female dr. male pt.

[gth]

there have been several posts of late about male nurses in L&D. Which I see no problem with. My question is then why when a woman goes to male Dr. there is always nurse back but there is never a nurse back with male patient. Having given and recieved many physicals i see no difference in the amount of possible embarrassment. With the male there is hernia check testiculay cancer check prostate check and circumcision chect on some males. I personally go to female internist and have no problem with it but have never been ask if i wanted a nurse back. why the double standard.

any response would be appreciated

[Retired R.N.]

there have been several posts of late about male nurses in L&D. Which I see no problem with. My question is then why when a woman goes to male Dr. there is always nurse back but there is never a nurse back with male patient. Having given and recieved many physicals i see no difference in the amount of possible embarrassment. With the male there is hernia check testiculay cancer check prostate check and circumcision chect on some males. I personally go to female internist and have no problem with it but have never been ask if i wanted a nurse back. why the double standard.

any response would be appreciated

Perhaps it is because women doctors have not had a long list of complaints filed against them by male patients. Or, perhaps it is because those women doctors have female nurses. You want two women in the room while you are having your exam?

[elkpark]

I don't really know the answer to your question, which is a valid one, but wanted to clarify that the point of having a (female) chaperone in the room when a male physician is examining a female client has nothing to do with protecting the client from embarrassment, but about having a witness present in case there is any question (or accusation) of inappropriate behavior by the physician.

Most of the male physicians I have known over the years have been unwilling to get "up close and personal" with unclothed female clients without a nurse/witness there to protect themselves from any allegations of sexual harassment or molestation.

I guess maybe female physicians don't feel as much of a need to protect themselves from (potentially career-ruining) allegations by clients.

[weirdRN, RN]

Part of the reason Female Drs do not feel the need for a nurse back-up is the laughter that would follow if a man were to complain that a woman was hitting on him or touched him in an inappropriate way.

I think there should be two professionals in the room no matter what the gender is.

Many people believe that just b/c a man has an erection, he is aroused. Anyone who has had A&P knows that to be BS. Men are just as subject to sexual abuse and mistreatment as women, but are laughed at when they say "I feel..." The prevalence of men being sexually harrassed or abused is chronically underreported b/c men don't want the ridicule of other men.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Nevermind, I should have read other's responses first.

[babynurselsa, RN]

Even with the female docs that I work with they also have a chaperone when performing pelvic exams, or rectals.

I work ER so really have no exp with testicular or prostate exams.

[control]

good question...

however, my female doctor always performs my breast and vag exams with another person (happens to be female) present. maybe she's just an outlier, but that has been the norm for me!

[jb2u, ASN, RN]

the answer is the double standard! YES, more men are sexual predators and more women are accusers (SOME, if only a few, are false claims). so, having a male MD bring in a female assistant would protect the pt from becoming prey and the MD from a false accusation that could end his career. BUT, why not have it the other way around?

ONCE, i did have a female MD bring in a female assistant when doing a hernia check....i don't think you would ever hear about a male MD bring in a male assistant.

another thing, at work i've heard female nurses talking about how HUGE this one guy was. and how they kept bringing in other nurses to "see if they could cath this pt. (just so they could get a look)" and on this very board, i read a post about a female surgeon that commented on how BIG a 15 y/o boy's thing was.....if any of these events where male nurses talking about a female pt's anatomy especially a 15 y/o then NO ONE would be laughing....yes the double standard does exist!

and another thing, why do females trust male docs, but not male nurses....the question is about morality NOT education....yes the doc has more education, but that does NOT make him more moral.......PLUS, i've heard alot more lawsuits against male MDs being sexually inappropriate than i have heard about male RNs.

i do understand that females can be timid about having a male handle intimate care, but i also don't like being treated like a deviant before i even do something inappropriate. i hope females can understand and respect my feelings too! YES...men DO have FEELINGS and we are NOT ALL predators! i believe men who go into nursing do it because they CARE not for cheap thrills! a male MD goes into OB and everyone thinks "oh what a wonderful job, you get to bring life into the world everyday", but if a male nurse wants to go into OB and it's "what's wrong with him"....yet another double standard..(and by the way, i DON'T want to go into OB, i'm just making a point)

with time comes change,

jay

[Antikigirl, ASN, RN]

Most of my docs have a nurse present no matter the sex of the patient. It is good protection all around for any jane/joe that wants to sue for whatever reason they find fit! It is also excellent protection from any wrong doings by patient or by staff!

But I can so see the double standard! Even when I was assessing folks in ALF I had their caregiver present...I would never go in alone, expecially if it was checking in private areas...those people tended to forget things and had some form of dementia where this was vital in protecting staff! Most caregivers did it too with attends changes...having another person in the room!

I just think it is safer!

[weirdRN, RN]

the answer is the double standard! YES, more men are sexual predators and more women are accusers (SOME, if only a few, are false claims). so, having a male MD bring in a female assistant would protect the pt from becoming prey and the MD from a false accusation that could end his career. BUT, why not have it the other way around?

ONCE, i did have a female MD bring in a female assistant when doing a hernia check....i don't think you would ever hear about a male MD bring in a male assistant.

another thing, at work i've heard female nurses talking about how HUGE this one guy was. and how they kept bringing in other nurses to "see if they could cath this pt. (just so they could get a look)" and on this very board, i read a post about a female surgeon that commented on how BIG a 15 y/o boy's thing was.....if any of these events where male nurses talking about a female pt's anatomy especially a 15 y/o then NO ONE would be laughing....yes the double standard does exist!

and another thing, why do females trust male docs, but not male nurses....the question is about morality NOT education....yes the doc has more education, but that does NOT make him more moral.......PLUS, i've heard alot more lawsuits against male MDs being sexually inappropriate than i have heard about male RNs.

i do understand that females can be timid about having a male handle intimate care, but i also don't like being treated like a deviant before i even do something inappropriate. i hope females can understand and respect my feelings too! YES...men DO have FEELINGS and we are NOT ALL predators! i believe men who go into nursing do it because they CARE not for cheap thrills! a male MD goes into OB and everyone thinks "oh what a wonderful job, you get to bring life into the world everyday", but if a male nurse wants to go into OB and it's "what's wrong with him"....yet another double standard..(and by the way, i DON'T want to go into OB, i'm just making a point)

with time comes change,

jay

You seem really upset by this. You must have some experience with it. It must be frustrating for you.

I honestly know how you feel. I was in the Army for nine years. My first assignment, I was the ONLY female assigned to my Unit and to my post! It was tough to swallow some of the comments sometimes. I can't imagine that it is any easier for you working around women all the time.

I am sorry you have had these experiences.

[58flyer]

Part of the reason Female Drs do not feel the need for a nurse back-up is the laughter that would follow if a man were to complain that a woman was hitting on him or touched him in an inappropriate way.

I think there should be two professionals in the room no matter what the gender is.

Many people believe that just b/c a man has an erection, he is aroused. Anyone who has had A&P knows that to be BS. Men are just as subject to sexual abuse and mistreatment as women, but are laughed at when they say "I feel..." The prevalence of men being sexually harrassed or abused is chronically underreported b/c men don't want the ridicule of other men.

I am firmly of the belief that anyone performing intimate exams/care on the opposite sex should have a chaperone present. That chaperone MUST be of the same sex as the patient or there is really no protection.

I agree with you Whimsie that men are just as subject to sexual abuse and mistreatment as women. As an teenager I was subjected to a gross act of sexual abuse by a female nurse, so I know it can and does occur. Men by societal conditioning are taught to deny or at least suppress strong emotions such as shame or embarrassment. Thus, they are not as likely to report sexual abuse. Personally, I kept my experience a secret for 29 years until a clinical psychologist finally got me to talk about it. Before that I told no one. I do believe that had a chaperone been present I would not have had the experience that I did.

Some time ago I went to my doc for gout, it was short notice and my regular doc was not available, and a female doc treated me instead. She suggested a full physical since it had been awhile since my last visit and I was over 40, so you know what that meant. I was comfortable with her but I asked her to have a male chaperone present. She literally laughed in my face. I knew there was a male MA there so I felt it was a reasonable request. I told her to forget the physical and just treat the gout.

I agree with you jb2u, there is a double standard.

[58flyer]

Perhaps it is because women doctors have not had a long list of complaints filed against them by male patients. Or, perhaps it is because those women doctors have female nurses. You want two women in the room while you are having your exam?

Definitely not!!! Wouldn't work for me.