Male Nurses/female Patients

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: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 Telemetry, OR, ICU.
I'm a female student, (not a nurse yet) but I can tell you from experience with my two teenage sons and my husband, (who needs to get cathed every once in a while due to kidney stones); all three of them want a female nurse, not a male nurse! This seems to be the opposite of what everyone is saying, but from their point of view, it has something to do with homophobia. My husband was very uncomfortable having a male nurse do his foley, even though there is nothing sexual about it. There is always that question in their minds... Is this guy a homosexual? If he is, I don't want him touching me!

OMG! Please, please, please talk some sense into your husband, ASAP & STAT!!!

All male RNs are NOT homosexuals. Besides, does not really matter anyway as long as a male nurse conducts themselves in a professional manner. BTW, I've noticed a lot of female nurses are lesbians. :eek: Again, should not matter a nurses sexual preference while at work performing patient care in a professional matter.

Regards to your teenagers, that is a completely different situation. In Child Development 101 class we all learn about adolescent privacy issues.

Please, once you have your RN license support your male nurse colleagues since patient care is all about teamwork.

Thanks. ;)

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I agree with your post and would like to add that doctors are not necessarily exempt. I had to have a pelvic exam in an ER and the male doctor asked a female nurse to chaperone, which I though was wise of him. I would not accuse him of anything unfoundedly, but there plenty of litigious people out there that would..I believe doctors and nurses should watch their backs...sad to say, but I don't trust half of these patients as far as I can throw them.

I agree with this comment. I have an benign tumor on my left breast (due to Neurofibromatosis, a genetic disorder that causes tumors to grow around nerves) and resently it changed colors. I went to my geneticist and she sent me to a male general surgeon. When I went for my first visit I first met with his nurse she asked me all the normal questions then (after closing the blinds) examined the tumor visually and measured it. She left to get him and came back with him. And this was my first real breast exam. My tumor is looked at and measured every year. But I never had anyone feeling my breasts so I was nervous and I was going to ask for the nurse to come back if she had not. I have no problem with him doing it. Just especally as it was my first one I wanted another woman there.

Also I have never had a male nurse. If I did I wouldn't mind. I would like it if he asked did I mind if he did *insert privite procedure here*. That is unless I asked for it. For instance a male CNA (not even my CNA but he knew I had asked and noone else was free) put me on a bed pan. I had asked to go to the bathroom but as I had an IV which was attatched to the bed thus would need to be unhooked and rehooked up by my nurse and she was busy he came and asked would I like to use a bed pan or wait. I really had to go so I said bed pan so he brought it and put me on it...took me off...and cleaned me and the bed up as it splashed out. He was actually very gental and kind. not to mention good at changing the bed. He could do it with me still in the bed.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
It amazes me how rampant homophobia is an how irrationally it causes people to behave. Men wanting female nurses seems somewhat degrading to me, as if they are sexualizing nursing practice and reinforcing sexy-nurse stereotypes. It should be the job of every nurse to educate their families about appropriate attitudes towards nursing/gender issues.

:yelclap: :yeah: :bowingpur :beer:

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
Something very similiar happened at a facility I worked at to a male LPN. The elderly woman reported the alleged abuse to the Area Agency on Aging, which investigates such matters in my area. The resident claimed the male nurse touched her lady parts, and penetrated her digitally. The nurse was put on suspension, w/o pay, until the outcome of the investigation, which took over a week. Thankfully, the charge was unfounded, but still, at the very least, he lost a week's pay, and had to take the shame that charge brought to him. Also, his personal life (he was gay) was made public, and he chose to work at another facility after that.

My point here is this, all it takes is an allegation of inappropriate conduct to ruin a guy's life. Had that been a female nurse, and yes, I've seen that happen too, it's usually looked upon as a case of a confused resident, not an abusive nurse. This is only my personal experience, other's may not agree. It seems for some reason, men are still looked upon as predators, and there's usually some doubt after an allegation as to whether the male nurse actually did the abuse. The guy can be married, gay, christian, an upstanding member of the community, but yet there's still doubt, whereas the few female nurses I've seen implicated in such abuse are usually looked upon as the victim, the male nurses have been looked upon as the predator. Is this fair? No, but it's not going to change any time soon.

I took care of the resident that made the abuse charge on that male nurse, and I ALWAYS asked for a female CNA to come into the room with me, even if it was only to adjust her bed, do an accu-check, or administer meds. You have to protect yourself now-a-days, as one charge whether founded or not, can stay with you a long time. It may be a double standard, but guys, watch out for yourself, because you're the one who may face an unfounded charge, and your license is in jeopardy, as well as your reputation. You may be thought of as guilty until proven innocent, instead of the other way around.

This is only my opinion, based on personal experiences, so please don't flame me, I just wanted to present the guy's side as I see it.

I do help the female nurses with unruly male pts tho, and am always available if needed by any female staff member that is uncomfortable with a male pt. Also, I always ask a female pt that needs to be cathed if she'd like a female in the room, or if available, a female preforming the procedure. Usually, they seem fine with me doing the procedure. If I'm uncomfortable with the resident, I will ask for a female nurse or CNA to be in the room "assisting" me tho. It's always nice to have a witness to verify that no inappropriate behavior occurred BEFORE an abuse allegation is filed. Having seen both sides of the fence, I understand where the female nurses are coming from on unappropriate behavior from male pts.

Most guys asking for a female nurse to help them with a female pt or even do the procedure are just covering their @sses, and most female nurses, having also been there before, understand that.

:chair:

LOL, I agree 100% with everything you posted, except that darn chair! Be a man and get out from underneath that chair, right now!

;)

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
When in nursing school, I did have a male classmate, in our LTC rotation day, have a elderly woman ask to have her hair braided.

He was such a bum, he asked me to do it for him. (b/c he didnt know how)

What a slacker :)

Did you offer your male classmate to teach him how to braid the elderly patient's hair?

;)

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
I think males should care for males and females for either gender whenever possible. I definitely think we should chaperone any colleague who requests it or do a little horsetrading when necessary. BUT - the males whose pts I'm going to care for had better be willing to help me with something if I need it. If they don't play tit for tat, it will be the last time I help them. I don't like being played for a fool.

IMHO, a nurse should provide nursing care for patients... period!

Our society has advanced a long ways since the days of Florence Nightingale [no disrespect intended to her] & hope we continue to advance. Our society of baby boomers will be more receptive to male nurses than say our grandparents are today.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
Many of you are not responding to me, and I am curious why.

Why is it that female nurses generally can assess both MALE, and FEMALE, but males cannot generally assess female, and women are embarassed about their "private" areas, but most of you female nurses feel like men are not embarassed about theirs. Why is it everyone is concerned for a male nurse having a witness, while hardly anyone is concerned for a female nurse having a witness?

Myself, I would just care for the patient like I am male, and female. Why should what I have on the lower portion of my body decide whether I care for you, or not. I could myself have a female organ down there.(Don't worry I DON'T!) Perfectly male here. But why is it so consentual with males, but not with females.

Sir, how old are you? I ask D/T maybe you don't realize how folks were raised back in the 1950's, 40's, 30's, etc. It is more of how society was conditioned rather than personal resentment against men.

I'm 45 yrs old and have been in healthcare for 11 years. Sometimes I wish I'd gone into the healthcare field sooner, but I do envy male nursing students of today because they will face less resistance from society as a whole.

In summary, always consider the patients wishes.

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Specializes in Emergency, PACU, ICU,.
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.

After almost 20 years in ER, I have had a number of females RNs ask me to cath males or to get cultures from male organs....

I have no problem with cathing females (I'm a guy), as long as the PATIENT doesn't have a problem with it. Females frequently have difficulties with male RNs performing certain procedures. It's a fact.

Kev

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.

Hey Mods, just curious as to why this Thread has not been moved to the Male Nursing Forum?

manenough2bnurse4ms.jpg

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Specializes in LTC, assisted living, med-surg, psych.

Excellent point..........consider it done.:wink2:

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
Excellent point..........consider it done.:wink2:

Oh my, nice move & nice avatar, too. ;)

:flowersfo

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"Heretonormative"? "Commodify"?

Wow, can someone clue me in?

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