How do you feel about male nurses in OB/GYN/NICU?

redmielita · Oct 24, 2012

Thinking as a patient, if I were in labor I would not care if you were a transgender Martian, as long as you had the epidural for me!

ArgentumRN · Oct 24, 2012

I feel we need more male nurses in OB/GYN, NICU, PEDS. It is not different than female nurses, yes really! Male nurses are at the end of the day just nurses, nothing more. The type of care changes depending were you work. If you work in the NICU you will do your share of breastfeeding teaching, because you want your patient to eat and his/her caregiver to be succesful at breastfeeding.... not different than making sure your elderly patient eats... Having a professional and caring attitude is perhaps the most important asset you could have, and ofcourse nursing skills.

If any of my family members were in the hospital I would not care what gender the nurse was. I would only want my family to get good care. Welcome men in nursing!!!

caregiver1977 · Oct 25, 2012

Well, many OBGYNs are males, why can't there be male nurses in this field? Doesn't make sense for there not to be male OBGYN nurses.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Oct 26, 2012

We have had male L&D nurses as well as male mother/baby nurses on my floor. Right now there are several male NICU nurses. All the guys are great to work with and consistently get great reviews from families. Some patients might have a preference but most really don't care what/who you are as long as you have your act together and are a caring person. As a patient with the births of my two kids I have had male nursing students, OBs, and CRNAs and it wouldn't have mattered if the President (whichever one was in office at either time) had walked in right then, as long as he made himself useful by holding a leg or something. LOL

I am friends with a couple guys who are NICU nurses in other parts of the country - they would not trade it for anything. If that is your goal, don't let anything stand in your way of getting it. Good luck! :)

PeepnBiscuitsRN · Oct 26, 2012

I think at my hospital, for L&D and Postpartum it wouldn't go over too well because of cultural preferences. As for NICU- why the heck not?! Men can like babies too...

EricJRN, MSN, RN · Oct 27, 2012

Go for it, dude. Would be glad to talk to you about neo nursing.

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · Oct 29, 2012

NICU, sure.

I never understood why a male nurse would want to do l&d or mother/baby though. Male OB's - they're surgeons. But again, I don't really understand why a male would want to do ob/gyn except to be around women a lot. Just ridiculous imo. Flame me if you want, (actually I'd prefer you didn't) but that's just the way I feel. I also don't understand why a female would want to be a proctologist. I love everything l&d but that's because I've been through it myself etc. I know what if feels like to be in labor and to hold my baby for the first time. I guess being married to a very "manly man" who is an engineer and also in the Army... I don't know any feminine men. Ob is a very feminine field. And a male better have a very good reason why they need to be all up in a female patient's business...

I know I'm not the only one that feels this way, just the only one here that has the guts to say it.

Elvish, BSN, DNP, RN, NP · Oct 29, 2012

I respect your perspective, and would absolutely respect your preference for female nurses if you wanted them, but who says that only feminine men want to work in OB? None of the men that I've worked with in either L&D or mother/baby fit that description.

NICU nurses go to deliveries all the time, and as such, have seen the business end of things plenty. Sure, they are not sticking their hands in there like an L&D nurse would, but neither are they completely separated from it.

ArgentumRN · Oct 30, 2012

Dear jenrninmi :

I am very happy working in MB and LDR. I knew I would follow that path 13 years ago when our first child was born. That day everything changed for me. I am good at what I do and would never change it. Not even to please "the old school" way of thinking about men in "femenine business". And just to let you know: we are here and we are not going away. You should get used to.

Real men dont need to prove anything to anyone. We dont become "male nurses". We are just nurses. You may chose to accept it or not. That is a decision for you to make. Have a nice day.

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · Oct 30, 2012

Ok. Besides your partner having a baby, what is it about LDR and MB you like?

ArgentumRN · Oct 30, 2012

The challenge, the emergency situations..... helping the families thru their fears, pain, helping and teaching dads how to help their partners......