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 sub-acute.

Having worked as a CNA for 5 years, and now just starting as an LPN, I have found that 99.9% of the female pts I care for, regardless of age, have zero problem with me caring for them after they get to know me. I have no problem and understand why some female pts prefer a female when they first arrive. I am 6'3" and 275 lbs. Might be a little scary to some of em.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
"Heretonormative"? "Commodify"?

Wow, can someone clue me in?

Heteronormativity is a term used in the discussion of sexual behavior, gender, and society, primarily within the fields of queer theory & gender theory. It is used to describe (and frequently to criticize) the manner in which many social institutions and social policies are seen to reinforce certain beliefs. Wikipedia

Commodify is defined as to turn into or treat as a commodity; make commercial: "Such music . . . commodifies the worst sorts of . . . stereotypes" (Michiko Kakutani). Answers.com

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I begin to wonder who really has the problem.Are nursing programs emphasizing this issue now that more men are becoming nurses?

I'm a male nurse. My program definitely emphasized it. Throughout my med/surg clinicals I was never (not once) assigned to a famale patient, whereas female classmates were assigned to take care of men and women withhout regard to gender.

When the L/D rotation came, my instructor was very uncomfortable about it. She warned us (myself and the one other male student) that it would be awkward and uncomfortable), she sort of insinuated that we had a pass to not get involved, not do anything, and just stay out of the way.

In L/D I made it a point to get involved as much as possible (just because I was told not to, I guess). During that rotation I made sure that I did everything any female nursing student does... including being present for two lady partsl births and two c-sections.

The patients had no problem with it (which should be the most important thing), nor did the younger nurses on the floor. The only people who had a problem with it were my instructor (a woman in her 50's) and the older nurses on the floor. I was actually shooed out of a couple of rooms by these older nurses, whereas the younger nurses would come and grab my hand and say: "I'm going to go do a ______, do you want to come and watch."

As these old nurses and their old ideas and prejudices retire, die, or whatever.... this and other forms of discrimination will fade away with them. In time, this problem will fix itself.

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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.

Thank you. I work primarily in psych. We all get the same Agressive Control Techniques training... but when some big, scary, violent patient needs to be taken down, who do you think is expected to go in first?

I work in a small facility where we don't have the option of calling a code gray and surrounding the patient with 15 people (which will often calm them down w/o physical intervention). At night there are only 5 staff members in the entire building and I am often the only male.

My female co-workers better not have a problem if I ask them to do a straight cath on a famale patient assigned to me.

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
...I'm a male nurse. My program definitely emphasized it. Throughout my med/surg clinicals I was never (not once) assigned to a female patient, whereas female classmates were assigned to take care of men and women withhout regard to gender.

...

As these old nurses and their old ideas and prejudices retire, die, or whatever.... this and other forms of discrimination will fade away with them. In time, this problem will fix itself.

When I went thru my clinical OB rotation the only area I was not allowed was the practice of determining the dilation of the cervix. I had no plans to enter the OB/Gyn area of patient care after nursing school. Therefore, it did not bother me male students in my class were not offered the same clinical experiences as female nursing students. I would have been livid if we were tested on an area for which the male nursing students were not exposed. Yet, that was not the case. Nevertheless, I can see how some male nursing students would feel cheated if they had an interest in OB/Gyn.

I have noticed, on the average, younger female nurses have a different mindset regards to acceptance of males in the nursing profession. Old habits [mindsets] are hard to break. What I find disturbing is the female nursing instructors [not all] with the attitude of a hint of dislike towards males in nursing. Of course, most of them would not admit to it.

IMHO, the nursing profession could use more male nursing instructors, more male nurses, more female nurses accepting of male nurses, and more nurses [male & female] in general.

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We are all so PC that our brains are falling out (not meaning to be insulting). Let's be real about men (I've been one for 39 years). Men are predatory and voyeuristic by nature. That's why they go hunting and "read" girlie magazines. Men get sexually aroused by sight and there have be 12 gazillion playboy magazines sold (to men) to prove it. Men take advantage of the physically weaker and there have been 12 gazillion rapes and armed robberies (by men) to prove it.

Men understand that other men (gay or straight) have an aggressive sexual nature. The average male nurse might have his sexual nature under control, but it's still fundamentally different than the average female nurse's sexual nature and therefore her internal experience and external vibe is different when she encounters the nude privates of the opposite sex.

Might I suggest that your lack of understanding about the men in your life's "wigging out" over the idea of having there genitals handled by a male has to do with your lack of understanding about male sexuality. Women get sexually aroused by people. Men get sexually aroused by bodies and body parts. Ever heard of a "boob-man" or a "leg-man"? Imagine. A man can be defined (and indeed define themselves) by which female body part sexually arouses them. Stereotypes tend to have a basis in reality.

Hmmmm, where to start. I've been a MAN for 40 years guy, so let me first ask you NOT to speak for me and lump me into your generalizations because we happen to be of the same sex. I am a PROFESSIONAL, and my work shows it. I think some of the steroetypes you've mentioned are just being perpetuated by people like you that post drivel. To even imply that because I'm a man, I "Have an aggressive sexual nature" that I can't keep under control at the mere sight of a genital area is absurd. I have very good self-control, and would suggest you try to work on yours.

I really have nothing to add that hasn't already been replied to by other members, but again, speak for yourself, and don't use words like "most" or "average".

My suggestion to you is that you may want to re-think nursing school. If I or a family member got you as their nurse, and you spouted such opinionated cr@p, I sure as hell would ask for another nurse, any nurse, male or female, not because of your gender, but because of your unprofessionalism and attitude! Good luck in whatever future you pursue.

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.

Gentlemen (and ladies!),

Can we please move on from that post by Salesman217?

Many of us have pointed out the blatant and glarring errors in his post.

Thanks,

Roy

allnurses.com moderator

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Gentlemen (and ladies!),

Can we please move on from that post by Salesman217?

Many of us have pointed out the blatant and glarring errors in his post.

Thanks,

Roy

allnurses.com moderator

Sorry, had alot of hours at work the last few days, just saw it and really, really felt the need to reply. lol

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
Sorry, had alot of hours at work the last few days, just saw it and really, really felt the need to reply. lol

Maybe if it were to disappear?

:clown:

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Yes, I had encountered some male nurses on my travel assignment that flatly says that they dont want to take care of female patient on particularly on putting catheters. I do understand their situation, but since we took on this profession I do believe that regardless of sex we need to care for them.

On the other hand,we also need to feel as to what our patients want I had experiences that certain female patients prefer female nurse to take care of their female needs and so what I do when I take on a female patient I immediately tell them that I am their nurse but if they feel uncomfortable for me attending their female needs/exams then they have the right to do so and I would get a female nurse but if they dont mind then I perform the tasks that is required.

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OK, I have admit that I have not read every post. However, I have followed many such posts on other forums. AAMN, etc. and have but one question.

Do the female nurses require a chaperone for certain procedures like men do, as has been insinuated by some of the posts?

If not, then neither should the men. A nurse is a nurse is a nurse. I did not become a "male nurse". I checked the license in my wallet just to be sure on this one. Funny, but it just says Registered Nurse. Nurses who happen to be of the male gender should/ do have all of the same rights and responsibilities as nurses who happen to be of the female gender.

Exluding a group due to their gender/race/creed/orientation etc. etc...is illegal in most cases.

In school the only issues that I had regarding gender were discrimination by nursing staff and mostly instructors. The patients had did not say anything to nursing or my instructors, they took it upon themselves to create an issue.

With the great shortage and the fact that nursing was for hundreds of years up until Florence, a male only profession, why can't we just all get along and do what we were trained to do?

Thank you

:banghead:

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I don't have a problem conducting any procedures for any patient. I always ask the patient if they mind me working with them or if they would be more comfortable with a female nurse.

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