How do you handle female patients your age or younger?

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How do you handle procedures like urinary catheters, breast exams, etc. when it comes to women? I always try to have a female nurse if available or have a female stand by in the room if I absolutely must do it. Any tips on keeping it professional and avoiding accusations? Thanks.

I do my job, if I feel uncomfortable I bring a second set of eyes into the room.

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Specializes in Urgent Care.

If you are a male provider/nurse, ALWAYS have a female chaperon every single time with female patients. Even if the patient has a female family member present in the room; have female nurse/CNA/MA/PA/NP present.

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I typically drag in a witness if I’m doing anything to warrant the need for one.

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Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
11 hours ago, Dani_Sanchez777 said:

If you are a male provider/nurse, ALWAYS have a female chaperon every single time with female patients. Even if the patient has a female family member present in the room; have female nurse/CNA/MA/PA/NP present.

I don't necessarily see this as practical. I do psych and there are cameras everywhere. Plus our admission/Intake department does risk assessments of our patients to determine which patients have a greater risk of vulnerability. I recommend using the Columbia Scale which works in all treatment environments.

Hppy

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Back when I was starting out as a young stud...well, I have comments but my wife sometimes reads my posts. Let's just say, I don't want to explain myself again or fight in that battle.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

I would never offer a chaperone, ALWAYS get one for anything more invasive/private. However, just like others have said, treat them like anyone else. I also always try to ask if they're comfortable with me doing a more invasive procedure (again, always with a female chaperone) before doing so. If they aren't feeling it, then I will get a female.

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Specializes in Neurology.

I just do it and move on with my day . after all were nurses

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Specializes in Hospice, corrections, psychiatry, rehab, LTC.

If it will involve any degree of disrobing, I have a female present.

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Specializes in Critical Care Emergency Room.

I have not placed a female foley for 15 years. Nothing happens if I'm not there. I routinely request a female colleague to place it. I do this to protect my practice. It only takes one allegation of any kind and my income is gone. 

It is simply not worth the risk.

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Specializes in School Nurse.

We had some male applicants for an LPN position at our school where they would have to place foleys (and other procedures) in female students.    I first asked if they were comfortable doing that and I talked to the administration about how they wanted to handle that.    We suggested a non-clinical female witness.    It turned out that the male applicant wasn't the best candidate anyhow, but we figured we could make it work.

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I treat them like any other patient. If they are uncomfortable then get a female nurse.

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In the litigious world we live in now, as a male nurse I think it would be pretty naive and foolish to not always have a female chaperone when doing something like a foley, enema, or pelvic exam on a woman, especially a younger one. The argument that "female nurses don't have to get chaperones for male patients" doesn't hold water simply because of the social dynamics that exist between men and women (which is another conversation altogether). Yes, it's a double standard but arguing that in a patient care setting is not the time or place to do it. Also, it doesn't matter how "professional" you are about it because, again, the social dynamics between men and women exist whether we like it or not.

It's not about you as an individual being a pervert or anything like that, it's just about a preexisting dynamic between men and women that predates all of us having this conversation by many centuries.

Personally, I don't even offer a chaperone, I just ask a female coworker to come with me. On occasion I may clean up an elderly woman by myself or something like that if it seems totally comfortable, but as a rule I have a female with me. If the female patient has some kind of psych history or anything that makes me feel like a male doing the procedure would make her uncomfortable, I'll ask to trade tasks with a female coworker (pass your meds if you'll put in this foley, or whatever). If you're a decent coworker and have good rapport in the workplace, this is never a big deal.

As for breast exams, in almost 10 years of nursing across many different areas, I've never been asked to do a breast exam on any patient at all, but if I was I would likely ask a female coworker to do it or at the very least definitely ask one to come with me.

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