Male Nurses/female Patients

Published

:banghead: 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?

Specializes in Urgent Care.

A nursing home I did some clinicals in had several geriatric, female patients who were labeled as "No male care providers" and several more "No males for personal care" No male pt's were listed as no female care though.

I did (accidently) provide pericare to one of these women, with the female CNA that had her present. The CNA didnt know this PT was on this list, we noticed an hour later, but the PT gave us no issues and was aware, compliant, and helpful (to the extent she could be) it made me think it was the family that had this done.

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Funny that we never discuss the appropriateness of "male MD's" performing exams, treatment, ect. for their female clients. Why is it such an issue in nursing? Aren't we just as professional as the doctors we work alongside. I can't even stand the term "male nurse". An RN is an RN, male or female. Again, doctors don't see the need to refer to themselves and fellow doctors as male/female MD's so why do we label our colleagues in this way.

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Specializes in Case Manager, Home Health.
Funny that we never discuss the appropriateness of "male MD's" performing exams, treatment, ect. for their female clients. Why is it such an issue in nursing? Aren't we just as professional as the doctors we work alongside. I can't even stand the term "male nurse". An RN is an RN, male or female. Again, doctors don't see the need to refer to themselves and fellow doctors as male/female MD's so why do we label our colleagues in this way.

This should be posted over every doorway into every medical facility on the planet. Maybe then people (pts, family, staff) would start to get a clue that nursing is not a club for females.

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When I read about people "naturally" asking their male counterparts to do tasks such as lifting, I just laugh and shake my head. In my previous career, had I given ANY task based on even the APPEARANCE of gender bias, my butt woulda been shown the door (and rightfully so).

AMEN!! My back is just as important to me as my co-workers'. Why should I get more opportunities to blow out my back just because I am male? (The only answer is I should not, thank you very much...)

Which is exactly why I learned to always find out before I take a new job exactly how many men are employed on the unit and my shift.

I refuse to be the "man" on the unit ever again for those very reasons.

My poor partner, however, is the only guy on his unit and I'm glad he's finally learned to give a reality check to some of his female co-workers who who used to give him the old blank stare "What's the problem here?" look when he'd question them ordering him into their 300+ pound patient's room to get them in/out of bed.....by himself simply because he's a guy so he should be able to lift anything.

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Specializes in Internal Med. / Family Practice.

I am a Male Nurse who works in Family Practice in Tricare(militray) clinics. Most of who we see are military dependants... wives & children. If I'm working w/ a female Doc I can assist w/ gyn/pap exams, BUT I personaly get the patient's permision. I tell the pt " I'm the nurse working w/ Dr. Suzie today, she needs someone w/ her to hand her things during your exam. If you would prefer, I can find a female to come in and stand-by with her".

Generaly the female pt's who've had children & the "older" pt's don't mind. Younger females ( teens- 20's) I don't even ask, I automaticly find a female nurse & cover what they are doing while they do the stand-by for me.

On the occasion I might need to do an EKG on a female, if there are no female nusres avail. to do it, I would find a female staff member to stand-by w/ me while I do the EKG. In our setting we don't do adult caths. But I've done caths on peds girls ( the parents are in the room).

Also, a few years ago there was a thing on "3rd Watch" the tv series, were a paramedics was acussed of touching a females pt's breast in the back of the rig. I believe he was taking her B/P when the rig stopped quickly. But that opened my eyes to how easy you could be accused of doing somthing.

Since seeing that, I am always mindful of not being alone in a room w/ a female pt with the door closed. Our rooms all have a privacy curtin to cover the door (so that if the pt is undressed & the Dr opens the door thay won't be exposed to hall traffic). If need be I will pull the curtin leaving the door open. I also use this if I'm giving a gluteal injection.

Additionaly, if I'm doing a gyn stand-by I go out of my way to keep my back turned as much as possible and stand up past the pt's knees (out of viewing range).

I haqve had many comments by the docs how repectful I was during the exams.

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Specializes in TRAUMA,TRANSPLANT,CARDIOTHORACIC.

I''m a big hairy male sob...and a damn good nurse...I want the patient comfortable..inside and out..so when i walk into an 83 or 33 year old female pts room and see "that" look on their face,I am more than comfortable asking any one of the female RNs or techs to help out if needed..I work in a an ICU...so most cath's are put in in ER or OR...a lot of my pt's are unconcious or heavily sedated..incontinence is the rule of the day and WE are celaning these folks up all day...but to palce a cath...or lady partsl supp...it's too personal...and I could give a rats butt about politcally correct..I do the same for the girls/ladies...frisky or drunk guys,or just obnoxious although the folks I work with are pretty tough and can handle themselves quite well....it's about the patient and common sense...aside from being sexist I'm probably ageist as well...the younger the female patients the more I avoid going under the johnny..again depending on thier LOC...what I have done lately with the newer generations of women being more openminded,is will tell them that I have a bevy of female friends to help witha ny personal needs....I always get a good response...either "I don't care eithe way" or " that would be nice and thank you for the offer("young man" thrown in now and them,I'm 51)...over the years there have been female patients whose signifcant other is a female..and they have requested no male nurses...I have never been offended..although I have never heard "no male doctors" .......I know in my ER...the guys stay away from the sexual assault situations as much as they can...we're a big city too...plus it can be a matter of protection...male docs have a female present when doing an exam...we had a respiratory therapist go thru hell cuz some drug crazed crack user accused him of feeling her up...she was intubated...he is very black..and he was listening to her breath sounds thru her johnny...you'd think we were in mexico..he was guilty until proven innocent..it wasn't until miss 2 teeth accused a female RN, of having sex with her (intubated,open book pelvic fxrs,,bilat tibfibs..4 chest tubes)did they call off the dogs...

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Specializes in TRAUMA,TRANSPLANT,CARDIOTHORACIC.

Ok I can't shut up...I've taken care of several transgender(trying to be nice,just don;t know the proper term)patients and most were trauma patients and at the time they didn;t know who was taking care of them...a couple were transplant patients(internal organs)their option..,and there were no problems..a couple of patients saw my unease early in the day and both told me to relax I was doing fine...and the day just flew...once the ice was broken I asked about thier "other" surgery and if the patients were comfortable talking about it...couldn;t shut them up..

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Specializes in TRAUMA,TRANSPLANT,CARDIOTHORACIC.

there's a male nursing forum? I just thought we got thru saying we were all ONE....I spent 8 years in the Navy..lived with 3,000 guys....I like homogeny( is that a word or type of milk?)i like the mix up...

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Specializes in TRAUMA,TRANSPLANT,CARDIOTHORACIC.

These quotes and one liners are killing me..recovering from back surgery...just 4 days ago..the darvon bottle is getting lighter...but the laughing at all these nutty one liners is great..what a bunch!!!

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Specializes in CVICU.

I'm a nursing student, and when I'm at the hospital giving pt care, I'm a little nervous when working with female pt's otherwise hidden body parts. So I go get a female student or CNA to help. We have only female instructor so any advance practices, she is present. But as a 13 year firefighter If you cann't see it you cann't tx it. I still respect them. But have no problem with EKG's, head to toe exam, and so forth if the pt condition calls for it

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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?

This comment makes me very angry, i am a young male nurse and i refuse to do a female cath without another person in the room. Some pts are senile, and whats to stop them from saying he touched me here or did this to me. You dont have to do my job but some1 needs to be their and have my back if a problem arises. Be more specific or understanding!!!!!!!!

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Specializes in L&D, OBED, NICU, Lactation.
This comment makes me very angry, i am a young male nurse and i refuse to do a female cath without another person in the room. Some pts are senile, and whats to stop them from saying he touched me here or did this to me. You dont have to do my job but some1 needs to be their and have my back if a problem arises. Be more specific or understanding!!!!!!!!

I guess a lot depends on the patient population that you are working with as well as the environment you are working in.

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