Male nurses student and skipping OB/L&D clinicals

[Jfarmboy]

I am actually a pre male nurse student.

I am looking at a college in which I will attend if I decode to do nursing.

I have never experienced it so I want to shadow a nurse in the summer.

I want to make sure it is what I want to do. After I have made that decision I want to pursue it with all my heart at a young age. I am 19 years old and so if its what I want to do I don't want to wait until I'm 30 some.

Anyways I don't wish to do any OB or L&D stuff if I don't have to. I don't see what that has to do with ICU care (where I am wanting to go). Also I may have a different mind set that others. I don't want to do L&D because is a major invasion of a woman's privacy, imo.

If it were my wife (not married and faarrr from it) and there was no doctor, yes of course I would do it. But checking up on female patients every few hrs... Like- hey I just need to see you are doing down there...major privacy invasion. What female patient wouldn't feel uncomfortable? I think the only reason why most female patients don't mind a male OB is because they are in too much pain to notice. All I know is if I were a woman I would not want some guy staring up there. Same as me being a guy I don't really like female doctors or nurses checking me out down there...really weird and awkward.

All that said I want nothing (or at most little) to do with preforming procedures/assessments on women(I am talking where it exposes them..I don't need to see that). Is it likely that I can just do ped or something else at those clinical hrs?

I know most women would not want me there as well as some RN/instructors and myself. It is not something I would want to see and it would seem as if that would give me the title of "pervert".

Sorry this is so long. I know some of you may think I should do all that stuff, as maybe a good learning experience. I just don't see much to learn in it except assessment of a infant or a C-section.

[Dumplins, MSN, RN, APN]

though you're not interested, it will definitely make you a better, more well rounded, nurse. OB isnt all just looking at women's lady partss. you'll most likely look at newborns and everything as well.

of course if it's not for you, then you surely dont have to pursue it.

i know i DEFINITELY dont want to be a psych nurse. but i still found my psych clinicals very interesting. also helped me with my psych meds and my therapeutic communication skills

so tough it out. you'll be fine. haha

[ChrisNZ]

I'm nineteen too, finally starting nursing this year.

Good idea to try and shadow a nurse for a summer to see if it was for you. The only way I've been sure that nursing was what I wanted to do was that I spent half my adolescence in and out of hospitals. I think seeing the real hospital enviroment will help with your decision. Alot of people I know have very unrealistic ideas about what the medical feild is really like.

But back to your main point, I'd say they are very much necessary subjects. Part of having a general knowledge of all aspects of nursing. But mostly because in my own opinion doing things you don't want to do help to mould who you are. Life is all about experience even if the experience wasn't overly pleasant.

Most people get over caring who looks 'down there', I couldn't give a toss who see's me any more as long as they are proffessional about it (which they allways are).

Lastly, you said you don't understand how it relates to an area such as ICU nursing. What if one of your patients in the ICU was admitted for a gynecology problem?

[Summers_Off]

And you won't insert any Foleys on females in the ICU? Or change a soiled brief? lady partss are everywhere!!! :redlight: If it helps, I don't think having a lady parts makes me any more comfortable with someone else's . It's part of the program and you'll survive it. Best wishes.

[Jfarmboy]

Lastly, you said you don't understand how it relates to an area such as ICU nursing. What if one of your patients in the ICU was admitted for a gynecology problem?

Why would someone in ICU have a problem like that?

I could understand if a patient was admitted for something else (car accident maybe) and had that problem as well. I am just saying I doubt someone would be in ICU because of that. Would they be in the family doctor or gynecology or general hospital sector? Sorry I know very little about all this.

"so tough it out" yes if I do indeed go to like the RN's job I will have to do that. Once I know what I want and how I can achieve it that just may end up being a small bump in the road.

Also I try not to be unrealistic about it. I know what the job entails as my brother in-law is a ER or ICU nurse(he has worked almost everywhere in nursing). By stories he tells me I know a nurse gets left with the dirty work from time to time. For me it is more like "will I do good at it and will I be able to communicate easily and be a good critical thinker". I am daily improving my people skills but I don't know how I will do with the stress(never worked a real job). Also have a slight fear that if I ever mess up in giving the wrong meds I would loose my degree.

[kids]

No, you're not going to be able to skip L&D clinicals.

The accrediting bodies/Boards of Nursing set the curriculum that has to be taught in order to meet the requirements for licensure, they require a set minumum number of hours in maternity. And the NCLEX wont omit the relevent questions because you didn't take the term.

I can promise you, even in ICU you're going to get up close and professional with a lot of 'down theres', both male and female. Women do wind up in ICU following childbirth, very sick people very often have catheters that have to be inserted and throughly cleaned on a regular basis, people who can't bathe themselves have to be washed 'down there' on regular basis.

I'll put this as kindly as I can, you have a LOT of growing up to do before you consider a career in nursing.

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

If you do really want to be a nurse, you are going to need a HUGE change in attitude.

You may have to wait until you are "30 some" to mature into being able to handle being a nurse.

[Baubo516, RN]

I agree with "kids," that your feelings toward female genitalia probably have something to do with your age. I am 38 years old and have been married for 12 years. Seeing male genitalia just isn't a big deal to me at this point! I work as a CNA and I am comfortable cleaning all kinds of "down there"s, as needed.

However, if I had taken the same training and attempted to do this job at the age of 16 or 17, it would have been harder for me. At that point, I probably would have blushed and felt very uncomfortable dealing with what seemed like a private and sexual part of a person's body. If you decide to pursue nursing, you will need to develop a professional level of comfort with all the parts of the human body. Not that you have to love dealing with them - we all have those things that bother us - but you will have to be able to deal with them in a professional manner.

Good luck in making your decision about nursing, and don't underestimate the power of time and maturity to change your current feelings of dread toward female body parts!

[Baubo516, RN]

By the way - are you a male pre-nursing student? I didn't really think you were "pre-male" as stated in your original post!

[loriangel14, RN]

Whether you are on an OB floor or not you will still have to deal with female genetalia as a nurse.

[Al.ginger]

I don't think age will make much differences with people like you. I have a classmate who is 42, married for 10 years and have 2 kids. He still terrified about OB clinicals.

And as already mentioned, you need to become comfortable with human body, any part of it. May be you can start as a CNA??? To "put your hands in it"

[DixieRedHead, ASN, RN]

Well, well. Here is you first nursing lesson. Man up, sack up, suck it up , get over it, get over yourself. don't think there is a nursing school on earth that will let you slide because of what you do and do not "have interest in".