Male Nurses/female Patients

[ern91]

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?

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

I guess it all depends on the procedure/treatment. I had a large mole removed from my right breast and the only RN there to remove the sutures was a male nurse. I had no problems with him removing the sutures -without another person in the room. I kept the situation professional, I would rather have a RN than an office assistant.

I agree. As long as the nurse knows what they are doing and does not cause an unneeded level of pain (because I know that some things they do is going to cause pain no matter how skilled they are), then I do not care the gender. I just want good care that is provided to me and that I am given the level of respect and dignity that I deserve as a human being.

[Jarelle]

I'm a CNA so I kinda don't have a real imput on this one, but I'll give you one anyways, lol.

Sometimes the patients/residents feel that it's inappropriate for a male to do any care on them. Could just be that the female patient/resident is an old fashion type of girl.

[Jarelle]

and honestly I'd rather have a female do all femaleish care on me. rather then have a guy do it.

[JoI8815]

I will just like to apologize if this post offends anyone...that is not the intent...

I am a 21 year old female and personally it does not matter what gender takes care of me, as long I am taken care of. However, when I ask my female peers if they would allow a male to perform certain procedures they freaked and said "heck no!" I do not believe that their response is because they are racist or sexist or whatever some of you all think it is. Most females have an automatic protective defense up in their minds against men, not because they believe that all men are perverts, but because of personal daily experiences we have encountered with men on the street, at the workplace etc. One of my friends work at a certain hospital and she told me that her co-worker got fired because while transporting an unconscious pt in the elevator, he stuck his member in her mouth. I'm not implying that all men will do such a thing but some females just have this protective defense against any male whether it's a bank teller, a police officer or a nurse...Sorry I guess but that's just the way it is. When we come to the hospital, this defense does not automatically go down just because you're a nurse or a doctor...its still there, in the back of our minds...as a result, some of us simply feel comfortable with a female nurse performing the procedure...nothing personal. I'm sorry some of you guys feel discriminated against but you're actually safer dealing with someone of the same sex than having to be accused of perversion...which is the worst ever. And as for homophobia, honestly, I have nothing against homosexuals but I would rather a male nurse look at me than to have a lesbian do it...ask me why and I really can't explain its just a thing.:uhoh21: :uhoh21:

[plumiegirl]

Well, glad to see this thread is still going. I just recommended the hiring of a male nurse at the school district I work for. He was the best of the interviews. I have had my share of negative male interactions but I am always open minded for those decent guys (with good recommendations and work history of course). I am crossing my fingers that this one will open more doors for male nurses in the school and community health arenas. Another district in my county has a male school nurse (for about 8 years now) and we have been good friends for many years also. He was the nurse for my son when he was in school. Here's to the neat male nurses out there. KMRN

[ecurulz]

I'm a 27 year old male thinking about becoming a CRNA so I would have to be an ICU nurse for a few years. I've had female nurses see me naked and I didn't care. However as a nurse I would prefer to never see any women naked. I saw an old naked woman in a movie one time and it scarred me for life lol. Can a male be a nurse and never have to see a female naked or touch her private areas? thanks!

[Emma Peel]

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.

I have also never seen male nurses "trying to get out of doing nursing duties". Sometimes they will ask for help, chaperone, or for a female nurse to do private area care, usually at the pts request.

One of the things I have seen on the floor is that male nurses will be called on more often to help with turning large patients, handling aggressive patients, and anything else that people perceive as being more easily done by a large, strong person.

So I think in general, it balances out. In a good facility, all nurses try to help each other. But we do have to remember that the nursing duties that become routine to us (our tasks) are often not routine to our patients. They are things we are doing to another person's body and anything we can reasonably do to make this a more comfortable situation for the patient, the better everyone's day will be.

Emma "Let's all work together" Peel

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

I will just like to apologize if this post offends anyone...that is not the intent...

I am a 21 year old female and personally it does not matter what gender takes care of me, as long I am taken care of. However, when I ask my female peers if they would allow a male to perform certain procedures they freaked and said "heck no!" I do not believe that their response is because they are racist or sexist or whatever some of you all think it is. Most females have an automatic protective defense up in their minds against men, not because they believe that all men are perverts, but because of personal daily experiences we have encountered with men on the street, at the workplace etc. One of my friends work at a certain hospital and she told me that her co-worker got fired because while transporting an unconscious pt in the elevator, he stuck his member in her mouth. I'm not implying that all men will do such a thing but some females just have this protective defense against any male whether it's a bank teller, a police officer or a nurse...Sorry I guess but that's just the way it is. When we come to the hospital, this defense does not automatically go down just because you're a nurse or a doctor...its still there, in the back of our minds...as a result, some of us simply feel comfortable with a female nurse performing the procedure...nothing personal. I'm sorry some of you guys feel discriminated against but you're actually safer dealing with someone of the same sex than having to be accused of perversion...which is the worst ever. And as for homophobia, honestly, I have nothing against homosexuals but I would rather a male nurse look at me than to have a lesbian do it...ask me why and I really can't explain its just a thing.:uhoh21: :uhoh21:

Would your father do that? Your brother?

Honestly, I don't see a problem with a patient refusing a male out of modesty, or even due to some past trauma. People deserve to be as comfortable with their care as they can be. But, no matter how nicely you try to put it, I don't see a logical difference between saying one can't trust men because some men behave badly--yes, very badly--and saying one can't trust black people (or white people) because some of them behave badly.

Your friend works at a hospital where the staff sexually abuse unconscious patients. Should we distrust her? If one employee would do such a detestable thing, how can we know others wouldn't? Is she less deserving to be judged on her own conduct because she is a member of a group that has within it someone evil?

Every crime ever done was done by a human being. It's a pretty safe bet that every imaginable class of human beings, by race, gender, faith, age, whatever, has within it members who have done terrible things. How, then, can anyone trust anyone?

[JoI8815]

Would your father do that? Your brother?

Honestly, I don't see a problem with a patient refusing a male out of modesty, or even due to some past trauma. People deserve to be as comfortable with their care as they can be. But, no matter how nicely you try to put it, I don't see a logical difference between saying one can't trust men because some men behave badly--yes, very badly--and saying one can't trust black people (or white people) because some of them behave badly.

Your friend works at a hospital where the staff sexually abuse unconscious patients. Should we distrust her? If one employee would do such a detestable thing, how can we know others wouldn't? Is she less deserving to be judged on her own conduct because she is a member of a group that has within it someone evil?

Every crime ever done was done by a human being. It's a pretty safe bet that every imaginable class of human beings, by race, gender, faith, age, whatever, has within it members who have done terrible things. How, then, can anyone trust anyone?

No. If my brother or father was doing a certain procedure on me it would be different because I KNOW my brother and father...I don't KNOW the nurse or doctor standing in front of me looking at my privates...

I understand what you are saying about stereotyping...I for one do not like stereotypes especially as a black woman (and the fact that I am from the caribbean do not help...we get stereotyped all the time)...However, I don't think that you understood what I was saying as far as women's internal defense mechanism...I am not implying that all men will sexually abuse an unconscious patient, I am just saying that with a male that you don't know, a lot of women automatically become defensive...its not something that is premeditated it just happens. But every woman is not the same since my sister as well as myself do not mind a man performing certain womanly procedures even though we had our share of bad experiences with men. But some people are just different, and although everyone is not as open-minded, you cannot be close-minded or angry at someone for becoming defensive and not wanting a man to do certain things for them. You cannot be angry at someone who has a psychological issue when it comes to certain things especially sexual, even though you disagree with how they feel. Although you hold strongly to your view, you must be able to understand how other people think as well...and respect it. Don't let it become an issue! Just move on to the next task ahead...

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

No. If my brother or father was doing a certain procedure on me it would be different because I KNOW my brother and father...I don't KNOW the nurse or doctor standing in front of me looking at my privates...

I understand what you are saying about stereotyping...I for one do not like stereotypes especially as a black woman (and the fact that I am from the caribbean do not help...we get stereotyped all the time)...However, I don't think that you understood what I was saying as far as women's internal defense mechanism...I am not implying that all men will sexually abuse an unconscious patient, I am just saying that with a male that you don't know, a lot of women automatically become defensive...its not something that is premeditated it just happens. But every woman is not the same since my sister as well as myself do not mind a man performing certain womanly procedures even though we had our share of bad experiences with men. But some people are just different, and although everyone is not as open-minded, you cannot be close-minded or angry at someone for becoming defensive and not wanting a man to do certain things for them. You cannot be angry at someone who has a psychological issue when it comes to certain things especially sexual, even though you disagree with how they feel. Although you hold strongly to your view, you must be able to understand how other people think as well...and respect it. Don't let it become an issue! Just move on to the next task ahead...

One reason I waited so long to reply to your post is that I know I'm partly replying to some other posts that I found more offensive. It's clear that was not your intent, and I do respect that. And I do understand that prejudices can be visceral, and involuntary. I'm white, and if I'm walking down a street in an unfamiliar city and see a group of young, black men standing on a corner, I can feel my sympathetic nervous system kick up a notch or two. It's an autonomous response conditioned by years of imagery, some real and some fictional, and for all my liberal, do-gooder beliefs, I don't even feel it's wrong to be aware of my surroundings and evaluate whether I might be in danger and how to react if I am.

What I don't do is carry a gun, or cringe shaking hands with a black person in church, or try to justify my prejudice or claim that it isn't prejudice.

So, no, I don't have a problem if a female patient refuses me, or asks that a female perform her more intimate care, and it's a convenient fact that it is almost never difficult to find a female nurse when one is needed (bearing in mind that you may have to wait a little bit.) I really don't even need to know why. It's her body, it's her choice.

If I choose to join the KKK, then I choose to take on the associations that come with that, and I'm an idiot if I'm saying you can't call me a racist because some Klansmen are racists. If I choose to be a nurse and want to be respected as a professional, then I have to concede that the bad acts of some nurses are a stain on my professional honor. But while I personally enjoy being a male and think it's one of the best possible genders one can be, I didn't choose to be a male, I am not a voluntary associate of rapists and murderers, and I am not responsible for what they do. I'm me, and female patients have told me I'm a good, kind, diligent, gentle nurse. If you're frightened of me, for whatever reason, I'm sorry that's so, but I don't apologize, because it isn't my fault.

One can say that men evovled as predators and are naturally aggressive. One can argue that women are weepy and emotional and indecisive.

One can lie about anything, if one is so inclined.

But the women I work with are strong, smart, dedicated and decisive, and the men I work with are gentle, caring, considerate and decent. And vice versa.

[ecurulz]

I'm about to go to nursing school.....they let male nurses see women's private areas and bathe them? I wouldn't be comfortable and wouldn't want to do that as a male nurse.

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

I'm about to go to nursing school.....they let male nurses see women's private areas and bathe them? I wouldn't be comfortable and wouldn't want to do that as a male nurse.

I'm curious to know how you decided upon nursing as a career.