So I have been dreading having to do OB ever since I started school...now it is here and after a weekend of clinicals I am just totally over it. It doesn't really help that I was pretty much the only male on the entire floor, and there was one nurse in particular who made it very clear that I was wholly unwelcome.
I have another clinical set this weekend, and I just read the notes from the clinical instructor that she was very unhappy with my performance. I know I need to pull up my big boy pants and pick it up a notch or 2 this weekend, but I feel like I am totally wasting my time with this.
I guess this is just a rant post...but anyone else out there feel my pain?
A significant problem that I had with patient care, was directly related to how my instructor was handling men in the group. It was only a 6 week rotation and for the first 5 weeks every time she brought us in to a patient's room she would say "This is Bob, he is a nursing student at blah blah, do you mind having a male in the room?" What she should have done was simply state "This is Bob, he is a student from blah blah and will be taking care of you/observing for today." I think on any ward if a patient has an actual problem with their care they are going to be vocal about it, the instructor does not need to offer an invitation for the patient to refuse to have a student in the room.
Yeah as if I didn't already feel awkward before when my prof said the same thing I got even more uncomfortable. Oh well I wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers, just wanted to pass the course and move on. OB and mother/baby especially spurs absolutely no interest in me for future residencies or employment.
My OB instructor hated males you could definitely tell as she would never make eye contact with you in discussion groups nor would she talk to you during clinicals besides the bare minimum. Honestly, OB sucked but I have had a couple of non-nursing GFs who were impressed by how much I knew about the subject matter. So there are pluses! Just push through it.[/quote']
For the record ... I'm in OB (4th semester) at the moment and it is pure... torture... UGH.
More so theory than clinical... I seem to be able to make the patients at ease... they don't mind me even if I'm a guy because I ask how I can make them comfortable... I get them ice chips... heating pads... turn on their TV ... converse... and the partners seem to enjoy that their laboring partner is not so tense...
MAKE THE LABORING WOMAN FEEL COMFY... ALWAYS assess her pain... this IS the trick...
Now theory is BORING.. Oh GOD...
I just can't wait to finish and take with me the essential information like finding a fetal heart rate /meds etc... in case I ever have a pregnant patient in the ICU.
Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.
Took OB back in the dark ages, including births & post partum recovery. Never ever made to feel unwelcome.
Wasn't enthused about it, was unimpressed with seeing babies being born after already seeing mine being born. But bits of knowledge are available to be mined, and boards for males & females alike contain the number of OB questions.
Any rotation, no matter how much you love it or hate it, will end after a few days. Persevere and move on.
I'm in my first level but I'm very much looking forward to OB. I love babies and I won't let any grumpy nurses stop me. If the makes docs can do it then I can too!!!
My observation so far is the OB floor and Children's hospital floor are much easier than any floor with old people. I like the old people better though. To me it just seems a whole lot easier than geriatrics so I get why women flock to these areas.
Just to follow up on this I took the earlier given advice to utilize the time to learn whatever I could. As it turned out,on subsequent clinical weekends I got a different set of staff, and the nurse I was assigned to was simply amazing. Not only did I get to see and do much more than I really thought I wanted to, I ended up enjoying it and got to learn more than I thought I would.
Ended up with a B in the class, yay me :-)
I love this site, amazing how an anonymous post can change your outlook on things...
I was a bit nervous about OB during my rotation but it was a pretty positive experience. My clinical instructor, the nurses, the patients, and of course the newborns were very nice. I got to see a delivery, a c-section, spend time in the nursery, etc. Definitely not a specialty I'd ever do but I've had worse rotations than that by far.
Being a male, I too feared O.B. I just thought of the many rejections that I would have because I am male, which I do understand. But my teacher was very helpful and even showed up early during clinical just to ask permission from patients. I just kept an open mind and went with the flow. Overall it was a very positive experience for me. I was able to see a C-section, regular birth, took take of mom and newborn (assessments), patient teaching, and even helped take out staples 5 days after a C-section. Just keep an open mind, do your best with the circumstances that presents itself, and try to absorbed as much as you can.
The patient's perception is based a lot on your attitude. If you are professional and confident in what you need to do, then most patients overlook the fact that you are male. You will be a nurse and not a male nurse. You will be taking care of hundreds of females in your career, so now is the time to find a technique to get them comfortable in you caring for them.
The only reason I hated OB was due to the all-female territorial nurses where I did clinical. My clinical instructor was awesome, as were most all patients I encountered who did not mind a male taking care of them. But the staff nurses (except for the occasional rose among the thorns) really soured the experience for me. They truly made men feel unwelcome there. And I made sure this was known in my evaluation. I was lucky to see 2 c-sections, never a lady partsl.
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Yeah as if I didn't already feel awkward before when my prof said the same thing I got even more uncomfortable. Oh well I wasn't trying to ruffle any feathers, just wanted to pass the course and move on. OB and mother/baby especially spurs absolutely no interest in me for future residencies or employment.