Published
Here's the issue:
I've come into situations where some women aren't comfortable with a male nurse. An example would be during my OB rotation, I cared for a woman for ten hours and at the moment of labor I wasn't allowed to witness it. I was the only nursing student who never witnessed a live birth. My issue with this is why am I not allowed to do things that other male health professionals can, such as doctors? Am I not educated enough or professional enough? What should I do when I get a patient who isn't comfortable around me, without sounding snooty or petty? Do I try to convince them that I'm a professional or do I just go on my way?
I'm sorry to hear this, and no, in my opinion it isn't fair. I wonder if it may have anything to do with where you live. I never saw a male student be excluded from anything during my OB clinicals, or any other clinicals for that matter. The only student in my group who was interested in our OB rotation was a guy- the rest of us couldn't have cared less and really wanted to work someplace else.
I'm not a male and haven't walked in those shoes but I disagree a little. I'm a 50 yr old mom, healthy and fit *looking*, at this moment in my career I have the ideal fasade for establishing patient trust on appearances alone for my population and there are still some things that mortify them for me to see and do.
It's up to us to build a rapport and trust. I used to have a hard time doing that with say for conscientious male caths, or cleaning up an incontinent episode for someone who has never been incontinent.
It didn't come immediate for me, it's a skill I've had to learn. And it starts with a confident air that I'm there to care for them. Not because of some stupid satisfaction rating, which I never think about, but because I genuinely am.
A male will often have that extra barrier to break through but I would start off with the simple stuff without asking them if they're okay with having a male nurse. I would go in there and *be* their nurse, starting off with the easy stuff while talking with them and helping them feel safe with your kind leadership, you're going to be their hero of the day in that clinical but compassionate way. If that doesn't work, then they'll have to deal with the eye rolling female nurse that just had to absorb them..
I think this is an interesting thread as I am a mature woman who is a nurse, has been a patient, and has had babies.
I have only had excellent experiences with my male colleagues, they are amazing to work with. As a patient, I would have absolutely no qualms about them caring for me EXCEPT when it comes to private parts. I can't really explain it but that area is personal and a male cleaning me up no matter how professional and capable would make me really uncomfortable because of MY issues, not because he was male. If I'm completely out of it though, I don't care lol.
I do remember when I had my children, I didn't want anybody there that didn't need to be there. I turned down exams by residents, male and females because I was extremely stressed. So, yeah it stinks that you didn't get that experience, and it will undoubtedly happen again. Don't take it personally because it's not.
It might be different if you were a nurse in actuality too, many people get in to nursing school, but not as many pass. Students in general are a mixed bag of professionalism too, you just don't know what this persons previous experience has been. OB is a weird area (no offense OB nurses!) in terms of emotions running high (families/patients) and very protective nurses thrown in.
On the lighter side, some of those female students that witnessed the birth are probably having second thoughts about having a baby anytime in the next 100 years .
Here's the issue:I've come into situations where some women aren't comfortable with a male nurse. An example would be during my OB rotation, I cared for a woman for ten hours and at the moment of labor I wasn't allowed to witness it. I was the only nursing student who never witnessed a live birth. My issue with this is why am I not allowed to do things that other male health professionals can, such as doctors? Am I not educated enough or professional enough? What should I do when I get a patient who isn't comfortable around me, without sounding snooty or petty? Do I try to convince them that I'm a professional or do I just go on my way?
I think it's important to respect the wishes of the patient. I work in psych so it's a little different but we have to search every patient and I ask females if they mind if I search them. Most of the time, they'll OK but if they're not, I'll go get a female co-worker from another unit to perform the search.
Trying to get into a "pissing match" with a patient(customer) is always going to end up badly.
JWG223
210 Posts
No stress, brother. Head down, motor on, is good advice. If the patient doesn't like you, make sure that they also don't remember you.