Male RN-assist with pelvic exams?

thanatos · Sep 7, 2004

I work w/ only male ER docs and I don't assist w/ pelvics. I will, on occasion, insert a foley in a female depending on the circumstances. I have been led to believe that if we ever have a female ER doc, then I would be expected/allowed to assist w/ the pelvic. hope this helps.

CHATSDALE · Sep 7, 2004

i was working once with a male nurse who thought it was a one=way street when it came to taking care of pts....he would always ask for a female nurse to insert foley or do peri care on a female but he thought that his female co-workers should be "professional" encough to go in and care for a male pt...one time someone got fed with him and refused to lend a hand [ie read that as doing his work] he called the headnurse at 2am to complain...she was not a happy camper....transfered to another floor shortly after...this was a long time ago [maybe 15 yrs] i wonder if he is still in health care field

TraumaInTheSlot · Sep 7, 2004

i avoid them like the plague, i like to keep my libido and that stuff destroys it. lol

ERNurse752, RN · Sep 7, 2004

I'm not a male, but where I work only females assist with pelvics, whether the MD is male or female.

Typically, our males do foleys on males, and our females do foleys on females.

Trauma Columnist · Sep 7, 2004

Gosh - I work a level one trauma center where we have about 30% of our nurses our male and 40% of our docs are female. We don't ask for male RNs to chaperone for pelvic exams, but we expect to have all the equipment out with all the slides labelled. As to female foley's being done by male RNs - yes - we do expect that. If the female objects, then the polite thing to do is to get the equipment together and ask a female RN to do it. Is this how most places do these things - just curious?

RNCENCCRNNREMTP · Sep 7, 2004

I (so far) have always had a female nurse or tech to work with so that they can do the "intimate" interventions on the women and I do the same for the men. But, the unconscious trauma or the septic lady from the nursing home, I just do it, no sense wasting time looking for a free female.

The women I work with feel about the same, come to me for help when needed, but if it needs done now they will do it.

Pelvic exams are for the ladies. I will set up the room and even take the patient back but only recall once or twice being in there for the exam(even though I did pelvics in nursing school for the nurse/student run clinic).

Andrew B

Marie_LPN, RN, LPN, RN · Sep 7, 2004

Where i work, if a female is receiving a pelvic exam, it's typically because of rape or molestation. And the "rape recovery team" is all female.

(just please warm your hands, first.)

Katnip, RN · Sep 7, 2004

Where I work, the male nurses and techs insert Foleys on any ole body. As a matter of fact, I got some great tips from a male nurse on inserting a Foley in a female.

I haven't seen any of the guys assist in a pelvic, but I think if the doc is male, he will usually want a female to assist. Then again, I haven't seen the issue come up at all, but I will ask what they do when it's one of our guys who get stuck with the gyn rooms.

MichaelSSSS · Sep 7, 2004

I hope I never have to do a PE - it kind of ruins one's sex life - don't you agree?:imbar

2ndCareerRN · Sep 8, 2004

Where I work, we often have all boys night at the ER. If a pelvic needs to be done it gets done. Everything is set up, I stand at the head of the exam table while the doc does his thing. At all times the pt's privacy is respected. If she requests a female then I will try to get a nurse off of the floor to assist the doc.

My mantra is "a nurse is a nurse is a nurse". Why draw lines based on gender, don't we have enough problems in the field already?

As far as foleys, I will ask the patient if she is AAO, if she objects or requests a female I look once again to the floor.

This type of gender typecasting for interventions is a pet peave of mine. I left a job I loved because I was told "no male will work in my L&D". I was OK to do newborn nursery, postpartum, and women's services though. I was also OK for attending high risk deliveries and C-sections as the nursery rep. The EEOC decided I was right on that one! It would have been much cheaper for the hospital to fire the NM of L&D and hire me and a new manager after they were done. After that battle I left the hospital and took up ER nursing.

bob

Victoriakem · Sep 8, 2004

I'm a male RN, who left ED nursing ten years ago, and just returned. When I left, male nurses had nothing to do with "intimate" procedures on female patients. At my new ER, I have been told that I am to insert foleys and assist male MDs with pelvic exams on female patients.
If anything, I think that all the sexual abuse news should make it even more imperative that I avoid doing these things. Some of the male MDs agree with me. Your opinions?

If 2 males are in the room for a female exam, there can be a problem. I don't see why a female Doc & a male RN can't go a pelvic or insert a foley in a female patient. The ED where I work, we divide up these things with fellow staff. For instance, if a male nurse has to do a pelvic or insert a foley with a female patient, a female nurse will do th:rolleyes: e procedure & vice versa. Male patients don't usually have a problem with a female nurse doing a foley or any other "intimate" procedure. Could this be because nursing was a former "female" profession or something else?