Male nursing and needing chaperone

[Sirkraker]

So my hospital just released a new policy stating that all male team members (including nurses) must have a female present when your patient is female and you are going to be behind a closed door or curtain. Any violation results in termination This is crazy when it comes to taking care of my patients, medicating my patients, ect. We never have enough help, so looks like patient privacy is out the door for my patients. but of course physicians and advanced practitioners are exempt. What are my fellow male nurses think about this new policy. Is this not discrimination? Shouldn't it be vise versa for the females?

[HM2VikingRN, RN]

As a male nurse I would never go in a female patients room without a witness. But that is a reflection of my 25 years in psych. All it takes is one allegation by a borderline personality disorder and you will have an endless round of problems.

I was doing room checks the other day and I had a female coworker check on a showering patient to prevent any possibility of allegation.

[KingOfQueens]

As an ex-cop I could understand the chaperoning because it's across the board, but as nursing student, I find it odd that male doctors could be in the room alone with a female patients but not male nurses. This is disheartening because it makes me feel that there is a general distrust for male nurses. It would be like back in the police department, my captain could search a female, but I can't. (does'nt that seem odd) What? only male nurses can be pervs but all doctors are to be trusted.

My bubble just burst.

[pielęgniarka, RN]

That's not true that only male nurses need chaperones. Male docs do too!!! I was just in to see my family practitioner for a pelvic exam the other day. He had his female nurse in the room while he did the exam which I thought was weird. He said it was just to make me more comfortable. But frankly I felt less comfortable having twice the audience. The female nurse didn't do anything just help me up from a laying down position and adjust my gown.

-Sara

As an ex-cop I could understand the chaperoning because it's across the board, but as nursing student, I find it odd that male doctors could be in the room alone with a female patients but not male nurses. This is disheartening because it makes me feel that there is a general distrust for male nurses. It would be like back in the police department, my captain could search a female, but I can't. (does'nt that seem odd) What? only male nurses can be pervs but all doctors are to be trusted.

My bubble just burst.

[Murse85]

I would not be able to do my job if I had to be chaparoned every time I was in a female patients room. I bring someone when I do a procedure like a foley or I'll ask if the patient would like a female present but most times they don't mind (always bring a PCA for a foley).

[tbrd450]

This is a double standard predicated on the misconception that abusers can only be male, and abuse victims are only female, or male children.

We live in a culture that has evolved and advanced on many gender related fronts. Over the last fifty years, a lot of thinking has changed. However, it has been almost entirely based on opening doors and expanding roles for females. And, in fact, even after all this advanced enlightenment, males are still presumed (by virtue of being male) to be a part of a "class" that is capable of abuse. And, likewise, all females are part of a "class" assumed to be incapable of committing abuse.

I just heard on the news the other day that a major British Airliner had an internal passenger travel policy in place that required all children traveling alone to not be seated next to single males. If a single male happened to sit next to a traveling child, the single male had to move to another seat. The assumption here is that if a child is going to be abused, molested or abducted, it can be prevented if he/she is not sitting next to a single male traveler. Apparently, married males and males with female partners were deemed safe enough for the assigned seat next to a child. This is absurd, and deeply disturbing.

The irony in all this lunacy is that we are beginning to learn more and more about just how prevalent female abusers are. While they were always there, we never viewed them (in the past) as "abusers."

It seems like just about every day we hear of another 30something female middle school teacher have an "affair" with her 12 year old male student.

And, the Justice Department recently released a report that reflected the recent research into abuse within correctional facilities in the U.S. Astonishingly, it was learned that most allegations of sexual misconduct within juvenile settings by staff were not male staff on female ward, but rather the reverse -- adult female staff on teenaged male ward. It is significantly higher than the reverse, and was totally not expected. Historically, all juvenile correctional policies and regulations designed to protect juveniles within these federal facilities have always been based on the premise that male staff abuse female juveniles (when it happens) and never the reverse. Special training, policies, and safeguards have always been developed and implemented to protect against that -- to protect only girls. No such efforts have ever been undertaken to protect teenage male victims at the hands of adult female staff -- to protect our sons. Adult female staff working in correctional facilities have unchecked access to our sons. Adult male staff do not have unchecked access to our daughters -- they must be chaperoned.

Society is beginning to wake up a little on this double standard, and that is the good news. People capable of even slight intellectual thought are beginning to realize that bad people abuse their power -- bad nurses (male or female), bad cops (male or female), bad correctional staff (male or female), etc. And, to have crazy, wacky gender based policies that serve to paint all males with a broad brush is inherently wrong. It paints all males as potential perverts, and all females as incapable of perversion.

Imagine if such logic was applied in reverse. Imagine if a juvenile correctional facility said that women were no longer allowed to work there because it was learned that they, as a class of people, are more likely to abuse the male juveniles? (which is apparently now known to be true!). Or, if they are allowed to work there, they would have to have chaperones whenever they go around the male wards (incidentally, the male correctional staff now must have female accompaniment when around female wards). Lawsuits would be flooding the courts -- discrimination! Yes, females are a protected class on the employment front. But it has really only served to warp the original intent of theoretical feminism and employment equality.

[Anoetos, BSN, RN]

Marginally apropos...

[CaDad]

WilliamD, I am a male and I demand it all the time as do a lot of other males. I think you may be surprised how many times this request is actually made. What happens though is the male PT is either ignored, ridiculed, or told it is not possible regardless if the reality of it. There is in fact a real double standard, I am supprised you don't know that!

[CaDad]

HM2vikingRN, Actually I see nothing wrong with what you did, what you did do was give the patient the consideration of her modesty, an admirable quality if I say so myself-a quality I wish the female nurses had more of for male PT's.

[celticcare]

I give my patients the option when I meet them, I let them have the power in their court and reaffirm that I will not be offended if they request a female nurse. I work currently in CCU and of course, 12 leads involve going under/around breast tissue and working around some pendulous women makes the job a little difficult. I realise it is just a breast, but I will make sure I don't do my ecgs without at least someone being close. Most of my patients are in an acute state and often state they "don't care just fix me" but all it takes is just one person to make an accusation or a comment to a family member and BOOM my a** is grass.

I get tired of the attitudes not from patients but from fellow staff alot of the time, either saying I need a chaperaune or moan when I ask for one to support. Just the joys of the job I guess. I hate it, we have given equality out for so long and yet it can't be given back. We aren't those oppresors that were around in Edwardian times, some women go on about men out there being abusers, trust me hunny, they would probably abuse us just as much, if not more because they don't want no "queer" touching him or no man helping him. So the excuse that only women get abused by men, is just null and void I am afraid.

[tbrd450]

It is a double standard that reflects the double standard in society. Men and boys are abusers. Women and girls are victims. You may be surprised at how many people out there can't even entertain the possibility that boys and men can be victims -- particularly on things pertaining to sexuality, modesty inconsideration, etc.

A bureau of justice report recently came out that reported a very surprising statistic. After scientific research was conducted, it was learned that in juvenile detention centers, female officers abused male juveniles at twice the rate as their male officer counterparts. All the safeguards to protect female juveniles from abusive male officers were completely absent for the male juveniles. Female officers, under the protection of equal employment opportunity, have complete access to male detention juveniles -- their living quarters, their showers, their bathrooms, strip search, etc. They are expected to be viewed as any other officer on the job. Male officers, however, are not permitted to work in certain areas around female juveniles, not monitoring them in showers, etc. So, was it really a shock after all when we learn that female officers were out there abusing their power?

How does all this relate? It relates because it is a reflection of an over-riding cultural double standard based on misunderstanding of gender dynamics. The overwhelming vast majority of male nurses would never abuse their position, however, they all, everywhere, have to operate based on the few of their male colleagues that would. Some small portion of female nurses out there would/do abuse their position of power, however, they all, everywhere, fly under the radar of a universal perception that by virtue of being female, they can not possibly abuse.

[BILLIE39]

i think its crazy that men are not allowed to utilise their skills in clinical areas where they come across female patients. If a patient is ill (british word for unwell) then when its an emergency situation or in an ITU unit does really matter if the nurse has a member or lady parts?? does it?? Gosh its so ridiculous. Lets not forget men have qualities which can be useful in the nursing profession also. Trust me Its nice to have a bit of testosterone in nursing. Too much oestrogen can kill any working enviornment never mind what speciality! :)

[head3rd]

That is crazy, female nurses can take care of male patients alone but not the other way around. If you violated policy and just did it, you would lose in court as you knew the policy. If on the other hand you were terminated or lost shifts due to lack of male patients or female chaperons...... then you would have a discrimination case