Male nurses student and skipping OB/L&D clinicals

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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.

Specializes in Leadership, Psych, HomeCare, Amb. Care.

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.

Sorry this is so long. I know some of you may think I should do all that stuff, as maybe a good learning experience.

You won't be tested for licensing as an ICU nurse. Everyone of you will take the same test, and each & everyone of you will have some clinical area that you have little interest in, but WILL be on the test.

Get over it

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Why are we still beating up on this guy. He already admitted several posts back that his comments were naive and he was just nervous about his clinicals. If your not already in healthcare you don't know what to expect or know how much you can handle.

I'll admit it I successfully avoided babies during my very short 4 day L&D clinicals. My instructor took pity on me even though my costudents razzed me. Guess what my first job was in peds and I did ok.

So are we razzing this guy to shame him or to make ourselves feel better?

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I'm a nursing student. I'm also Behavioral health technician (CNA) in Intelectual and developmental disabilities. So I change briefs like noones business. Men AND Women. I'm also 19 years old. If i had not had this experience I may feel the same way. So my suggestion to you. Get a job. Get some experience. Mature a little. If you go into nursing field weary of these sort of things it'll show. Best of luck to you!! :)

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Specializes in none.
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.

Hey, Brother. You will have to . It will be on your boards. You will need to be aware of it to past the test. There maybe nothing more beautiful in your training that to see another human Being enter this world. Enjoy.

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QUOTE: Jfarmboy;6118367

"I do have a little experience with needles but not with humans. I draw blood and give IM & SQ injections to my goats. Run fecal tests (some micro there) and diagnose animals and treat. I know it is WAY different with humans but I think it uses some of the same critical thinking?"

Diagnosing and treating animals is called practicing veterinary medicine without a license and is ILLEGAL! The same as if you walked in a hospital and began diagnosing and treating people.

And, I agree with everyone else. Wait until you're not so shy about "lady parts" before you decide to pursue a medical career.

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Just suck it up man. We all have to go through it because its part of the curriculum. There's gonna be lots of things you don't want to do in life, but you just have to make the most of it.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

I don't think treating your own pet goats is the same as walking into a hospital and treating patients. It's more similar to a mother taking a child's temperature "diagnosing" that they have a fever and "treating" the child with an antipyretic.

It's common for ppl with large animals to have to diagnose and treat certain problems in the absence of a veterinarian. Particularly horses with colic since its not like you can back the horse up to the trailer and take them to the nearest horse ER. You have to figure out the problem and treat it because your pony may be dead before the vet gets there.

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Specializes in being a Credible Source.

I dodged the L&D portion of clinicals because the guys before me were so unwelcome that the school let me swap with one of the gals. I got extra NICU time which was good for me.

Of course, now in my role as an ER nurse, my greatest fear is a delivering mom since I never had that experience.

I do put Foleys in gals a fair bit and it's never been an issue. I remain professional and just do my task. That said, I always have a female chaperone and I always ask first if they'd like me to go get one of the gals to do it... they've never said "yes" yet.

Chill out and let the chips fall where they may... you'll get through it, whatever is required.

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I am actually a pre male nurse student.

What is a "pre male"?

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Specializes in Reproductive & Public Health.
QUOTE: Jfarmboy;6118367

"I do have a little experience with needles but not with humans. I draw blood and give IM & SQ injections to my goats. Run fecal tests (some micro there) and diagnose animals and treat. I know it is WAY different with humans but I think it uses some of the same critical thinking?"

Diagnosing and treating animals is called practicing veterinary medicine without a license and is ILLEGAL! The same as if you walked in a hospital and began diagnosing and treating people.

And, I agree with everyone else. Wait until you're not so shy about "lady parts" before you decide to pursue a medical career.

Give me a freaking break. Are you serious? Have you ever taken care of livestock? Farmers diagnose and treat their animals all the time. Just like I diagnose and treat my kids (within reason of course), and I certainly do not consider that practicing medicine without a license.

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QUOTE: Jfarmboy;6118367

"I do have a little experience with needles but not with humans. I draw blood and give IM & SQ injections to my goats. Run fecal tests (some micro there) and diagnose animals and treat. I know it is WAY different with humans but I think it uses some of the same critical thinking?"

Diagnosing and treating animals is called practicing veterinary medicine without a license and is ILLEGAL! The same as if you walked in a hospital and began diagnosing and treating people.

QUOTE]

clearly, you have never had large animals. Our vet for our horses made client education a huge part of his practice. i.e. "If you see x,y,z, treat with q". we did not have to call every time something happened. I assume that you have taken dayquil or tylenol before without getting the OK from your doctor every time. same thing.

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Specializes in Hospice / Ambulatory Clinic.

Yup. I have *gasp* delivered a foal without the vet being there. Apparently I was practicing veterinary medicine. Shame on me. ;) . Esp since I did avoided most of my L&D rotation which according to everyone on this board must have made me completely incompetent in every way. ;D

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