male nurses in OB

[newnurse33]

do you think that it is kosher for a male to work in OB?

[Roy Fokker, BSN, RN]

Your "right" to be an OB nurse is SECONDARY to a woman's right to have a female OB nurse if that makes her more comfortable. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings.

The comment regarding my age and experience aside - That well worded post was completely wasted because you have not paused to really consider my position.

My "right" to be a OB nurse? I never posted anything supporting or relating to such a position.

The OP asked "do you think that it is kosher for a male to work in OB?"

I answered that by asking (essentially) as to why the heck would gender make any kind of difference at all. I have also agreed at various points throughout this thread that I agree it's all about patient comfort and if a patient doesn't feel comfortable with a nurse, a different nurse should be provided.

These are essentially congruent issues - but they are not the same issues.

The OP asked if it's "kosher" for males to work OB. I happen to think gender has no relation to do with what job you perform.

This has nothing to do with if a patient feels comfortable with her nurse - while it is a related issue, it is not the same as the one asked by the OP.

A better analogy would be female police officers - when they were first introduced, males protested because they thought (and said) that females lack aggressiveness and drive and won't be able to stand the strain of police school and life on mean streets. And a hundred other excuses. We all know now that all that was nothing but hot air from a fast deflating balloon.

Would I be given the same deference if I'd asked: "Female fire fighters, kosher?"

Or "Female police officers, kosher?"

I don't think so...

but I just don't like the assumption that males are more prone to misdeeds: that image of men as sex crazed and insensitive. That just seems a shame.

Tell me about it. But it's nothing new. It's either that or men in nursing are effminate or homosexual. Stereotypes are stereotypes....

[imenid37]

Any patient should be able to refuse any nurse for whatever reason. If you don't want someone caring for you then that makes it difficult for both. That being said, an employer shouldn't be able to refuse to hire someone because some hypothetical patient might refuse care from that nurse. A patient could refuse any one of us any day for whatever reason. That is their right. Most patients are accepting of a male nurse if he treats them well, just as they are a female nurse. The possible prejudice of a hypothetical patient shouldn't cause the profession to be prejudice against a whole group of people.

[Retired R.N.]

Any patient should be able to refuse any nurse for whatever reason. If you don't want someone caring for you then that makes it difficult for both. That being said, an employer shouldn't be able to refuse to hire someone because some hypothetical patient might refuse care from that nurse. A patient could refuse any one of us any day for whatever reason. That is their right. Most patients are accepting of a male nurse if he treats them well, just as they are a female nurse. The possible prejudice of a hypothetical patient shouldn't cause the profession to be prejudice against a whole group of people.

Is it OK for an employer to refuse to hire someone if they must pay for a chaperone whenever that person is with a patient? Every male physician I have ever known insists on a chaperone whenever he is with a female patient. Should male nurses expose themelves to greater legal liabilty than a physician would allow?

[SharonH, RN]

If a guy wants to work in OB, then more power to him because I sure don't want to do it.

[SharonH, RN]

Well I agree that someone can request a different gender if it is very important to them, but I just don't like the assumption that males are more prone to misdeeds: that image of men as sex crazed and insensitive. That just seems a shame.

Oh, and I was molested as a child. But I don't see that as a male thing, I see it as a sick thing.

I really doubt your average male nurse got into the profession for nefarious purposes.

I agree completely.

Sad thing, young boys are molested at almost the same rate as young girls but I see far less attention paid to their emotional needs.

[canadianstudent]

My goodness, what year is it, how many of you have male a obgyn????

[suzanne4, RN]

Roy, you are young, so I'll cut you a whole lot of slack due to your inexperience in life. Let me enlighten you to some things you may have never considered.

1. "Intimate" examinations on males are on external body parts. "Intimate" exams on females are Internal exams, i.e. invasive. I think you fail to understand the ramifications of this. A nurse peering down your throat to see if you have strep throat is a lot different than someone looking at your cervix.

2. You obviously have no idea of the number of women in the populace who have been molested and raped at the hands of *men*. If you have never been raped, you cannot truly empathize with rape victims, and you just don't "get it". The LAST thing a rape victim wants is a strange guy touching her in an intimate way and her feeling helpless. Being a patient in a hospital is kind of a helpless feeling, and being forced to have a male nurse would be enough to make some women "check out" and check in to a different hospital. If you cannot understand these legitimate feelings, then consider yourself unable to advocate for your patient who may be a rape victim.

3. A woman's relationship with her gynecologist can span decades. The reason for this many times is that they'd like to limit the number of people with access to their privates. If they have to have a succession of strangers looking at and doing things to their privates, then they'd rather have people who are female, for whatever reason.

4. If it is acceptable and reasonable for a moslem woman who must see a female OB and female L & D nurses, then what is wrong with women who simply insist for their own reasons that they will only have female nurses, etc. If it's ok for the moslem woman, it should be ok for any woman who walks in the door.

That'll do for now. But let me close in saying this:

Your "right" to be an OB nurse is SECONDARY to a woman's right to have a female OB nurse if that makes her more comfortable. I'm sorry if that hurts your feelings.

And what about females working in Urology, or female urologists?

If you need to request a specific gender of a nurse or physician for religious purposes of your own, then fine. Muslim women specifically require this, and there has never been any issue with it, at least places that I have worked.

But to put all men in the realm that all men can cause issue is just not acceptable. Females can too.

A nurse is a nurse, and it should not be affected by gender, age, size, color, etc. If you have your own specific requirements, it does not mean that everyone else does. The same way that a physician is a physician.

Please try to remain considerate of others here.

[antihippie]

Just a thought, but I was wounded by a middle-eastern Muslim in Iraq. Does this mean that due to my "emotional reaction" to the event I can refuse to be cared for by a Muslim nurse, how about middle-easterners, or even brown people in general as "they all look alike" and I am emotionally traumatized to be reminded of events in my past. Gee, if one brown person hurt me then maybe they all want to hurt me.

Doesn't this sound silly and racist? Now replace brown people with just men in general, sweeping stereotypical responses to an entire group due to the actions of one person on your body are juvenile and repugnant.

[NurseLatteDNP, MSN, DNP, RN]

SIMILARILY, when I went for my first prenatal checkup and while lying on the examine table found out that my doctors new partner who was going to do my exam was of a different race , well I

did have a difficult time with this and wished I had been prepared ahead of

time.

WHY should anybody warn you, that someone is a different race?????

How immature is that comment. Do you expect a nurse to come in and pre-warn you about the new chinese/indian/african american.....Dr? Why? No matter how they look like, they all still had to go through medical school. :selfbonk:

[LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP]

I want to hear more about how you should be prepared for someone of a "different race" doing an exam?????

Personally, I prefer OB-GYNs, because I had a bad experience with a male when I was younger, but I would have no problem with a male OB-GYN nurse. When I was on hospital bedrest, there were nursing students and medical students galore adn I feel like half th emedical eprsonnel in this city have seen my cervix *ROFL*

[SharonH, RN]

The best OB department I have ever seen was one that hired only women who had previously given birth.

One hard and fast rule, however: "No males need apply." Discrimination?

You betcha. Not to mention, it was just plain silly. Did you need to have a heart condition to work on telemetry? Or cancer to work in oncology?

[S.N. Visit, BSN, RN]

As a first year student nurse, I've had 3 male patients refuse personal cares from me. I didn't get upset, I respected their privacy. The issue should be about what the pt wants. I think all pt's should be asked if it's okay to have procedures done and do they prefer male or female nurses. It's nice to give them a little time to think about it, Common courtesy, that's all.