Male RN-assist with pelvic exams?

Farkinott, RN · Sep 22, 2004

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

I'm with you! I need a bit of feminine mystery/mystique to keep me turned on. I know the anatomy. I know the physiology. When it comes to female genitalia I avoid it like the plague at work due to the increased risk of being accused of something perverted. I also do not feel comfortable with situations like that especially die to potential acusations. When it comes to private time between me and my girl.................................let me at it!

bobnurse · Sep 22, 2004

From what ive seen, males performing pelvic procedures, foley's and so forth happens mostly in geriatrics. Why i dont know. Well i do, but wont go there. With the younger population, its almost unheard of to see a male nurse assist, whether its a female or male doc........

Medic

vemiliob · Sep 23, 2004

Well, my dear fellas, I've been circulating in a surgery room hearing meds and technicians pondering the nice teats, beautiful body and so on... of a 23 year old female pt. I also performed ER and Ambulance Job with many co-male-Meds... "as a rule, never give IV medication when the issue is a nice girl, always IM".

I always tried to get in the maternal-child area and in one way or another I've to face Discrimination. However things change, my actual boss is a male RN, BSN and the Chief of Neonatology prefers male than female nurses.

Argentineans Midwifes are not nurses, so we do team work with them. In 17 months of performing Obstetrics, Peds, Neonatology and Childbirth I never heard anyone disrespecting a woman of any age, out-doors or in-doors. As a commentary I'd to add that in that time we have only one Homosexual Nurse that gave up because personal problems after two weeks of working.

I have to attend many post-op young ladies... now the question is, "if your pt is floating in her-own-blood, and you (male Nurse) are the only person working in that area, what are you gonna do? Call your chief to cleanse her? ... Certainly not.

live4today, RN · Sep 23, 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?

Ask yourself what makes it okay for a "male doctor" to examine a female's pelvic region, but a "male nurse" cannot and you will never

feel that you shouldn't again. :)

lllliv · Sep 23, 2004

a nurse is a nurse and should provide the care that is needed at the time.

momdebo, BSN, RN · Sep 25, 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

I think a nurse is a nurse is a nurse but I do wonder how many male nurses share that opinion. my last pregnancy i had 4 nursing students in the room, it wound up being a real disaster of a delivery, (great learning experience for them!), one of the students was a man that appeared to be in his 30's and he disappeared to the very back of the room, stuffed in the corner half hidden by the curtain on the window! maybe it was because i looked like linda blair or maybe it just wasn't his bag, i dunno, but i'm with ya, same degree, same job, same duties. momdebo

vemiliob · Sep 26, 2004

We will not start a discussion on the issue male versus female Nurse again. I don't think this is the point of this thread.

When I was student I used to leave the operation room where I was designed to observe to jump in one of the delivery rooms wherever a partum was going on.

I'll never forget the first childbirth I witnessed, "everything appeared so warm, so human..." I had two male co's, the three were in our 30's, the three go so comfortable on that area, so natural.

A Nurse is a Nurse, is a Nurse is a Nurse...

wam79 · Sep 27, 2004

To me there are two parts to this thread 1)I will care for anybody.I cannot provide proper care if I am uncomfortable with doing physical exams ,treatments ect... 2)If I am to provide care for a female pt. I will ask if they want a chaperone. Md's should ask if pts if they wanta chaperone. I have heard male nurses that are "insulted' when a female pt is uncomfortable or refuses to allow care. I wonder how they can be so self centered, is it about them or the pt. It is a reality that the majority of abuse victems in our society are female. It is uncaring to not consider this when males are caring for females. I have had pts. over the years with a lot of anxiety relating to a male nurse. If you have time to develope a working relationship this is usually overcome. Who has that time, most often we are busy. Busy or not we are the pts advocate. It is up to us to ensure that pts recieve the best care we can provide. That includes their mental health.

wam79 · Sep 27, 2004

To me there are two parts to this thread 1)I will care for anybody.I cannot provide proper care if I am uncomfortable with doing physical exams ,treatments ect... 2)If I am to provide care for a female pt. I will ask if they want a chaperone. Md's should ask if pts if they wanta chaperone. I have heard male nurses that are "insulted' when a female pt is uncomfortable or refuses to allow care. I wonder how they can be so self centered, is it about them or the pt. It is a reality that the majority of abuse victems in our society are female. It is uncaring to not consider this when males are caring for females. I have had pts. over the years with a lot of anxiety relating to a male nurse. If you have time to develope a working relationship this is usually overcome. Who has that time, most often we are busy. Busy or not we are the pts advocate. It is up to us to ensure that pts recieve the best care we can provide. That includes their mental health.

I should add that the majoity of sexually abusive pts are male. And when I'm working I will take those pts . I tell them why I'm their nurse & why they will deal only with me for the next___ hrs.Can my female coworkers tolerate the pt. Of course they can,but nobody should have to tolerate that behavior if avoidable.

talaxandra · Sep 27, 2004

I think that if the patient is uncomfortable, or could be predicted to be uncomfortable (and I'm thinking here specifically of rape survivors) then getting a same-gender nurse is appropriate. Otherwise: your patient, your job! As other posters have said, nobody seems to think that female nurses shouldn't do male hygeine/catheter insertion etc.

I love all you guys who beg off doing female peri-related care (be it IDC insertion, exams or hygeine) on the grounds that it'll influence your libido! I'm not having a go (well, not much!), but it does seem to reinforce the cultural stereotype that sex for women is about personality and sex for men is about appearance. If work influenced my private life all those shrivelled member, inguinal hernia-stretched scrotums, penile cancers, mysteriously liquified testes (have no idea how that happened) etc would mean I'd never have 'intimate relations' again! And, to carry it further, after last night's disturbing code brown I'd not be eating a chocolate eclair as I type!

talaxandra · Sep 27, 2004

I should add that the majoity of sexually abusive pts are male. And when I'm working I will take those pts . I tell them why I'm their nurse & why they will deal only with me for the next___ hrs.Can my female coworkers tolerate the pt. Of course they can,but nobody should have to tolerate that behavior if avoidable.

Agreed - and we do the opposite with sexual assault survivors, using only female staff. After all, our primary aim is the patient's best interests. But in general, the gender of the professional shouldn't be an issue.

vemiliob · Sep 28, 2004

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"I love all you guys who beg off doing female peri-related care (be it IDC insertion, exams or hygeine) on the grounds that it'll influence your libido! I'm not having a go (well, not much!), but it does seem to reinforce the cultural stereotype that sex for women is about personality and sex for men is about appearance".

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KOL! there are many things more than appearance. i.e., a woman's permission or woman's meta messages, as extraordinarily rare happens on ER's (at least in our ER's). A pretty beautiful lady in the state of pain (physical or psychological) is a pt, a human being on suffering, and "that's not attractive for any sane libido".

Could say the same about a pregnant woman, a bleeding-exposed fracture, or any sort of that.

In our Maternity all normal deliveries go to what we call "Rooming" That means: mother, father and child together in one room during 36 to 48 hours. My job goes from receiving the child to, assessing and teaching them during that time. I teach suckling, not in a classroom but in a patient-unit, with a real teat, a real mother and a real neonate. Many times each night shift. There is no libido but, affection, compassion, tenderness, and a huge gratitude to life for allowing me to add my little help instead.