I am taking the CNA course with a view to becoming either CNA or HHA. During the course I was shocked that in caring for female patients you have to view and touch the female genitalia which to me is a bit too much as a male and I would rather not do. I think that female workers can do that no problem. While I wouldn't be thrilled about cleaning males it would be tolerable.
What could I do to ensure that I only work for male patients? Would I have to go directly into HHA for male patients only? Will going into LTC require me to view and touch the female private part 100%?
Also does the training involve the instructors making sure that you can clean both sexes' private parts?
I'm in the middle of the course and there is no refund, and wondering if there is any way to work without having to view and touch at least the opposite sex's genitalia.
I'm still stuck on the idea that you had no idea you'd be dealing with lady partss. I don't get it. What did you think being a CNA consisted of?
You will be hard pressed to come across any kind of CNA gig where you don't have to clean lady partss.
I suggest you get comfortable with the female anatomy, AKA lady parts.
lady parts, lady parts, lady parts. There, that should help a little. It's totally part of the job and if you are unwilling to do it you'll have to move on to another career.
At my place of employment, at least in my section of the LTC, we only have maybe 14 male residents out of roughly 66. In my opinion, working in the nursing field an aide/nurse/whatever should be comfortable working around both males and females.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
In my opinion, working in the nursing field an aide/nurse/whatever should be comfortable working around both males and females.
I agree. As healthcare workers, we cannot cherry-pick our patient assignments to rid ourselves of people for whom we do not want to provide care. We've gotta suck it up and do our jobs.
I'm really curious, WHY do you want to be a CNA? Are you planning on going to nursing school as well? If so, what specialty do you want to work in? At some point in your schooling and job, you will have to deal with female patients. If you can't handle that, I suggest you do some soul-searching and look into other career paths.
There's nothing wrong with being uncomfortable about performing peri-care. Not everyone can do it. But it does mean that maybe CNA is not the best job field for you. The healthcare field in general involves a lot of contact with the human body, both male and female. If you wish to work in healthcare but don't want any contact with female genitalia, maybe it'd be better for you to find a more clerical position instead of a hands-on one. There are a lot of options in healthcare that don't involve direct patient contact.
Maybe some anatomy and physiology lectures regarding the urinary and reproductive system are needed?
Hygiene is so important not only to the physiologic wellbeing of a patient (preventing UTI's) but the psychosocial wellbeing of patients. Can it be awkward at first? Sure!
However if you look at peri care from a professional standpoint, I promise you it is no big deal.
I'm a guy. I've had my share of embarrassing moments ... like when I had to find an apical pulse on an older female client.... and the nursing students and nurses here KNOW what I mean.
Why do you want to be CNA? Aspiring nurse? Quick paycheck? What?
Thank you. What kind of credentials or experience do you need to be able to work at group homes?
None. I work at a group home and most of our employees are not licensed. We do have a few cnas but, it's not a requirement. A lot our employees do take a med aide course once they begin working here because, most of our homes don't have nurses. We do have some male only homes but, that's because those clients are violent and some have beat on every woman that had come into the home. The employees that work in these homes also have to take a self defense type class called PCM before they can start working. We have had some brave women volunteer to work in a behavior home but, most employee big stout men. So, yes there are some male only jobs out there but, ours definitely require a dedicated special kind of person to take on these jobs. If you are unsure about working in healthcare/becoming a cna this probably isn't the job for you. Most of our employees have worked with their clients for many many years.
I know an LPN who works at a "Catholic" hospital and policy states that only women can deliver personal cares to women and vice versa for men. There may be places like that around for you, but I doubt it. Most places just don't operate like that.
I think you will have to suck it up and get used to it - clearly you did not know what you were getting involved with when you signed up for the class. I'm sure by the time a month rolls around of working as one you won't even care anymore. And if it does, maybe you should consider another line of work.
Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.
It looks like there are places that will only let male workers help the male clients when it comes to bathroom and changing. How does one find the companies that are like that?
Try looking for jobs as a direct care staff person at a group home for the developmentally disabled. These basic caregiving jobs typically do not require a CNA certificate, often pay lower than most CNA positions, and might (but not always) house only male clients. Click on the link below for more information:
Glycerine82, LPN
1 Article; 2,188 Posts
I'm still stuck on the idea that you had no idea you'd be dealing with lady partss. I don't get it. What did you think being a CNA consisted of?
You will be hard pressed to come across any kind of CNA gig where you don't have to clean lady partss.
I suggest you get comfortable with the female anatomy, AKA lady parts.
lady parts, lady parts, lady parts. There, that should help a little. It's totally part of the job and if you are unwilling to do it you'll have to move on to another career.