At least in my opinion. In my Assessment class we are required to take our shirts off (the girls can wear sports bras) for the cardiac, respiratory, and abdominal assessments. When, I was young and in shape doing this would have merely made me uncomfortable. Now that I'm middleaged, obese, and generally disgusting it is down right humiliating. I don't take my shirt off even in front of my wife, and I never even look at myself in the mirror when I get out of the shower without a shirt on. You can argue that this is not logical and might even be pathological, but I would assert that it's also my right. These feelings are exasperated by the fact that most of the students I am forced to work with are female between the ages of 18 and 22. Many will say that this teaches empathy for what patients have to go through all the time. This may or may not be the case, but there is one crucial difference. Patients, generally have the right to refuse any assessment, treatment, or procedure without being punished. As students it can be argued that we have such a right, but the price is that we fail if it is exercised (it would be like a school asserting that they don't require students to say the Pledge so long as they don't mind receiving an "F"). Although, this is not the situation in my case, I know of one person who's religious beliefs prevent her from being exposed in front of others in this manner. Thus, in her case her religious freedoms were also being impinged upon.
If nothing else they should offer the opportunity to be excused from the exercise (at least in terms of being examined). If this meant finding a "replacement", I would gladly be willing to shell out several hundred dollars to avoid the humiliation if this is what it took to find someone willing to be assessed in my place (and when I was younger, and in shape would have probably done it for $20.00 despite being shy).
I wonder if anyone has ever brought successful legal challenges to schools based upon this sort of objection?
In my NP education we were required to do pelvic and paps on one another. Our male colleague brought his wife in as his lab partner. No one balked- it made us aware of what our patients are feeling during an exam.
Wow...
I find that shocking. Particularly in the case when a male student is paired with a female student...
When you say that no one complained, it reminds me of the Milgram experiment.
dimpsogre
64 Posts
Wow...
I find that shocking. Particularly in the case when a male student is paired with a female student...
When you say that no one complained, it reminds me of the Milgram experiment.