Male nurse in L&D

Katie5 · Sep 13, 2011

A male physician is enough. Birth is both a beautiful and messy thing. I'm not sure any woman would particularly want a male there.

Sorry OP>

Katie5 · Sep 13, 2011

I was refused a few times to go into patient's delivery during my L&D rotation, but it was only when a certain L&D nurse was on. There wasn't any problem any other time. I sat through about nine deliveries over my few days in L&D. I did my L&D rotation in Kaufman Texas back in the late 90's. It doesn't get much smaller or more conservative than that.
I am still waiting for one of my OB patients to say they don't want a male CRNA, and then I can just politely tell them then they won't be getting an epidural today.
This topic to me is ridiculous there is absolutely no justification for having only female L&D nurses on staff. It should be mix of male and females just like any other unit.

If she doesn't want you, then you accomodate her. She has enough worrying with the baby without being uncomfortable in delivering.

But judging from your response, you might be vengeful, so she will just have to suck it up and come out safe:mad:

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Sep 13, 2011

I don't believe the above post meant for you to seek psych help - it was intended for the people who have the hang-ups about male nurses in L&D to "get over it", and support you in whatever department you want to work in.

No, I meant it. While I do agree with the "get over it" notion, when one is not able to "get over" such incidentals and has reached the point where they are unjustifiably suspicious of all men, all African-Americans, all Muslims, or all polka-dotted people, as the case may be, that suggests a pathological condition best served by psychiatric professionals.

linearthinker, DNP, RN · Sep 13, 2011

I understand where wtbcrna is coming from. In my last hospital the laboring patient refusing a male CRNA or even a CRNA over a MDA would either have to

a) cross her legs and transfer to the next hospital or

b) suck it up and deal like a grown-up.

'Cause baby, we had 3 CRNAs on staff, and they were all men. So deal or leave. Those were the choices. I didn't go anywhere near an OB unit (even for my own births, at which some men were present, not limited to my husband and sons), but we did sometimes have patients try to refuse CRNA care and demand MDAs. I always very cheerfully said, "Oh, OK, I will get your transfer paperwork ready. Assuming we can get someone to accept you, which hospital would you like to transfer to: A 50 miles East, or B 60 miles west, or C 40 miles south?" 100% shut up and signed their consents at that point. :lol2: I suspect it was the same in OB.

In short, in my experience,patients are encouraged to express preferences, but they were not given carte blanche get to demand anything, lol.

allnurses Guide · Sep 13, 2011

Wow. I'm hoping what you meant was that it may be impractical at times to accommodate a request for a female anesthesiologist. Although it sounds like you said you are looking forward to a laboring patient telling you they'd feel more comfortable with a female so that you can punish them and make their birthing process more painful. To me, that fails to meet the basic decency standards of both a Nurse, and a man. And as someone who is both, I'm embarrassed that you would apply either of those terms to yourself.

They aren't being punished we just don't have that many female anesthesia staff( we are going to have only one shortly), so if they want to make a request based soley on gender then they need to prepare ahead and file with our insurance system to go elsewhere.

I have no sympathy for someone who has male/female bias when it comes to anesthesia.

allnurses Guide · Sep 13, 2011

If she doesn't want you, then you accomodate her. She has enough worrying with the baby without being uncomfortable in delivering.
But judging from your response, you might be vengeful, so she will just have to suck it up and come out safe:mad:

We work solo after hours(which is the majority time of when epidurals are done/managed for us) I can't suddenly change my gender and neither can my 90+% male anesthesia providers I work with. The patients will either have to deal with their gender biases or get permission from their insurance to go elsewhere ahead of time. Coming in labor and wanting an epidural from only a female anesthesia provider isn't going to work at the vast majority of L&Ds in the country.

This issue almost never comes up in anesthesia. My question would be for all those women that want only women in the room, but still want an epidural who is going to do the epidural (not everyplace has female anesthesia providers to do epidurals on request)?

I don't do lady partsl checks, but I am in and out of the room all the time since I have to also support the neonate when the pediatrician isn't there for meconium stained births/mag babies etc. (which is quite often).

littlewingrn · Sep 13, 2011

Wow, why did this thread turn into male vs. female nurses? The OP asked a simple question and got simple answers. Then it seems a few male nurses got their feelings hurt over it. It is no big deal if a laboring woman doesn't want a male nurse. It is not a personal attack on the male nurse. Jeez, I refused a nursing student (don't know if the student was male or female) during my first birth because I had no idea what to expect at the time and didn't want another person in the room along with everyone else (I wouldn't have a problem now if asked). Giving birth is a very personal experience and very different from any other area of nursing. Until men in L&D becomes a mainstream thing, there is going to be unease. It is not sexual (as previous posters hinted at), it is not personal against the nurse, it has nothing to do with the skills of the nurse. Some women will have issues with it, some women will not. Not too long ago, having a male nurse was unheard of. Now there are male nurses everywhere and they are accepted with no problems. Do you think that is how it was when men first started entering the field? Change takes time.

OCNRN63, RN · Sep 13, 2011

I don't get the hostility toward the laboring pt. It's her childbirth experience, not the nurse's.

allnurses Guide · Sep 13, 2011

Let's see this thread has went from personal preference of the patient to males don't belong in OB, to we are more likely to be perverts, to we just having big hands etc.

Personal preference of the patient is fine, but it has nothing to do with not having a male L&D nurse(s) on the floor. There is room enough for both sexes on any patient floor.

FYI: Males aren't a new thing in nursing. Male nurses have always been around. It was female nurses around the turn of the 19th century that effectively excluded the majority of males from nursing. It was male nurses not female nurses that provided the majority of nursing care up till the turn of the nineteenth century. http://www.malenursemagazine.com/history.html

To me male nurses in L&D are nothing more than another gender bias that needs to be rectified.

As a nurse if you have a problem with a male being an L&D nurse you need to get over it, if you are female patient who wants a female nurse then you will be accommodated as always.

OCNRN63, RN · Sep 13, 2011

You didn't tell me anything I already didn't know.

I'm a nurse and a patient. If I don't want a male caring for me in specific circumstances, it's my right to say so.

When people are sick and/or hurting, it's not their responsibility to have to be an advocate for their caregiver. It's hard enough to advocate for yourself. I can't understand the mentality of forcing one's self into any area just to make a point.

I agree it is reaching to insinuate that males who go into nursing are perverts or potential serial killers. But telling people to "get over it" shows a significant lack of sensitivity.

allnurses Guide · Sep 13, 2011

You didn't tell me anything I already didn't know.
I'm a nurse and a patient. If I don't want a male caring for me in specific circumstances, it's my right to say so.
When people are sick and/or hurting, it's not their responsibility to have to be an advocate for their caregiver. It's hard enough to advocate for yourself. I can't understand the mentality of forcing one's self into any area just to make a point.
I agree it is reaching to insinuate that males who go into nursing are perverts or potential serial killers. But telling people to "get over it" shows a significant lack of sensitivity.

As a nurse then yes you do need to get over it. It is unprofessional and illegal in most cases to bar someone from an area based solely on their gender. Females belong in every area of nursing and so do males. The nursing profession is better off with a mix of both genders in all settings.

OCNRN63, RN · Sep 13, 2011

As a nurse then yes you do need to get over it. It is unprofessional to bar someone from an area based solely on their gender. Females belong in every of nursing and so do males. The nursing profession is better off with a mix of both genders in all settings.

Your opinion.