It Frustrates Me

rn/writer, RN · Jan 15, 2010

Many male OB/Gyn docs have a nurse present for exams, especially the internal ones.

Rather than be insulted, think about this from another angle. Having a chaperone present protects you from false accusations. There are unbalanced folks out there who may misinterpret your actions. Others like the challenge of hitting on a male practitioner. Then there are the ones who threaten lawsuits, hoping for some quick cash in the form of a settlement. You don't have to do anything wrong to end up being sued. (Which is why I highly recommend carrying professional Liability Insurance.) A chaperone in the room can decrease your risk as well as put your patient at ease.

Silverdragon102, BSN · Jan 16, 2010

Before I left the UK the area I worked in it was recommended that a chaperone was present or offered and if declined was recorded offered and declined as a protection for both nurse and doctor. Unfortunately there are people today that will shout something when nothing has happened. I agree with rn/writer think of this in the way it is meant to be which is protection for you and any other medical staff as well as protection for the patient

Mike A. Fungin RN · Jan 16, 2010

I've seen this brought up or mentioned on these boards before... and it always bewilders me. I've never had it suggested to me that a female peer or "chaperone" should accompany me while providing intimate care to a female patient. Not as an EMT, and not as an RN... and I work in a neurosurgical/trauma ICU, so a fair amount of my work is intimate and/or invasive.

As for the argument that it's a way to protect us, I've heard that rationale used before and it doesn't hold water unless there's some known issue with the patient. Even then... if there's a history of false accusations, issues with male caregivers, or rape/sexual assault... my assignment would be changed before I'd get a "chaperone". My coworkers have their own patient assignments and it doesn't make sense for them to have to babysit me every time I provide care to that patient.

If that's the way we want to do things... then while we're at it every female nurse should be escorted by a male when providing intimate care to a guy. That way she's protected from the slim possibility of a verbal or physical advance.

I just don't see the world that way. We're all professionals, and the assumption should be that we'll conduct ourselves as such, not the other way around.

elkpark · Jan 16, 2010

There are several existing threads on this same question (some of them quite lengthy, as I recall). I also don't see what all the fuss is about. I've never worked anywhere where it was required that male nurses be chaperoned. Some male nurses, as well as every physician I've ever known, choose to have a chaperone present for "intimate" procedures for their own protection, to avoid the risk of being accused of anything inappropriate. In my role as a charge nurse in psych settings, I've always encouraged male nurses and techs to completely avoid being in a room alone with a female client for any reason, simply for their own protection (it's easy to say well, sure, that makes sense when you're dealing with the psych population, but keep in mind that you never really know, in other settings, if you're "dealing with the psych population" -- you may well be!). It is true that females can also be accused of a variety of things by male clients, but that is much, much less likely to happen than male staff being accused by females.

My own physician (male), who has been my physician for over 20 years, has a female staff present to chaperone when he does my P/P exam each year -- although I can't imagine he's worried that I'd ever accuse him of anything.

I don't see that it's insulting to the male professionals -- if anything, IMHO, it's insulting to the female clients (that they're (we're) such wackos that the men have to protect themselves from us) ...

EDRN-2010 · Jan 16, 2010

female input here!

[color=dimgray]why do male nurses need to be "chaperoned" when performing intimate procedures on women patients. for god's sake, they're professionals who underwent rigorous academic training to get where they are. do male gynecologists need to be chaperoned? no! how about male obstetrician? again, no! every male gynecologist i have ever personally seen has had a nurse in the room during exams, same goes for my obstetrician. unfortunately many women have accused these professionals of things and it is a way for them to cover their asses. my doctor said he is required to do so (have a female in the room) according to his group insurance policy.

[color=dimgray]

on that same note i feel that it is a double standard if a facility requires male professionals to have a witness during procedures on women if they do not also require that same witness for female professionals during procedures on male patients. i have not heard of facilities in my area requiring male nurses to have a chaperone. my husbands pcp is a female and has never had a witness in the room during intimate portions of his exams.

sorry this happens, think of it this way, maybe it is not the male professionals they don't trust but the female patients! jk

caroladybelle, BSN, RN · Jan 17, 2010

Why do male nurses need to be "chaperoned" when performing intimate procedures on women patients. For God's sake, they're professionals who underwent rigorous academic training to get where they are. Do male gynecologists need to be chaperoned? NO! How about male obstetrician? Again, NO! To suggest male nurses need to be supervised to do what they do is an insult to their intelligence. .

Actually, I have in the last 10 years never seen an instance of male nurses having to be chaperoned when giving care to female patients.

On the other hand, virtually every male MD (Internist, Gastroenterologist, OB/Gyn) that I have dealt with has had a nurse or NP present when performing invasive examination of a female pt. First, to assist him and also to provide a witness.

It might be nice if you got your facts straight.

RedCell · Jan 17, 2010

It might be nice if you got your facts straight.

Well said caroladybelle. Perhaps the OP should heed this advice before becoming frustrated with his "genetic makeup".

glneo · Jan 18, 2010

In the ED I work in we are required to have someone go into the room with us to do any type of foley, pelvic exam, etc. So my employer simply has the female nurses do all the procedures that involve this type of invasiveness. I have been on teams that are 4 men and one woman RN and the female does all the female foleys, pelvic exams and such. I personally don't mind but I think it is ridiculous. I mean it is alright for the females to do foleys on both male and female patients but I, as a man, am only allowed to do this procedure on men. Once again, it is fine with me as I do not look forward to putting foleys in 300 lb old women but the double standard is irritating. Oh yeah, the men are not even allowed to go in with the MD to be the witness for the pelvic exam...it has to be a female. I don't understand that at all. We work as a team though so many times the men do the foleys for the male pts since the women do the females. It protects us all so whatever. Don't take it so personally...it is what it is.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Jan 18, 2010

A few weeks ago I had a very confused woman announce that she had been raped in her bed the night before. While we were certain that this was 2o her mental status and not an actual rape a full investigation and psychotherapeutic intervention were undertaken. Every male in the facility, one of whom is an aide on NOCS when the event was alleged, came under scrutiny. While we *knew* that they were not rapists we had to act as if for the course of the investigation.

One of the things that helped him was that it was known that he always performed care (changing, peri-care) with a female partner because he was wary of such an accusation being thrown his way by a demented/mentally ill resident.

C-DIFF PHIL RN · Jan 21, 2010

man i tell ya...i work in icu and many part time hrs in local er's. i do not put myself in a situation that even a acusation can be stated. i will only do a foley, strip down or 12 lead on a female if the crap is hittin the fan with that pt. otherwise get a female staff person in there with me. seen too many other nurses, resp techs and docs get absurd acusations leveled at them by patients. nope do want that headache.

TwilightRNurse · Jul 19, 2010

For God's sake, they're professionals who underwent rigorous academic training to get where they are. Do male gynecologists need to be chaperoned? NO! I long to work with children in a neurosurgical ICU / step down unit, but if I'm going to be eyed suspiciously for merely doing my job, then it's not worth it.
The nursing profession needs radical change NOW! This sexism must be stopped.

Molesters of children and adults alike know no level of education. Priests, teachers, doctors, lawyers.....as well as those who do not have any formal education such as construction workers, sales clerks, gas station attendents, etc..

Yes, Male GYN's do have to have chaperone's, as do Male family practioners, Male cardiologists, every type of Male doctor and Male nurse.

You are not a nurse, you are not a parent. You don't know how it works in the world of nursing (yet) and you don't know what it's like to have to protect your child (no matter their age).

Don't be frustrated until you're a nurse and have something to worry about. If I had a nurse who didn't want a chaperone around my child in ICU then I'd be asking for a new nurse to be assigned. Sorry buddy,that's the real world as it really is.