I think I'm professional, but now I'm not so sure, after I told some American friends that as a male nurse, I don't catheterize women.
'That's sexist' was one of the kinder comments, while one of the more rational comments said - "We are professionals. As long as we behave in a professional way, then we should all have to do the same job."
I naturally asked 'does this mean we're nurses first, and men/women second?' and they didn't give a concise answer.
Am I the only male who thinks that it is harder for a female patient as well as for a male nurse to do such an intimate procedure?
Am I the only nurse who thinks that gender does matter? What harm does it cause if I choose not to do a procedure when there are capable people around who could do it just as well, plus make it easier for the patient. As a male nurse, I need a female chaperone if doing such a procedure on a woman anyway, so why not make it easier for everyone and simply keep the male out of it altogether?
But what does being a "Professional" mean? From what I'm hearing from others it sounds like I am a sexless machine capable of doing it all because that is what I am paid to do. Instead I think of myself as a caring carer. I have my faults and biases. I make mistakes and I sometimes let my feelings help make my decisions. But I have a big heart and I do the job because I care first. I enjoy making people laugh when they're sick. I enjoy being able to make a difference in people's lives. I also do the job recognizing my faults, and if I ever think that my views/faults may jeopardize a patient, I know to get someone else to take over that patient's care. I guess I'm not a very successful Sexless Professional. But I can live with being called sexist and unprofessional, just because I sometimes refuse to do female catheterization. I'm sure there's a lot worse things I could be.
A couple of extra points to mention:
For the record, the female staff used to ask me to catheterize the men, and they'd do the same for my female patients, and we never had a problem.
Also it's strange, but apparently I'm allowed to catheterize little old ladies, but not young women. Sounds a bit ageist to me. Do the feelings of older people not matter as much as those of young people? Naturally I'd never contemplate such a procedure on a young woman.
OP, I'm a woman who doesn't hate you. Your question about what professionalism means is kind of philosophical, and means different things to every single person. I know there's a dictionary definition, and I know I could dissect every word you wrote, you poor unfortunate soul. Sadly, I don't care about what the dictionary says. To me professionalism is walking on my floor and forgetting about gender roles, forgetting about the party I went to last night, forgetting that I'm hungry, and, in my case, forgetting I am a young female. Professionalism is also understanding the role of delegation beyond male and female.
I think if you can work somewhere that is conducive to females starting most catheters and you reciprocating by starting tricky IV's, your position is great. If it were up to me, I'd pass up all my catheters to my more cath-conscious coworker and volunteer to start IV's because it's what I'm good at. Catheters? I personally think females are harder to cath so if you have female team mates who don't have any "Can't-now-OP-Gotta-Go-Bed 441 is vomiting and possibly aspirating!" and they are willing, sure, I would say probably most women are more comfortable with women nurses and that is considerate of you to help put your patient at ease. I think you come from a different angle on the subject, well, in several ways. Many of us do not have that set-up at our place of employment, and while we try to work as a team, after all is done and the world is crashing down around you, female or male, old or young, your patient is your patient. I am so glad to see a male nurse because even if it means starting all the catheters, it means I won't have to deal with the detoxing 300 lb. patient who shows everything and flirts with all the women. Males, however, only get floated to our floor due to short staffing. Otherwise, it's a group of women stuck with male patients and female patients, fat or thin, COPD or prostatectomy.
Males have it very hard in the nursing field and I cannot begin to understand. I think this kind of derailed because it almost sounds like you don't have to do [disgusting or time-consuming task or awkward task] because of your gender. I may be way off base. I didn't read it as sexist. With those kinds of resources of course your situation works. I just know I am completely unaccustomed to that kind of set-up because of the "your patient, your responsibility" mentality that was ground into my impressionable brain at my first job. And if most female nurses hear that, our gut reaction is to say, "Oh yeah? You're too good because you're male? That women should play into our gender roles in this field and have yet more on our plates than our allotted bunch of patients? We are short-staffed already and now so-and-so says "I don't do female caths" so we have to?!" As you can see, people get mad. So...like, don't lead off with that. People get mad and stuff. When you get to know your new crew, see how their unit works and what they do as a team and then ask about limitations to skill performance. Don't assume that it's the same between any two places. Within the US I know most hospitals and most floors do what works for them. And other countries? I don't know.
Anyway, professional nurses tend to keep their private lives private (I have to hide my fatty pizza) and perform the tasks expected of someone of his/her skill level in that situation. You know, scope of practice stuff. Just know how to do it and be able to do it should another person not be there to help you. I hope you're able to work somewhere that gives you delegation choices if you're concerned about a patient's reaction to you doing the procedure. Just be able to offer up something equally difficult, time-wise and skill-wise, so that a female nurse wouldn't be put out by helping you. I would be fine with that scenario. I do the caths, you can have my very lewd detox guy. That is pretty awkward, too. Eh... you do what you can with the resources you have. And wherever you go, maybe not mention gender roles or who-caths-who, because as you can see... people have opinions, many of them great, some way off topic, and some I can learn from. Thanks for this, uh, interesting little thread.
I personally always avoided giving male nurses female patients that would need a pelvic exam or a Foley Cath, when I was charge nurse in a very busy ER. Just made my life easier. Either I had to go in and chaperone or another female had to. Usually that ended up making it take longer then needed,
I agree with mvm2 and others in that just because we are a males in the nursing profession it doesn't exempt us from performing medically necessary procedures on patients of the opposite sex. There will be shifts when all the nursing staff, from the charge nurse down, are male. You aren't going to allow a bladder to sit full of urine and cause the patient distress and harm by neglecting to place the urinary catheter. If you are unsuccessful after earnest attempts then get help, even if it's from another nurse that happens to be male. The only way you can grow and reach your potential in your career and in this field is by repetition and experience. Diverting or delegation of a task based on gender doesn't help you learn, it just allows you to deny your need for practice and mastery of an important and necessary skill. Some patients will prefer for modesty to have a nurse, doctor, or other applicable healthcare professional of the same gender provide certain types of personal care, but then that would be the patient's preference, not the provider of that care deciding for the patient without even giving them the option or approaching them about it. You owe it to yourself and the patient to attempt the procedure provided the patient agrees and continue to grow and promote your mastery of that skill no matter the patient's gender.
Everything is anecdotal evidence. Nursing research is majority anecdotal, as proved by every study stating "more research needs to be done" on said project, because it is anecdotal….
But again you point out anecdotal evidence of the double standard in your next to last sentence.
I'm sure your idea of unscientific and scientific falls under different parameters than mine also. Your thinking is most likely following an outline based off a theory and BAM!! "It's scientific research" You show through your posts that to like to study the effects versus the cause. Dang the cause, you say, I have "data" support any vague claim I want.
So yes, anecdotal meaning something different to me and my direct views on most research as a whole.
I'm sure your idea of unscientific and scientific falls under different parameters than mine also.
Maybe. Before becoming a nurse I was a scientist.
Your thinking is most likely following an outline based off a theory and BAM!! "It's scientific research" You show through your posts that to like to study the effects versus the cause. Dang the cause, you say, I have "data" support any vague claim I want.
So yes, anecdotal meaning something different to me and my direct views on most research as a whole.
No. I used the dictionary.
Anecdotal = "based on personal observation, case study reports, or random investigations rather than systematic scientific evaluation."
If research is designed in order to make it reproducible and verifiable, due to the systematic nature of your controls, method, and reporting, then it's by definition not anecdotal. You might be thinking of a different word, but anecdotal literally doesn't mean what you seem to think it means.
Anecdotal = "based on personal observation, case study reports, or random investigations rather than systematic scientific evaluation."
If research is designed in order to make it reproducible and verifiable, due to the systematic nature of your controls, method, and reporting, then it's by definition not anecdotal. You might be thinking of a different word, but anecdotal literally doesn't mean what you seem to think it means.
rnsheri
1 Article; 48 Posts
OP, I'm a woman who doesn't hate you. Your question about what professionalism means is kind of philosophical, and means different things to every single person. I know there's a dictionary definition, and I know I could dissect every word you wrote, you poor unfortunate soul. Sadly, I don't care about what the dictionary says. To me professionalism is walking on my floor and forgetting about gender roles, forgetting about the party I went to last night, forgetting that I'm hungry, and, in my case, forgetting I am a young female. Professionalism is also understanding the role of delegation beyond male and female.
I think if you can work somewhere that is conducive to females starting most catheters and you reciprocating by starting tricky IV's, your position is great. If it were up to me, I'd pass up all my catheters to my more cath-conscious coworker and volunteer to start IV's because it's what I'm good at. Catheters? I personally think females are harder to cath so if you have female team mates who don't have any "Can't-now-OP-Gotta-Go-Bed 441 is vomiting and possibly aspirating!" and they are willing, sure, I would say probably most women are more comfortable with women nurses and that is considerate of you to help put your patient at ease. I think you come from a different angle on the subject, well, in several ways. Many of us do not have that set-up at our place of employment, and while we try to work as a team, after all is done and the world is crashing down around you, female or male, old or young, your patient is your patient. I am so glad to see a male nurse because even if it means starting all the catheters, it means I won't have to deal with the detoxing 300 lb. patient who shows everything and flirts with all the women. Males, however, only get floated to our floor due to short staffing. Otherwise, it's a group of women stuck with male patients and female patients, fat or thin, COPD or prostatectomy.
Males have it very hard in the nursing field and I cannot begin to understand. I think this kind of derailed because it almost sounds like you don't have to do [disgusting or time-consuming task or awkward task] because of your gender. I may be way off base. I didn't read it as sexist. With those kinds of resources of course your situation works. I just know I am completely unaccustomed to that kind of set-up because of the "your patient, your responsibility" mentality that was ground into my impressionable brain at my first job. And if most female nurses hear that, our gut reaction is to say, "Oh yeah? You're too good because you're male? That women should play into our gender roles in this field and have yet more on our plates than our allotted bunch of patients? We are short-staffed already and now so-and-so says "I don't do female caths" so we have to?!" As you can see, people get mad. So...like, don't lead off with that. People get mad and stuff. When you get to know your new crew, see how their unit works and what they do as a team and then ask about limitations to skill performance. Don't assume that it's the same between any two places. Within the US I know most hospitals and most floors do what works for them. And other countries? I don't know.
Anyway, professional nurses tend to keep their private lives private (I have to hide my fatty pizza) and perform the tasks expected of someone of his/her skill level in that situation. You know, scope of practice stuff. Just know how to do it and be able to do it should another person not be there to help you. I hope you're able to work somewhere that gives you delegation choices if you're concerned about a patient's reaction to you doing the procedure. Just be able to offer up something equally difficult, time-wise and skill-wise, so that a female nurse wouldn't be put out by helping you. I would be fine with that scenario. I do the caths, you can have my very lewd detox guy. That is pretty awkward, too. Eh... you do what you can with the resources you have. And wherever you go, maybe not mention gender roles or who-caths-who, because as you can see... people have opinions, many of them great, some way off topic, and some I can learn from. Thanks for this, uh, interesting little thread.