared of the female form or any such rubbish but because I have never actually SEEN a real life female organ down under :rotfl: and dont know how I will react.

I have worked as an EMT and picked up people half dead off the street. Ive held a mans skull together with just my hands in the ER. Ive helped in the OR in a rotation once. I can handle gory, bloody, smelly situations. Yet THIS of all things is what is terrifying me.

Does anyone have any advice they can bestow on me? I know I have to get over this phobia somehow because it is impractical and irrational. Am I just being worried because I am nervous about the situation? It had never occured to me that this would be something I would worry about until my proff made it clear that we will be getting female patients this term, as last term my instructor didnt allow males to have female patients.

My mom called it just being nervous cause its uncharted territory for me.

Your mother is right....and my advise. Aim high and hit the right hole. :)