I am a second semester ADN nursing student, and I cannot get comfortable around male pt's!

OsceanSN2018 · Dec 13, 2017

Does this has anything to do with your religous or cultural background? Or are you just not used to being around males in general?

I can relate to how your feel because I was raised with all girls in my household which may me really shy towards guys. But the way I see it, patients are patients who are sick and just want to be cared for.

So, just thinking of this concept helps me to understand that patients are not expecting anything more from you then helping them get better. Giving them a good bath goes along with their care and to feel better, so just see it from a nuturing standpoint and nothing else. Just try not to overthink it and stop making your fears so known to the patient because that will make them feel self conscious and uncomfortable.

allnurses Guide · Dec 13, 2017

This isn't a pathological problem. This is a choice. You get comfortable by doing and ONLY by doing. There is no pill, no therapy needed and no magic formula. Just tell yourself you have no choice...this person is relying on you to take care of them. It isn't about YOU...its about THEM. Remember that, push past it and you will soon be doing just fine.

BICU_RN2016 · Dec 13, 2017

Are the male patients being inappropriate, i.e. making suggestive comments/gestures, or is it simply males in general? I can understand your initial hesitation (I did not have any prior medical/healthcare experience prior to nursing school), but like the previous posters have inferred, it is really a mental choice to look at the situation from a professional stand point. For me, this was a conscious decision that I had to make, and of course I became more comfortable with time. Hang in there!

**NICU Guy, BSN, RN** · Dec 14, 2017

Ask your instructor for only male patients during clinicals. Your only other choice is to get an L&D job after graduation.

PudgeMC, ADN · Dec 18, 2017

I had a similar feeling during my first clinical rotation, but in reverse. I'm a male. I wasn't so freaked out about doing peri care on women, as I was always worried about their feelings about it. I learned to just grit my teeth and go for it unless they gave a clear indication that they didn't want me to complete that particular task. I've gotten much more comfortable as I've gotten more experience. This is just a part of nursing. One of my fundamentals instructors would always say, "We are always up in someone's business." It'll get better.

PudgeMC, ADN · Dec 18, 2017

Ask your instructor for only male patients during clinicals. Your only other choice is to get an L&D job after graduation.

I also had to do this. I always picked a female patient until I was comfortable with women.

Horseshoe, BSN, RN · Dec 18, 2017

Hi everyone, I've never posted to this site before, but I always like to read discussions on here and all. Anyway, my main problem is, whenever I am in clinical and come in contact with a male patient, I cannot bring myself to do anything other than talk with them. I cannot bring myself to give a physical assessment (comfortably), give a bed bath, change a brief, or even give an insulin shot in the abdomen! Ugh! I don't know what it is. I am not a shy person, I love the medical field and despite everyone else, I LOVE clinicals! Lol! I just can't bring myself to get comfortable seeing a grown mans member or honestly any lower extremities. How in the world do I get over this? I can tell these patients can read all over my face that I am TERRIFIED of wiping their private parts after using the bathroom or even listening for their femoral pulse during an assessment.
I always get close with my female patients and wish I could do the same with both male and female. I appreciate any advice! Thanks!! :)

How are you passing clinicals if you only talk to your male patients and refuse to do absolutely anything for them?!?!?!

Wannabenurseneko · Dec 18, 2017

I've been a CNA for a while and I'm still not comfortable bathing male clients. I don't think I ever will be , but I think the more you interact with them the more you get used to it . I felt the same way as you did in your CNA clinical, another thing is if the men are able to move around you can ask them if they are able to clean their own genitals that's if they are not bed ridden, but you might get a lot of men who can't do it on their own in the nursing home .

labordude, BSN, RN · Dec 18, 2017

Ask your instructor for only male patients during clinicals. Your only other choice is to get an L&D job after graduation.

There are occasionally some tiny male patients that come out of the female patient though...have to watch out for them, they are incontinent of bowel and bladder and very inconsiderate where they spray.

To OP, this is something you are going to have to look inside yourself to understand. Another posted asked about your religious or ethnic background bringing this up as an issue. I am still amazed at the level of shame (that's still what many cultures and religious are teaching from a young age regarding the other gender and their parts). My advice is similar to others, except that I'm adding in that at the end of the day, it doesn't matter why you feel this way or what you do to fix, because it's probably so deeply rooted that it's not worth the time or effort to fix it when you can find a job where you work with female patients...women's prison comes to mind. If you do find a way through it, you will see how amazing the full realm of being a nurse can be and taking care of people from all walks of life wherever they are in their journey.