Excited to be precepting a male nurse to PP

Flare, ASN, BSN · Feb 3, 2011

it burns me up that some people don't think twice if the man in the delivery room (or PP unit) has MD behind his name - whether he's the ob/gyn, a resident or an anes, there's no hesitation, no questions. But should that man be a nurse then some people get all up in arms over it. Can't a male nurse want to work on a unit that is mostly celebrating the miracle of birth the same as a female nurse? Apperently in some people's eyes, it's more of a means to catch (mostly) young women in various forms of undress than persuing a nursing in a field of interest.

While i do not work on a mother/baby unit - i will offer this advice: don't sugar coat anything. It will be tough for him. Show him the way to focus on his work and not take to heart any negative comments from patients or staff simply based on his gender. Allow him to vent when needed - by all means tell him about this site and our willingness to listen. It won't be easy, but i know a few things about fitting in where it is not generally accepted for one's gender and if he can keep his wits, stay professional and have a healthy sense of humor he will see that it will all be worth it.

To the young man coming to your floor - i wish him all the best. I hope he excells and becomes the best nurse on your unit. I hope he has thick skin to become immune to the ignorant folks that don't want his care, no matter how terrific he is. (or the husbands that get jealous to have another man attending to his wife's nether regions) and I hope the rest of the unit will be as supportive and excited for him as you.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Feb 3, 2011

I hope that in the 21st century, all you'd have to do introduce him as "John Doe, he's going to be one of our new nurses." There may initially be some resistance but hopefully it will be only in small pockets and short-lived. I think a lot of it will go away if he presents himself as a professional just as any female, though he may have to work harder to prove himself (not saying that's right, just that it may be reality). There may be pts who'd rather a female nurse but I'd like to think they'd be few and far between. It will help if he doesn't get offended/take it personally when those patients do voice their preference.

My supervisor's husband is a PP/L&D nurse at another hospital and has been for 25ish years. His pts love him and ask for him on return visits. Kudos to the NM who hired your new grad for seeing his profession first, not his chromosomal makeup. :up:

OldNurseEducator · Feb 3, 2011

Several years ago I had a make student doing his OB rotation. He was with me (as his instructor) on PP. I always let the patient decide whether or not they want a student nurse, especially a male student. Few (I don't remember any) refused and we had no problems. The female nurse was in the room at the time of any exam of the mother. I had this male student become a hero to the mom because he was the only one that had the patience to help this newborn latch on for BF. The baby and mom did great, only because of this male student. He was wonderful! I have no problems personally with having a male OB nurse. Sometimes, in some cases, they can be an even more compassionate nurse than some of these newbies that really have no patience with new moms. Just my :twocents: !

klone, MSN, RN · Feb 3, 2011

Tell them that one of the world's most famous and knowledgeable breastfeeding experts is a man (Jack Newman). That doesn't prevent him from being incredibly knowledgeable and helpful to the women he assists.

Mrs. Sparkle Pants · Feb 3, 2011

Has every female nurse on your unit breastfed? If not, then those who haven't breastfed have the same knowledge as this male RN.

Noimanurse · Feb 3, 2011

I've never worked OB, but as a father who has been in the delivery room and as a a nurse who did a short, limited OB rotation as a student...I can say there is nothing "hot" about delivery or OB care. It confuses me to hear women/men say that they don't want a man to be there during OB times due to "sexual issues"...really? Placenta, fluids, slimey newborns, blood, and feces (just to name a few)...not all that sexy to me.

I agree, some people need to step up to modern times and really think their thoughts out thoroughly. I wonder what it is that make people think the initials after one's name makes it all right to be in the room regardless of sex.

While I feel that the woman/newborn should be given the most attention in the room for obvious reasons, the patient extends to family members. Most of the time, when there is a lady in need of L&D care, there is a man somewhere that could use some advice and care in some manner or another. How can a woman give advice to a newborn's dad about supporting mother, supporting feeding techniques, or other ideas/problems that men run into with newborns? Well, how about the idea of a male L&D nurse being able to communicate with the man involved? If a man shouldn't/can't care for a woman's lady parts, how can a female take care of or show new parents how to care for a new son? Yeah, it may sound crazy, but its all the same to me.

I wish your man well. He seems to be willing to accept an uphill battle in many directions. Thank you for being willing to step up and make a decision that will hopefully make a positive impact for your patients. Of all the memories a family has with a birth...some will now be able to remember the dude that gave me a shoulder to cry on, the dude that gave me a pat on the back, the dude that saved my life, or the dude that saved my baby's life!

Noimanurse · Feb 3, 2011

As for the breastfeeding assistance, I'm sure there are classes or online help. I'm sure with any OB nurse or any other speciality there are lessons to take or learn. There may be some instances where the male may not be accepted to help with breastfeeding, that is where your "team" of ob nurses need to join together and work it out between themselves to take care of the patients. As someone said before I'm sure there are female nurses who have never breastfed, there are also female nurses who have never delivered a child before that work in L&D...how do those ladies teach? My guess would be nurse experience and education.

GOOD LUCK!

nurse2033, MSN, RN · Feb 3, 2011

The best way to deal with this is ignore the fact he is a man. Your manager should be shutting down this type of talk from the get go. He is a nurse, he has a job to do, it is the same job that you all do. He will do it to the best of his ability. He will have enough to deal with without getting undermined by his coworkers. Your best support will be to tell the doubters to keep their biases to themselves.

kakamegamama · Feb 3, 2011

We are such a weired society---doesn't bother us in the least for a male (MD) to see us in our altogether but heaven forbid a male nurse does. Man (no pun intended)! Two of the best nurses I ever encountered in L&D as a faculty member were men. The students and patients always requested them. One of the best students I had in PP/L&D/NBN was male.

If his fellow nurses are raising a ruckus over him coming on board, I'm in agreement w/another poster who said the manager needs to nip that in the bud. Give the guy a chance to prove himself as a professional and I bet he will blow them away with his abilities. And, there may lie the true issue---perception by others of him as a threat? Hmmm....

And--great for you to be so supportive of him!!!

birdie22 · Feb 3, 2011

I am woman, have never BF, and the ONLY way I would know how to teach is from what I learned in school - the exact same as a male OB nurse. Or rather - you have no idea and this guy could be the father of 10 kids and be the perfect BFing coach. And what about all the psych or cancer nurses - I'm sure many of them have never had psych issues or battled with cancer - that doesn't mean that they can't properly advise their patients. I'd say cut the guy some slack.

LegzRN · Feb 3, 2011

L&D/PP are hot jobs from what I understand. From my experience, it always seemed like those were the jobs the nurses wanted, so I'm thinking he must have actually wanted to work in L&D/PP when he applied. Kudos to him, that's something I could never do. I almost quit nursing school because of my OB rotation. Like a previous member posted, "There is NOTHING hot about L&D." I can suction a trach, work a self inflicted GSW to the head, trauma, etc... but the whole mucous plug, amniotic fluid, placenta thing freaks me out!