I remember a few years ago I got torn to shreds on this forum because I said that as a male nurse, I generally don't catheterize women. In fact all the places I've worked, from New Zealand, Switzerland, England and Australia, what generally happens is men catheterize men, while the women catheterize the women.
I made a rational argument, the most pragmatic being that men need a female chaperone anyway, so what's the point? The other obvious point was that women do not want men doing such intimate procedures on them if a female is available. The last argument I used was the fact that no male nurse I've ever known has catheterized a young woman eg 18yr old girl - neither the young woman or their mother would want a guy to do this, which is completely understandable.
Naturally, it was the American nurses calling me sexist, and stating that they would be happy to let male do such a procedure on their daughter. As we say in the rest of the world 'Only in America'.
Anyway, I feel compelled to add an update after my time working here in the Australian outback ie the middle of the desert.
The culture out here is utterly alien to the average perspective promoted on this forum, specifically in regards to gender and their designated roles. Basically, there is absolutely no way a male would be doing any of these procedures on a woman of any age, and in fact even when doing an ECG (EKG) the female patients have a female nurse do this whenever practical. In this culture, men and women have quite specific roles.
One of the most shocking things I came across has to do with the domestic fights I see here.
Sadly, the town I'm in sees a lot of violence and most shifts I usually see a battered woman, and recently I overhead two female patients talking to each other, with the first asking the second lady:
'Does your husband beat you?' The second lady looked shocked and said 'Of course not'. The first lady replied 'Then he doesn't love you.' That completely threw me. But to balance things out, it turns out the women here fight back, and I've seen more men with stab wounds due to their partners in 2 months, than I have in two years in city hospitals.
Basically it's a different world out here, and gender does matter, and if any big city nurse tried bringing their woke values out here, they would have to adapt, or not be able to function. In fact the culture shock might be too much for them.
@Curious1997 You kinda lost me there. I thought we covered getting patient consent and allowing for cultural prohibitions regarding urinary catheterizations. Next thing I know we’re talking about having an atty on retainer so nobody can take nursing away from you like the big bad nursing school and BON, and how you hate bullies and cowards. and other stuff.
Pardon me while I catch my breath.
A patient attacked a staff member in the seclusion room because she didn't follow protocol. The nurse manager was off and she got fired, I got dragged into court because the nurse sued saying that she wasn't adequately trained. So management fired the nurse manager for 'image reasons' who was very competent and kept the incompetent nurse for a few months, then fired her as well.
I realized then about covering my butt. I've seen it several times where management will leave you out to hang. Look at this pandemic and how many hospital systems have failed nurses re PPE, working hours and blame assignment.
I remember reading recently about a hospital that brought in specialists during a union negotiation I think to fight the nurses and then giving them vaccines meant for others. A Dr was fired and besmirched for giving vaccines that was about to expire and following reasonable protocols.
I'm no fan of management and I'd rather go home than let them compromise me.
When I'm at work I'm a nurse first and my gender comes second. However, if a patient would be more comfortable if a test or procedure is done by the same sex than I'm happy to do what I can to accommodate them. At work it is "all about the patients."
I like the fact that the Aussie women fight back! Go LADIES! It is shameful that they have to fight back. Can't someone teach those men (the abusers) to act like responsible adults? This world would be so much better if adults would act like responsible adults.
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A patient attacked a staff member in the seclusion room because she didn't follow protocol. The nurse manager was off and she got fired, I got dragged into court because the nurse sued saying that she wasn't adequately trained. So management fired the nurse manager for 'image reasons' who was very competent and kept the incompetent nurse for a few months, then fired her as well.
I realized then about covering my butt. I've seen it several times where management will leave you out to hang. Look at this pandemic and how many hospital systems have failed nurses re PPE, working hours and blame assignment.
I remember reading recently about a hospital that brought in specialists during a union negotiation I think to fight the nurses and then giving them vaccines meant for others. A Dr was fired and besmirched for giving vaccines that was about to expire and following reasonable protocols.
I'm no fan of management and I'd rather go home than let them compromise me.