Male Nurses/female Patients

dougRN2BE · Jul 16, 2006

Just out of curiosity...would you feel 100% comfortable performing these tasks if you were a male nurse? I can understand why one would be frustrated at the hesitancy, but I suppose I can also understand the hesitancy.

I would imagine there are some male nurses who take advantage of the fact they are male (there are always these people in any group) and I am quite sure there are those who have legitimate concerns...doesn't the second group deserve a fair shake?

TazziRN, RN · Jul 16, 2006

I have worked in a large-town facility and am now in a rural facility. I have also been a pt in a university hospital. In all three, it is preferred that male RNs do not do female caths and help with gynie exams if at all possible. The men I know do not foist their female pts on the women, they just ask us to help with certain things that should require a chaperone if they were to do them.

ern91 · Jul 16, 2006

I really can't say if i would or would not feel comfortable performing tasks as a male nurse, as i have never been one. What I can say is that I never even entertained the idea that I might not have to perform certain nursing duties because of my gender, nor did I ever imagine anyone else doing so. If any nurse has an issue with performing a duty for any reason, they certainly have the right to speak up. However , in my experience, this particular issue has been taken advantage of by younger male nurses especially. I begin to wonder who really has the problem.Are nursing programs emphasizing this issue now that more men are becoming nurses?

ern91 · Jul 16, 2006

I should also add that I have never heard of or seen a female nurse refusing to care for a male patient in regard to catheterization, bathing, or any other exam of a personal nature.

JoeyDog · Jul 16, 2006

I am not a nurse but have been an CNA for about four years off and on and have spent two full years working in the hospital environment. I have worked extensivley with male nurses, however they had been nurses for quite a long time. My husband will graduate nursing school in about 3 more weeks and he has worked in the ED as a tech during his last year of school. All of that being said here are my two cents (these are generalizations based on my exp, what other male nurses have said, and my husband)...

*Geriatric patients tend to (not in every instance but most often) prefer someone of the same gender to perform their bathing, EKG's (female pts primarily), catheterizations, and basically any exam that involves exposure of private parts/areas. It was just "how they were raised" is what I am often told.

Yes I have been told by older male pts that they would prefer to have a male aid or nurse give them a bath ect. That is okay it is there choice. I am certianly not upset about situations like that. Other times I have refused to care for certian male pt's b/c they were vulgar and nasty. I would go get a male nurse (or aid) to perform care and that usually straightened them right up no more nasty talk from them! They usually never told the male nurses how big their you know whats were.

*the spouse of a pt may prefer a same gendered care giver due to afore mentioned reasons.

*People in their 20's,30's,40's, & 50's tend to not really care, some do, but the vast majority don't.

*People in their teens and "tweens" very often prefer to have someone of the same gender perform any procedures in which the private areas of the body are exposed. And if an option to have their parents with them usually mom.

*New male grads who have little clinical exp may feel very uncomfortable performing procedures on women in which private areas are exposed, and that is okay. If they are nervous and uncomfortable the pts will sense this and also become uncomfortable. My opinion better to have someone who can be a comfort to the patient do the procedure.

My husband worked as a CNA for about two years before nursing school and it took him quite a long time to get used to seeing and touching women (geriatric pts) in areas that are usually hidden. He went through this again in clinicals during nursing when he had to deal with women his age (20's-30's) and younger. He is now fine with performing procedures, ect. on female pts. However, that came with time and the practice of learning how to handle yourself, and getting use to touching and observing the body of female patients.

*Other reasons for wanting a same gendered care giver are usually religious reasons, this includes male nurses not wanting to do certian procedures on female pts.

All in all there are a multiplicity of reasons that patients prefer what they do. All you can do is try your very best to accomodate them. Furthermore it has been my exp that male nurses don't take adavatage of women not wanting a male nurse the male nurses I have seen are very hard working. It could just be your facility. Anyhoo I hope this gives you a little more insight, sorry I got so long winded. Good luck!

P.S. I know my spelling is horrible! :rolleyes:

Jack39 · Jul 16, 2006

Unfortunately, our litigious society assumes that all men are predators. The fact that doctors are exempt from this assumption is claim to thier continued elevation as morally and intellectually superior to all other health care professionals.

Let's face it, all it takes is an accusation and that male nurse is run out of town on a rail (there will be the usual investigation, commonly without finding, followed by considerable stress on the floor about what really happened). The assumption of guilt is classicly conditioned. Who would want to put themselves in that position?

Please don't shoot the messenger on this subject; it is only my opinion

Jack39 · Jul 16, 2006

Unfortunately, our litigious society assumes that all men are predators. The fact that doctors are exempt from this assumption is claim to thier continued elevation as morally and intellectually superior to all other health care professionals.

Let's face it, all it takes is an accusation and that male nurse is run out of town on a rail (there will be the usual investigation, commonly without finding, followed by considerable stress on the floor about what really happened). The assumption of guilt is classicly conditioned. Who would want to put themselves in that position?

Please don't shoot the messenger on this subject; it is only my opinion and I am sure there are many opposing opinions that are valid. My favorite saying is " Perception is reality" which is true, apparently,:chair: :chair: :chair: in this case.

JoeyDog · Jul 16, 2006

I agree that the assumption of guilt is conditioned. However if, as a male nurse you are uncomfortable say so! opt out of the procedure and have someone else do it, or get a female nurse as a chaperone. Notice I am saying procedures I have not seen (not to say it never happens) a female pt refuse to get meds b/c they were coming from a male nurse they just don't want to be exposed in front of them. Ahhhhh what can a say ern91 if you a really worried about it you may want to think about another profession. But trust me everything comes with practice and time.

Redneckmedic63 · Jul 16, 2006

I believe much of this can be instilled in nursing school, where feminine care for those pt's was delegated to female students - my understanding a fairly common occurance (I went to school at a Catholic Hospital). From a male standpoint... 2 reasons.

First, if caring for a female pt that needs this type of care (and that task is not a great majority of my shift time), it only makes sense to have a female perform a task (from the standpoint of comfort and legal protection), and thus NOT tie up a second staffer that might need to be present as a witness.

Also, I believe this is a hot topic more on a regional basis at times. Older females in this area are generally MUCH more comfortable (as are their families) with a female performing those procedures on a female - may more so than in other regions. And quite frankly, this is one of the few topics where being a "male nurse" still makes some pt's uneasy. Men being cathed by female nurses has been done MUCH longer and is generally better accepted than males performing caths on females. Men in nursing still fight the uphill battle of acceptance at times.

Truthfully, on the rare occasions I might ask a female co-worker to cath for me or assist as a witness (I moonlight in other areas beside PI), I CERTAINLY make sure that I return the favors in any way I can - it's ALL about teamwork and caring for the patient. And honestly, as a man working in nursing, I couldn't tell you how many times I've been the first one everyone runs to when lifting is needed (more often than I've asked for caths).

I think tasks that may be assumed to be along gender roles all even out in the long run. All of the guys in our unit try their best- and we (men and women) ALL work as a team. It IS about the pateint, right?

I love this job - really - and I don't mind trading tasks here or there to make sure my patient gets what he/she needs. There are none of us - male or female - sitting down while the others bust butt...

Retired R.N. · Jul 16, 2006

I'm interested in knowing if anyone has the issue of male nurses refusing to perform certain nursing functions simply because they are male. Having worked in a large teaching hospital and smaller community hospitals, there seems to be a huge difference. In the teaching hospital, male nurses did everything a patient needed, regardless of gender. In the smaller community hospitals, the male nurses sought out female nurses to take care of all manner of female patient's hygiene, all gyn exams ,and anything else a female patient needed. Have we become such a litigous society that we base our practice on gender? Do you find yourself taking care of your male colleagues patients as well as your own simply because they are afraid to touch their female patients?

Nurses working in small community hospitals usually find life much more enjoyable when they conform to the community standards regarding same sex care for their patients. Disregarding patients' preferences can be disastrous to a hospital's income statement because patients will often select the hospital they want based on their opinions of "nursing care."

Please don't make any blanket assumptions about patients' preferences based on their ages, because these attitudes often tend to be a family trait that is reinforced daily by community and/or religious teachings. If the idea of a patient wishing to maintain a sense of modesty offends you, perhaps you should find a different workplace.

911fltrn · Jul 16, 2006

I pesonnally ask for a female to do my female patients caths. Im very comfortable doing them however i dont want to give anyone the opportunity to make a bogus claim against me. If im going to do a female cath there will be a female witness.

Heck where I work 98% or the patients have a different skin color than i do. Ems can be rolling a GSW in the door and I have the patient yelling at me when Im trying to help them. Its absoultley amazing, Let me see your shot and you dont want me to help you because of my skin color.

I would assist and have with pelvics when no female RN is present. This has been very rare but there are more and more nights where all the E.R. RN's are men.

My personnal opinion if your a man have a witness so that noone can make false accusations against you.

And for those of you that think i might be dumping on the female R.N.s, i will take all the jail patients for them, I will be standing in front of them for the daily abusive and assaultive patients. (get hit all the time) And I will take the critical patients so that they dont have to.