Hi guys, I am new here and hope to have fun and learn with you all. I am in my second year of nursing here in Canada. I am taking health assessment this term, and we have to attend lecture and lab classes. Our instructor is a 50 year old guy nurse who is making us, the female students, here uncomfortable with his comments.
We have to take be partially undressed during his lab classes and we just don't feel comfortable with him touching us. There is only one male student in our class and the rest of us are all women, some married, some single. But he makes the most intriguing comments and has mentioned that we shouldn't be shy because he eventually will have to see us wearing bra and underwear. We can wear a hospital dress, but still...
Did you guys go through this? This instructor is scary looking and is too weird.
Anyway, I am looking forward to hear your experiences with your health assessment classes.
hehehehe.. He sure looks like one!!! Today in his lecture class he told two students that are boyfriend and girlfriend that from now on, he wants them sitting 15 feet from each other. They are great students, who don't disturb the class at all.. What a freak. My classmates are afraid of reporting him because they fear that something will happen to them, so I am feeling alone in this
it is time to make an appointment with the dean of nursing at your college. what you are describing is definitely not professional. tell your dean what is happening and ask if this is standard for the curriculum.:uhoh21:
He also said to the other 20 year old girl who feels totally uncomfortable with him "you have all the symptoms of someone that has been sexually abused"...
We are being taught that touch is a hugh part of head-to-toe assessment - but it is done in a way to maintain pt. privacy, and we are being taught how to make the patient feel comfortable as we do this process. Our prof asks for volunteers for any demonstration, then permission prior to touching. We are then broken into groups of three to practice, in private exam rooms. Some groups are mixed gender. Anyone has the right to refuse any part of an exam (as the patient.) Confidentiality is to be maintained, even on peer exams.
Your prof, however, sounds as tho he is far outside any professional boundaries - do you have an advisor you can talk with?? I would report this guy to someone - you are suppose to be learning professionalism, and you are not getting it here. Maybe some "coaching and counseling" for this guy is needed. Is he a new teacher?
Specializes in Infection Preventionist/ Occ Health.
I agree that this teacher's words and actions are not appropriate. Our instructor never touches us in health assessment lab, only our lab partner. And, we are always wearing tank tops or exercise tops and workout pants, with the curtains closed and privacy maintained. You should be given the right to refuse to participate or switch to another instructor if his behavior makes you uncomfortable.
I suggest gathering a few classmates and taking this issue to the dean.
we have 3 men in our class, they gowned up together, and the girls paired off. we didn't know each other well. now a couple girls have worked with the guys, which doesn't really count, i did an assessment on one and the other is his girlfriend. so no, i haven't had to be assessed by a male classmate. i do have male doctors, and have been seen by male nurses. even had a male student after my first c-section, no big deal. i don't have to work with them or even see them everyday. different situations. and those comments your instructor is making are unacceptable. period. by definition sexual harrassment is a comment or action that makes you uncomfortable. after expressing your feelings about the situation and it continues, there is a serious problem. personally, from the available info you provided, sounds like he should have been bounced out a long time ago. lots of gray areas there but, this clearly is not the norm. good luck to you.
do not be intimidated. you can practice your patient advocacy as of now. make an appointment with the dean of nursing. describe the situation. you do not need a group of students to go with you, but you can certainly suggest that the dean question other female students who are in the clinical with you. he is completely inappropriate.
I am a male nursing student and I can safely tell you that I have the same concerns about people I work with seeing me partually dressed. I don't mind having my pulse and rep. rate checked but I really dont' want to get halfway naked for a teaching experiment. I never even thought about this issue till now... wow....
I TOTALLY AGREE!!! I would definatley talk to someone about this! We used dummies for almost all of our practice skills in the lab except head to toe assessment, and then we were student to student and FULLY clothed. Our instructor told us to wear shorts or jogging pants and a t-shirt instead of our uniform. NO WAY would I let this instructor touch me!
Hope things get better.
mmh_bc
13 Posts
hehehehe.. He sure looks like one!!! Today in his lecture class he told two students that are boyfriend and girlfriend that from now on, he wants them sitting 15 feet from each other. They are great students, who don't disturb the class at all.. What a freak. My classmates are afraid of reporting him because they fear that something will happen to them, so I am feeling alone in this