homosexual patients

[miray19]

hello nurses,

my name is Miray and i am a nursing student in Lebanon. I have a presentation to make about homosexual patients and the care they receive by nurses so i need some help. If anyone has ever cared for a homosexual (male/female) then can you tell me what you did? how you reacted? and what you could have done to care for that patient better?

the answers can be anonymous if you want and this is not a topic of who is with or against i just want to show my classmates how people react differently to some situations.

thank you for reading and hopefully answering.

[dirtyhippiegirl, BSN, RN]

So, if I was a homosexual in Lebanon, I (and my boyfriend if I had one:)) would probably be working on becoming a Lebanese American:)

...haven't you traveled extensively or something? You do realize that the US isn't the center of the world, and that there are many, many other countries that truly do not discriminate against homosexuals in matters of marriage, adoption, etc. -- none of which happen to be the US.

[BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN]

Nope, I still maintain that I would be headed to the Bourbon Street Pub in New Orleans, Louisiana:) USA. By the way- I'm Norwegian by birth, so I don't think I'm playing favorites in anyway- I think Norway may be among the most Liberal Country in the World. I love my mothers country more than you'll ever know, but reindeer cutlets, fish, and potatoes get really old quick for anyone(straight/gay).

But, you are right, I "could" go many places, but considering food, fun, music, culture, in the US South yet gay-friendly(give me the same place I love now:))

On the other hand, I think New Orleans just might be the center of the Universe, Lol!!

But heck, I'm just looking through "imaginary" glasses, and I would probably still be to poor- and remain in Lebanon being discriminated against.

...But, I'm an optimist:)

[annfaith, DNP, NP]

I don't treat homosexuals any differerent. I do know that just like any patient it is our responsibility to establish a repore with the patient so that they can fully disclose all the information needed to treat them appropriately. I am a FNP and in my experience patient's all just want exceptance and to be respected. No difference due to sexual orientation.

[mmc51264, BSN, MSN, RN]

One thing that I have experienced here in the south, is the treatment of family members of pts that have different orientations. I work in LTC, so I see quite a few of the grandchildren of pts that are of different orientation. I am very sensitive to that. Not all of my colleagues are. For example, calling a "butch" (for lack of a better word) grand child "sir", when it is a woman. I cringed every time I hear that.

[Sugarcoma, RN]

I have cared for many homosexual patients in my career and like the posters before me have said I treat them exactly the same way I treat anyone else. I also treat their partners the same with respect to answering questions etc. It really is none of my business who someone else loves.

We did once have a gentlemen whose partner was pre-op and was living fully as a woman. She came and sat with him every day. Some of my coworkers were uncomfortable due to her appearance but that was because they were fearful that they may inadvertently offend her. There were many break-room conversations about "do I call him sir or mam?" "can I legally give her medical information" etc. I was kinda proud of my coworkers for being so concerned about making sure they were respectful towards her.

[malamud69, BSN, RN]

A human being is a human being.

[BostonTerrierLover, BSN, RN]

Except that guy in Sandy Hook- that was a monster!!!!

A Homosexual or gay or transsexual or transgendered person are all human in my book. And, that's just ONE part of his/her "whole." But, as long as something happens between two consenting adults- who the heck am I to judge it? And, it doesn't matter WHAT country to me- that's all preference.

[KelRN215, BSN, RN]

When I have a gay patient, I walk into their room and say "Hi, I'm Kel and I'll be your nurse today." Then I check their IV site, do their vitals, perform a physical assessment, assess their pain, medicate PRN, administer any meds that are due and review the plan for the day. I don't see why someone being gay would affect the care a nurse gives to them after surgery or because of a new cancer diagnosis.

Now, I live in and work in Massachusetts where we tend to view this as a non-issue. Gay people get married here, have babies and when I worked in the hospital, we had several gay (and married) nurses and physicians on staff. I work pediatrics and it was not uncommon in the least to have a patient who had 2 moms or 2 dads or to have a teenage or college-aged patient who identified as gay. I do recall one time accepting a patient from the PACU and during report the PACU nurse saying to me "there are a lot of social issues with this kid, read the anesthesia note." These huge social issues amounted to "patient is gay but does not want his parents to know." Patient was over 18 yrs old so to discuss anything in front of his parents without his permission would have been illegal and we don't typically discuss sexual health in front of parents even if the child is not yet 18- adolescent privacy regarding sexual health is protected by law in this state. I thought it was ridiculous that the PACU nurse even called my attention to it and more so that she called it "a lot of social issues." I later found out that she attended the same church as this patient's family so that did cause me to wonder if her views weren't influenced by that. But, once he was admitted to the floor, it was never mentioned again since it had absolutely no relevance to his admission.

I also do remember one time a parent asked for their child- we'll call her "Suzy"- to be moved out of the room she was sharing with another patient- "Molly" because Molly had either 2 dads or 2 moms. We were all completely horrified that someone had the nerve to outright say that that was why she wanted her child's room changed. We moved Molly into a private room and probably found a lovely screaming baby with no parents to room with Suzy.

[SmoothJams]

You might want to consider posting your question on an LGBT message board instead/as well. Generally speaking, any health care practitioner who DOES treat people differently because of their sexual orientation isn't going to admit it....especially not publicly. Also, differing treatment of homosexual patients may be a largely unconscious behavior.

[miray19]

The thing is i need what nurses think about homosexuals, i already talked to LGBT and i got thier answers:-D...i know some may not admitt it and some may not knpw what to say because this issue depends on the person himself and the kind of situation he is in but i really apritiate all of your comments they were great more than what i expected when i first posted this so thank you all.

[ddunnrn]

As one of the LGBT members of this forum, I must state how proud I am of my Nurse Brothers and Sisters. You who identify with the majority "straight" population don't often realize how much simple acceptance and compassion can mean to someone who is "different". Years ago I had a teacher who was just making small talk with me socially, and she asked me, "Do you have a boyfriend or girlfriend?", as if either were an equally valid possibility. Her openness has stayed with me all these years, and motivates me to treat others with the same compassion. I think the whole of humanity is evolving on this, and many other social issues. Some cultures are a bit further along the road than others, but they are all eventually going to get to the same place.

[Peppermintcake]

I'm not here to judge - I'm here to nurse.