Male OB nurses?

[maire]

I'm just curious because I don't think I have ever seen one when I was in the hospital to deliver any of my 3 children or the times I have sat with friends while they had their babies. Is this an extremely rare species? :)

[labornurse]

Our hospital is a teaching hospital for the nursing school in our community. We don't have any male L&D nurses, but all of the student nurses at the school have to do an OB rotation. The male students have been well received. Only a couple of instances where husband/boyfriend has flat out refused to allow them in the room. Our unit would welcome a male L&D nurse with open arms, but none have applied.

[Dayray, RN]

Originally posted by hollym4k

I would think that a male L&D nurse would feel uncomfortable themselves checking a patient or help with nursing.

Do you feel uncomfortable working with male patients?

Actually when I was brand new I was very uncomfortable because I worried about how my patients would feel. Now that I know they appreciate my care and see past the stereotypes (of all men are pigs) I am no longer uncomfortable.

Husbands, Patients, doctors and other nurses only object for 1 of 2 reasons.

1. Their religion prohibits any man from seeing a naked female (some don't even allow the husband to see his wife).

2. (and most common) Failure to see that Nursing is a real profession just like Medicine. This is really sad because as Mark pointed out it is mainly nurses who object to men in OB.

Some may argue but I really see no other explanation. Why is it okay for a male doctor to care for a laboring Mom and not a nurse? What makes them different?

I surly hope no one believes any male nurse would go to school, suffer threw boards, get a years experience on med surge and work in a field that is underpaid / over worked just to ogle over naked women.

Also if you have ever worked in maternal child you would know there is nothing arousing about it.

I'm not saying this to be argumentative if any of you have a valid explanation please share it.

[adrienurse, LPN]

How silly to have this so gender segregated. Most docs that deliver babies are male and nobody ever questions that. It's okay, they're "professionals", right?

[HollyWA]

I don't work with male pts--except baby boys. The general population of nurses who do work with males--aren't caring for them in the same way that an OB nurse cares for.

"Also if you have ever worked in maternal child you would know there is nothing arousing about it. "

No--but why do alot of male OB's need to have the presence of another person in the room when being checked? Maybe it's just my state.

I don't think that it's anything the Dr would do---but that the pt. might say---they did this/that---sexual molestation. It covers the Drs butt legally.

Do any male OB nurses check their pts without someone in the room? (dad, Dr, tech,)

[mark_LD_RN]

well holly you are mistaken female nurses do care for male patients in he same way, think peri care,foley, bowel movents after all we are professionals.

you are corrct about it not being arousing at all!

as far as husbands are concerned they have never had a problem with me, i make sure to include them in their wifes care most actually prefer me.

the male obs require a female present just because they are old school and to cover their but. the docs i work with have no problem with me and them going in the room together with the patient. even the female obs and midwives request escourts when examing patients.

i check my patients with no one in the room at times, i let patient decide who she wants in, if she wants 20 people in or if she just wants me it is fine either way with me. I have never had complaints, i get mostly compliments on how caring and gentle i am. I am always getting thanked by the patient or husband for the care i provide them.

the only resistance i have had has been from female nurses who were either patients or coworkers, the ones i had as patients were a little uneasy at first but soon realized that i was a professional and only had their best interest in mind,.I just can not understand why female nurses are so different from the regular female patients i get. you would think that they would be first to realize we are professionals.

i find it ridiculous that in this day and time that we are even having this discussion. tell me what is the diffence in a male OB doc and a male nurse? someone please explain and give logical reason why one is ok and the other is not.

holly,I am sure if you meet me and witnessed what i do for my patients and how i treat them you would change your mind. All the nurses i work with have changed their mind after working with me. have had 2 request me to be their labor nurse when they came in to give birth.

i think people are just accustommed to the old ways. when i first got in to this area it really freaked some of the docs out but after 2-3 months they realized that i was ok, and that their pateints recieved excellent care from me.

[Dayray, RN]

Originally posted by hollym4k

No--but why do alot of male OB's need to have the presence of another person in the room when being checked? Maybe it's just my state.

I don't think that it's anything the Dr would do---but that the pt. might say---they did this/that---sexual molestation. It covers the Drs butt legally.

Male OB doctors are required to have someone in the room with them because there was abuse before law. I don't think the law actually states that only male doctors need an escort but the female doctors don't really follow it. Most of the cases I have heard about occurred in the doctors office or when the patients were under anastasia and I don't think any were in the midst of labor. This law does not apply to nurses it only says that doctors need an escort.

I don't take an escort with me and many times it's just me and the patient in the room. I realize this places me at risk but I take it because I love my job and it would be impossible for me to have someone follow me around all day. If I sense that a patient is strange or if they have a known history of sexual abuse I let another nurse take care of them. Anytime a male nurse (regardless of the area he works in) cares for a female patient of any age their is risk.

The general population of nurses who do work with males--aren't caring for them in the same way that an OB nurse cares for.

I'm not sure how you arrive at this conclusion. Female nurses commonly place foleys in men, clean the peri areas of incontinent men, shave and scrub during preop, give enemas, the list goes on. Of course I'm sure the male patients are uncomfortable in these situations but its not because of the nurses gender its because they are exposed and feel a loss of privacy/power. Although my patients don't tell me they are uncomfortable I know that they are at times, not because of my gender but because having your privates examined is uncomfortable.

A female nurse preoped me for my vasectomy and yes I was uncomfortable/embarrassed but not anymore then with the doctor who was male. They both had a job to do and I needed the care they provided me. I thanked them both for their help and for their professionalism in delivering it.

I don't work with male pts--except baby boys.

Ok Ill rephrase my question. If you did care for adult male patients would you feel uncomfortable? Why? How would it differ from caring for male infants? Would the patients really be uncomfortable or would it just be you?

I also have a few other questions for you.

Why is it okay to discriminate against male nurses when it would clearly be wrong to do the same on the basis of race?

Why would a male nurse feel any differently then female doctors when caring for the opposite sex?

Should women be bared from serving in the army? Some have argued that having women in battle would make the male solders uncomfortable and might cause them harm. How would this be different?

This is a very interesting subject to me and I'm thankful for your viewpoints. I want you to know that I'm not angry or offended by your opinion. I realize that many people who read this post feel the same way you do but are afraid to express them selves. I'm glad you are open enough to talk about it. Things don't change until people talk about them so this is a good thing.

[Debbielynn]

When I had my second child, I was known as hemrroid queen, thank you very much. I had a c-section, and wasnt able to change my pad. They sent in a male nurse. And sorry ladies, but he was the most gentle in changing my pad. My hemrroids never knew he was there. 3 cheers for the male nurses out there!

[Nursetobe]

I would have no problem having a male OB nurse. When I was in labor I didn't care who took care of me, all I wanted was to get it over with.

When my father in law had his prostate surgery he had a female nurse take care of him. I don't see what the difference would be between a man taken care of by a female nurse or a woman being taken care of by a male nurse.

I figure nurses have most likely seen it all already. There is nothing special about me....:)

[mark_LD_RN]

debbielynn: you just stated something i am told quite often my patients allways tell me i am the most gentle the ever had even when doing exams most patients will tell me i hurt them less than any exam they had. i care for and about my patients and only want the best for them. i am a professional and do not feel gender has anything to do with the care i provide. I am very concerned about protecting a patients modesty i always close the door,pull the curtain, and keep them covered as much as possible.

after all as a nurse what have i not seen a thousand times before. we need to get ride of these preconcieved notions that males can not be nurses, and/or that gender affects care. I have no problem with male nurses caring for my wife. as she put it after a couple trips to ER for different problems she has found the 2 male nurses she had to be the most caring and gentle of them all. all i require of a nurse to care for my wife is that they are competent,caring and compassionate . gender has noting to do with it. same goes for a nurse caring for me, gender does not matter as long as they meet the above criteria.

[NurseyNursey]

I know that I am bumping up old threads, but they are new to me!

I am prior military. Go Navy! I have worked with 2 L&D male nurses and countless corpsmen. One was very gentle and soft-spoken. I have no idea about the other one. We had to have a stand-by no matter what the sex of the nurse.

I think much of the bias against male OB nurses and not male OBs is a time and intimacy issue. We, as nurses, tend to get very close to and involved with our pts. The OB comes in and delivers the baby~unless there are problems, of course. The OB does not really spend that much time with patients during visits either. That being said, I prefer to have a female OB.

I have worked with and been the patient of male doctors in the past. I have personal issues and prefer my care to be given by a female.

[Dayray, RN]

Originally posted by NurseyNursey

I think much of the bias against male OB nurses and not male OBs is a time and intimacy issue. We, as nurses, tend to get very close to and involved with our pts.

This is a great insight NursyNurse!

I think you may be right.

Here are my questions.

What would make you uncomfortable about having an intimate nurse patient relationship with a male nurse?

Do you think that intimate relationships between opposite sexes lead to inappropriateness?

Would it make you feel that you have been unfaithful to your SO?

Is the reason you feel more comfortable with a male OB because you feel that he is not emotionally involved?

I don't think you are alone in your opinion I think more then likely its something that our society has never really talked about but somehow accepted as an unspoken rule. We all have our hang ups but few are willing to see them as hang ups we tend to rationalize them.

It is true those men and women in general are different but how much of this is biology and how much is conformation to what the world expects of us?

Thank you Nureynurse I'm glad we are able to discuss things like this on this board in such a civilized manor. It's easy for things to be misunderstood without the inflections and tones of voice we use in real life. I want you all to know I very much enjoy this friendly conversation. please answer my questions =)

[NurseyNursey]

What would make you uncomfortable about having an intimate nurse patient relationship with a male nurse?

Do you think that intimate relationships between opposite sexes lead to inappropriateness?

Would it make you feel that you have been unfaithful to your SO?

Is the reason you feel more comfortable with a male OB because you feel that he is not emotionally involved?

I don't know. The thought just makes me sqeamish. One of the male nurses that I worked with was one of the most gentle, caring souls that I have ever met. He is an awesome nurse and was going to midwifery school. I guess I can almost find the answer in the word midwife. Wife, implying woman. Throughout most of history until fairly recent time, women have been the ones caring for women during the birth process. Not using the "but that's the way it has always been done" argument, but more that childbirth is one of the few time that women can bond with each other without any jealousy and competitiveness. It is a sacred time. I love sharing that bond with women not only when I am nursing but also when I am being nursed.

I think that two people of the opposite sex CAN have a non-sexual, appropriate relationship, but it really helps if one of them is gay. :)

I would not feel that I was being unfaithful to my dh with a male RN or OB.

I have gone to a few male OBs/FPs for pregnancy and the ensuing labor and delivery. It was the lesser of two evils. The female doctors were either incompetent as doctors or incompetent as humans. I adored my FP that delivered my first child. He was kind, caring, compassionate, and an all-around wonderful person.

Many of the issues that I have with male providers have nothing to do with the individual and much do with their sex. I will admit that. But, that has to do with some personal issues of mine.:stone