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.
This is probably not germane to the original discussion, but I have to ask...
Why would someone who is uncomfortable with female anatomy (uncomfortable catheterizing females, etc.) take a position on the gynecology ward? Again, this does answer the question of "should males catheterize female," but it makes the whole situation a little more bizarre.
This is absolutely the most mind boggling part about this. My god.
Have you done that on an 18yr old girl? if so, do you honestly believe she was ok with it? Perhaps she didn't say anything because she felt too scared to.
When I was an 18 year old girl, a male OB jammed a speculum up my lady parts. At that point, that was the only thing that had been in there except tampons.
After that, having a catheter inserted by a male nurse would have been nothing.
It was an accident. The local hospital took on 12 new grads - but with no interview, and we got a letter congratulating us on our new jobs, and what ward we were in. They thought my name was a woman's name, and when I turned up, the charge nurse called management to ask *** was going on. Not the easiest place to start.
So you'd be fine with a man doing that with your 18yr old daughter? Maybe you are fine with it, but is your daughter?
I have a 17 year old whom I am fairly certain would accept care from men if hospitalized, because she's been pretty vocal about how stupid it is to expect that only one gender can do certain tasks. Since she's entering aerospace engineering, she's living by her words. :)
I have NEVER understood why males need a "chaperone" to do female care, but females do not when providing male care.
Because our society believes men/boys can't really be sexual assault victims. Look at the differences in media coverage and even sentencing when a female teenager is taken advantage of by her teacher, and when the same happens to a male teenager. With the power differential and position of trust, there can be no real consent, never mind the illegality. Yet girls are treated as victims, while boys more often get back slaps. They don't even have permission to feel victimized.
Because our society believes men/boys can't really be sexual assault victims. Look at the differences in media coverage and even sentencing when a female teenager is taken advantage of by her teacher, and when the same happens to a male teenager. With the power differential and position of trust, there can be no real consent, never mind the illegality. Yet girls are treated as victims, while boys more often get back slaps. They don't even have permission to feel victimized.
I can not believe that an HR department would be so much in a rush of giving jobs out that they would not have seen that you were a male nurse. Sure a name can be confusing but I can not imagine that they would have seen your resume and profile and not notice that you were a guy. So strange. Also why take the job if you are so uncomfortable working with women. You should not be taking on a nursing job that you are not willing to or are uncomfortable doing and expect your female co workers to take on the slack
100% true. I listened in as the charge nurse phoned management, and it wasn't nice. It was the most bizarre way to start a job, no interview, no questionaire, no apparent filtering of the candidates. But with twelve jobs and over 100 applicants (from other universities as well) of course you're not going to say no.
100% true. I listened in as the charge nurse phoned management, and it wasn't nice. It was the most bizarre way to start a job, no interview, no questionaire, no apparent filtering of the candidates. But with twelve jobs and over 100 applicants (from other universities as well) of course you're not going to say no.
True. It does sound like you were badly treated and that's not right.
I worked in an OB/GYN clinic, and of course, have been a patient. I would say the word is not "intimate", nor have I heard that used. Rather, "private".
Over the years, I have had 4 OBGYNs and 3 different Reproductive Endocrinologists. 6 out of 7 of them have been males. So yes, I have had a whole lot of male doctors with their faces up my hoo-ha over the years. Doesn't bother me at all. They are trained medical professionals. This isn't a sexual thing. I chose my doctors based on their expertise and skill and not their gender.
That said, there are some women who are uncomfortable with male physicians and/or nurses. All they need to do is request someone else. And that's not a big deal.
flyersfan88
449 Posts
This is absolutely the most mind boggling part about this. My god.