This has been bothering me...

[tss2507]

Hi guys,

I recently enrolled in an ADN program and am doing a maternity clinical right now. I was told by my instructor that I should always have a fellow female nursing student in the room with me.

I understand that this helps protect me but is this a law of some sort or is it merely a recommendation?

Also, should all male nurses have a female nurse with them whenever they have a female patient? What do you do if your patient specifically requests a female nurse. Is it always feasible to simply have another nurse take that patient??

Sorry for all the questions but this issue has been really bothering me. How do you guys typically handle this?

[Nascar nurse, ASN, RN]

My male OB/GYN always has a female nurse with him in the room when performing my pelvic or breast exams.

Me too, every time! - And I've had the same Dr for 20 years

[vintagemother, BSN, CNA, LVN, RN]

I have never had a man (doctor, nurse, whoever) perform any kind of procedure on me that could be considered a liability to him without a female in the room. The one time I had a male radiologist do a breast ultrasound on me, there was a female who came with him and just stood there. They didn't ask if it was my preference or anything, it was the department or maybe the hospital's standard.

Ditto for me. I don't think that having a woman there is knock against male nurses. Male teachers and coaches face the same unfair scrutiny. I agree that it is wrong that we as a society seem to think that having male anatomy makes a person more likely to abuse! But this policy actually helps you to cya.

[MomRN0913]

Even male OB/GYN's always give you the option of having a female in the room. It's posted all over my OB/GYN office.

[Sacred eagle]

It's interesting and disturbing that these discussions are L&D centeredonly. I don't see men being accommodated in areas of urology. Females can be unprofessional around male patients too and thereis much proof to this.

[IThinkICan100]

All of the male nurses at my hospital work in Rehab with elderly patients. The main hospital floors are all females.

I must say that our male physicians/MDs creep me out and scare me more than our male nurses, but MDs can do whatever they want because our staff treats them like royalty.

[Sacred eagle]

I'd have to say it's the female nurses that creep me out. Where I work they have Mediaography fromplaygirl magazine post everywherein and around the staff bathrooms. Can't tell me they leave their gender at the door when they goin to see their male patients.

[kalevra, BSN, RN]

hi guys,

i understand that this helps protect me but is this a law of some sort or is it merely a recommendation? its not a law that you have to have a female nurse when your in the room with a female ob patient. its just a way to cover your ass while your still in school. think of the waste of resources it would be if you needed a female escort to go in a room with you every time you needed to step into the room, while you are being employed as an rn in l/d.

also, should all male nurses have a female nurse with them whenever they have a female patient? no,what would be the point of hiring a male nurse if policy dictated that they need to be baby sat by a female nurse. i mean hiring someone that could only treat half the population makes no sense whatsoever. might as well just hire another female nurse.

what do you do if your patient specifically requests a female nurse. is it always feasible to simply have another nurse take that patient? you try to accomodate them as best you can. if they don't mind waiting for another female rn to come through then let them wait. sounds easy just transferring your "female only patient" to someone else or swapping with them but what if they are all booked up with their own patients. you can try the swapping thing though. just don't drop another patient onto your coworker without taking another one of their off.

sorry for all the questions but this issue has been really bothering me. how do you guys typically handle this? like i said try to accommodate them as best you can. if they wont budge even after informing them of whats going on, then that's it. they are fully within their rights to say

"hell no."

[Merlyn]

As I use to say during OB. Don't want me. No problem. I get a female for you. I switch someone else.

[MrWarmHearted]

Since you're a student, you have to abide both by the facility's policy and your school's. With that note, perhaps you can ask your instructor if simply following the (female) RN would suffice as opposed to getting another female student to go in with you along with the RN.

When it comes to female patients, yes, ideally (especially in L&D or young female pts), you should bring someone else into the room - especially if it is an invasive procedure. . . you'll learn more when you get to the legal sections

btw, it works the other way too - some (male) pts prefer male RNs.

[RNTwin]

yes always have a female nurse with you whenever your going to do something that may cause the exposure of any sensitive body part.... I learned my lesson the hardway and from now i won't listen to breaths sound correctly (stethoscope directly over skin, not stethoscope over gown)

[jbluehorseh]

for men it always will be a double standard when it comes to treating female, it is unfair. the said part of it, the young female in l&d gets more respect than the 65 year old female in med surg. how's that for hypocrisy.

[Merlyn]

for men it always will be a double standard when it comes to treating female, it is unfair. the said part of it, the young female in l&d gets more respect than the 65 year old female in med surg. how’s that for hypocrisy.

nothing is said if a female comes in, pulls back the sheet, and sticks a tub into a males 'tree of life' but let a male nurse come in, explain the procedure to a female and (as shakespeare says it "..uncovers her treasure to the moon.." and there is hell to pay.