male nurses in OB

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2006

Should we have female cops? Firemen? Engineers? Contractors? Cab drivers? Railyard workers?

Should female nurses be allowed to cath or clean male private areas?

mabel u.k · Mar 30, 2006

Should we have female cops? Firemen? Engineers? Contractors? Cab drivers? Railyard workers?
Should female nurses be allowed to cath or clean male private areas?

Female police officers, firemen, engineers etc... do not perform intimate procedures on members of the opposite sex. As for female nurses, I don't perform male catheterisations and if there is male patient requireing intimate hygine I would always ask if he would like a male nurse to see to him.

I would have refused to be treated by a male nurse during my pregnancy and childbirth, and my obs medic was female. This is my personal choice as a patient and well within my human rights. We are here to make sure that our patients are well cared for both physically and psychologically and if being treated by a male nurse is psychologically disturbing for a female patient then we have a professional duty to respect her wishes. ( That would go the other way as well if the patient were male)

That is not to say that there should not be male obs and gynae nurses but the patients choice during their vunerable periods and the patients well being should be our priority and not the male / female nurses ego.

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2006

That is not to say that there should not be male obs and gynae nurses but the patients choice during their vunerable periods and the patients well being should be our priority and not the male / female nurses ego.

I completely agree with you. It is ALL about the patient - I ought to have clarrified my post earlier, so let me take this opportunity to do it now.

The reason I provided examples was that people don't "question" when females work in predominantly 'male' professions -- not matter what the job may entail.

It's almost always "males" working with females and their privates that draw question - rarely the other way round.

Why?

Icenurse · Mar 30, 2006

In Iceland there are no OB nurses, not even one. As a matter of fact there aren´t that many Male RN to begin with. It´s a real shame. I think it´s really dumb if people have to chose there career based on their gender..... people should be able to do what they wan´t for a living. ofcourse pt should be able to ask for a female nurse, but my experience is that peopleg often like male nurses once they get to know them... at least i haven´t had any trouble with female pt. I have myself considered to be a OB nurse, the first in Iceland :uhoh21:

sorry for misspellings

mabel u.k · Mar 30, 2006

I completely agree with you. It is ALL about the patient - I ought to have clarrified my post earlier, so let me take this opportunity to do it now.
The reason I provided examples was that people don't "question" when females work in predominantly 'male' professions -- not matter what the job may entail.
It's almost always "males" working with females and their privates that draw question - rarely the other way round.
Why?

I think you may find it stems back to the very origins of nursing. Like it or not nursing was and has been for a very long time a female dominated profession. It is only fairly recently that male nurses have grown in numbers I would suggest that these questions are raised because it has almost always been female nurses that bedbath male patients, in fact many a sexist joke have been made about female nurses in tight and short uniforms, shiny latex uniforms giving a horny male pateint a bedbath ( I hope it is similar in the US or I may just end up making the UK sound like a really perverted place). It is expected that female nurses will bath male patients, it the UK there are very few male midwifes / and even fewer male Gyane nurses. Just as women have suffered descrimination with areas such as the armed forces, police, firefighting and other male orientated professions men will be subject to similar treatment in female orientated professions. And hopefully just as women have fought and gained some acceptance in these areas so will men. Maybe though being women who have had to fight for thier right to be heard we should be a little more understanding of our male conterparts experiences. Additionally we should be asking our patients consent - be it male or female if they would prefer a member of the same sex to carry out a intimate procedure.

Within the area that I work (surrounded by Welsh valley men) When I ask any of them if they wanted a male nurse to deal with them the look at me as if I am completely mad and say "no love I don't want no bloke playing with my old boy"

rn/writer, RN · Mar 30, 2006

Female police officers, firemen, engineers etc... do not perform intimate procedures on members of the opposite sex. As for female nurses, I don't perform male catheterisations and if there is male patient requireing intimate hygine I would always ask if he would like a male nurse to see to him.

Most firefighters these days are also EMTs or paramedics who, male and female, perform plenty of intimate procedures. These procedures often begin with the removal of the patient's clothing. Of course, there would be other personnel around, but there is no guarantee that there will be someone of the same sex as the patient.

Police officers, as well, may have to perform various types of searches or wrestlle with a suspect. While body cavity searches are done by a same-sex officer, other types of searches can be done by either sex.

As for females not doing male caths and intimate hygiene, that wouldn't cut in any facility I'm aware of. If a male absolutely refused care by a female (I've never heard of it happening with anyone I know), he might have to rely on a family member (which I would think has the potential to be more embarrassing) or do without. Of course, I'm speaking strictly hygiene, not putting in a Foley.

As more men show up on hospital units, I think we'll gradually get used to the idea. At least I hope so.

smk1, LPN · Mar 30, 2006

i am going to be honest and admit to not picking OB docs/np/pa if they are male. I have had an inappropriate exam issue before with a male doc and just prefer female. However when i had my daughter, i was in labor for so long that i had to rotate to another doctor (and nurses) for a few shifts and one of te on call OBGYN was a male. I was in so much pain, i couldn't have cared less. I also never requested a female nurse over a male nurse. I would however always request someone to be present during any type of invasive exam, and i have become a lot more educated about exams and tests (not a nurse yet). I certainly don't want to be subjected to another touchy feely breast exam and "hands down my pants" when i go into urgent care for a bad cold or sore throat!

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2006

I think you may find it stems back to the very origins of nursing. Like it or not nursing was and has been for a very long time a female dominated profession. It is only fairly recently that male nurses have grown in numbers

Not to distract from the direction of the thread: but the very first Nursing school was opened in India in 250 BC. Only men were considered "pure" enough to be nurses. [Charaka, Vol I. Section xv]

Additionally we should be asking our patients consent - be it male or female if they would prefer a member of the same sex to carry out a intimate procedure.

I wouldn't say "additionally" but rather "we ought to only worry about what the patient wants".

That's what I'm trying to point out - this whole thread started with the premise "member of sex 'a' works job 'c', is this acceptable or not?".

All I'm saying is "It doesn't matter if sex is 'a' or 'b', but if person 'd' on whom job 'c' is being performed is comfortable with it or not". (and naturally, person 'a' or 'b' should be competent to do the job...)

Roy Fokker, BSN, RN · Mar 30, 2006

Y'know, this thread got me thinking:

Why stop at Male/Female?

What if some patient were to say "I will not have a white woman doing that to me me".

Or "I will not let that Muslim do this proceedure".

?

imenid37 · Mar 30, 2006

The best OB department I have ever seen was one that hired only women who had previously given birth. There was a long waiting list of nurses and aides who wanted to work there, and patient satisfaction was extremely high. Almost no one ever resigned unless her husband took another job out of town, or she decided she wanted to retire. Advanced degrees were plentiful as the nurses were allowed to work part-time to accommodate their class schedules.
One hard and fast rule, however: "No males need apply." Discrimination? Well, who even thought that way in those days? Head nurses ran their departments as they saw fit, and as long as patient care was top priority, everyone was happy.

I think it was called discrimination. I want a kind caring nurse. I don't care..black, white, male, female. We don't live in the June Cleaver white bread world anymore. Times have changed, nursing must change too. I think as long as they are qualifed, adding different people to the mix of the nursing profession will only enhance it. I agree some women don't want a male to care for them in OB. I have also met patients who prefer a male. The majority of patients will accept a nurse of either gender if she/he is kind, competent, and respectful.

leslie :-D · Mar 30, 2006

Y'know, this thread got me thinking:
Why stop at Male/Female?
What if some patient were to say "I will not have a white woman doing that to me me".
Or "I will not let that Muslim do this proceedure".
?

gender specificity requests typically reflect a woman's modesty and discomfort w/male staff present. the switch from a male to female nurse (and vice-versa) will absolve said discomfort.

cultural, racial, religious origins do not address a female's most prominent barrier to care.

yet....if a pt. ever refused care based on race, religion or culture, i would not attempt to appease this patient's demands. i would address a females/males concern re: modesty/shyness w/care from opposite sex.

leslie

chadash · Mar 30, 2006

When I had my second child, about 25 years ago, I was having problems with the epidural with my c-section. The male nurse was great, never thought anything about his gender, just appreciated his great communication skills, things got a bit scary, and I sure needed the information and encouragement.

I cant imagine gender being an issue in OB.