Male RN-assist with pelvic exams?

Published

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?

i would try and find a female nurse to do it but if worse came to worse and i was trainded to do it then i would do it but i would frist ask the female pacient if she is confortable with a male doing a pelvic exam or putting a foly cath in. thats what i would do if i was and rn

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, PED'S, NICU, CLINICAL M., ONCO..

One of the things that surprise me about the world of nursing is how fast things are changing.

This might be my third or fourth post about this thread from the very beginning. Probably still narrow minded, not understanding why we continue with this discussion, but sensitive enough to the fact that befalls daily at our ER.

After two years of participating in deliveries, doing Neo, Rooming in, obstetrics and ER, I arrived to a dead point with my chief and after beginning a formal relationship with a divorced-mom of three daughters-med of my ER, I asked to be transferred to it permanently. Probably it's hard for you to get an idea about a small maternity-hospital of one of the small richest cities of my country. I'm a BSN, twice RN, and two years of Paramedic. After 10 PM we do not have stretcher bearers, and I or my replacement, have to assist one orthopedic surgeon, one neo/ped, one clinical and sometimes one plastic surgeon... and everything else.

Sometimes I have to start CPR alone. Two weeks ago I had to receive a 22 weeks old fetus, from an 18 years old mom, second pregnancy, because my surgeon leaved me alone, and the midwife was occupied with a potential caesarean. Besides, the obstetric didn't want to come down because gynecologists never help during emergencies and he pretended the 'gyneco' taking care of the situation.

Of course the baby died. I have to ask the pt's mother to help me to take her pants out and I deed the delivery on a small stretcher alone, contained that girl as much as I could. I wrapped the baby with a green compress and brought it to the obstetric, second floor, in my hands with my best gaze of hate.

Afterwards I talked with my supervisor and she encouraged me to start a legal issue, demanding a sanction for all of them. Of course I didn't do anything except enduring my own pain for few days.

That night we've only two women, the midwife and the supervisor, the rest of us, nurses and meds were all men.

Do you understand that? My former co was accused of abusing from a pt at the ER during an EKG performance, and obliged to quit. It happens everywhere, not only in USA.

One has to do what one has to do... which is exactly what one has to do... because one must...

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Th hypocrisy of this thread is amazing. Read this thread:

https://allnurses.com/forums/f18/funniest-injury-you-have-ever-seen-70363.html

What's funny is injuries to the scrotum, or member (especially if it's small, even funnier if it's small because it has been maimed or blown away):rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: Or how about how funny it was when a teenager tried unsuccesfully to commit suicide several times?:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl: You've got something wrong if you don't see the humor in that! It's not as if you women aren't "sizing up" every guy you deal with, or pay special attention to the especially good-looking patients. There seems to be plenty of professionalism lacking among female caregivers as well.

Injurys to ones genetalia is not funny. I do not "size up" my patients according to their looks or genitals.

I found nothing funny about the kid who put a gun to his abdomen yesterday. Maybe there is something wrong with me if I don't see the humor in attempted suicide, but I dont think so.

Tell me...what is it about suicide that you find so humorus?

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I find nothing humorous in attempted suicide, or injury to one's genitals either. It was a poor attempt on my part to be sarcastic. My point is that some medical "professionals" do, and you can read it straight from the horse's mouth. I don't see how any medical professional would be offended by a pelvic exam, or how any injury/attempted suicide is funny, but apparently some do. There was also a thread on here on how to deal with sexual harrassment from patients and some of the more common responses were to:1) make fun of the size of the genitals, or 2) the many different ways to "accidently" injure a male's private parts. I can't see teachers or many other professionals dealing with sexual harrassment, which they too experience, via methods such as these. I think it would be alarming to anyone under medical care to know that their examination might lead to loss of libido in a health care worker, or that their serious injury or less than desirable anatomy would be source of great humor to those who are supposed to be caring for them. DO these guys have daughters, wives, or mothers? Do these girls have sons, husbands, fathers? How would they feel if it was one of them??

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in ER, PED'S, NICU, CLINICAL M., ONCO..

It seems we'll continue making firewood of this fallen tree...by the way I've been in many operating rooms having to support the real stupidity of many guys of the team, pondering the nice teats or beautiful Venus mount of same lady pt.

In health there is an old proverb that says: MD's choice their skill according with their own mental pathology.

It sounds a little severe, but one arrives to the conclusion that some really DO. I DO NOT want to enter in details, because it wouldn't be ethic, but I agree with you. In Bs. As. We've a crushing statistics related male MD's infidelity and matrimonial failure. Don't know other places' statistics.

This world is overwhelming populated for billions of women and men. There are inexhaustible opportunities of exchanging sexual energy with whoever one wish to... wherever!!

There is not logic explanation, if one wants to have sex just go out, dance, beach, a pub, etc. It seems that an ER or an operating theater is not the best place to do that.

Again... something insane must move inside some minds like a nasty worm. It's a shame but a part of human reality.

We can't do nothing about it except discussing the subject.

After all we must not loose objectivity... we all do live in a crazy world, don't we?

At last, one must do ones duty without caring about other's behaviour.

I'm sorry if I sound sometimes a beat temperamental. The oldest of you know that ours is not an easy profession. We do not have a Walt Whitman or a Florence Nightingale. Even more our first University's Nursing Director was an American Navy Nurse of the UNR, where I belong to. Not many Argentinean nurses know that but many did read Whitman at least once. My heart is with all of you and always will be.

Emilio from Buenos Aires.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Injurys to ones genetalia is not funny. I do not "size up" my patients according to their looks or genitals.

I found nothing funny about the kid who put a gun to his abdomen yesterday. Maybe there is something wrong with me if I don't see the humor in attempted suicide, but I dont think so.

Tell me...what is it about suicide that you find so humorus?

I think you missed the point.
Up Vote Up Vote ×

If you act like a professional, patients will accept you and your care of them. If men don't want to take care of ALL patients, they should be paid less. The only exceptions should be patient requests or sexual abuse cases.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Hi Anna - am unsure why you would verbalize such an opinion - however, you are entitled to it. Hope you can find an ER where you will be happy. Personally, I like my ER with both males and females, nurses, techs, doctors.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If you act like a professional, patients will accept you and your care of them. If men don't want to take care of ALL patients, they should be paid less. The only exceptions should be patient requests or sexual abuse cases.

This is a very simplistic statement which doesn't appear to have much thought behind it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If you act like a professional, patients will accept you and your care of them. If men don't want to take care of ALL patients, they should be paid less. The only exceptions should be patient requests or sexual abuse cases.

I need to explain....I work in an ER with many male nurses and I like and respect all of them. All of them care for all types of patients, unless a patient has a specific request for female, then we do our best to comply. They act professionally, and the patients view them as "their"nurse, not the male or female nurse.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I don't do any peri-procedure on ANY patient without a chaperone/witness/assistant. The patient's gender does not matter to me, and neither does the chaperone's, I'm just not gonna subject myself to a patient's false accusations of sexual assault without a witness.

When it comes to the gender of the chaperone, however, shouldn't we select them based on the sexual preferences of the doctors and nurses involved rather than genders?

If a female nurse is going to perform a sensitive procedure on a male patient, wouldn't it be prudent (shouldn't it be required) for her to have a male chaperone? Of course, he'd need to be heterosexual. Unless, that is, he's heterosexual but likes to watch.

I'm being facetious to illustrate just how ridiculous the "which gender should I use?" scenarios can become.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I need to explain....I work in an ER with many male nurses and I like and respect all of them. All of them care for all types of patients, unless a patient has a specific request for female, then we do our best to comply. They act professionally, and the patients view them as "their"nurse, not the male or female nurse.

Well then, I agree. I'm a male RN who worked in the ER. I've put many, many foleys into female patients, done EKGs on females, suppositories, etc.

However, on more than one occasion I've been given a hard time because I didn't want to do a foley insertion alone. Femal RNs would do foleys alone, but I think realistically, the chance of being accused of sexual abuse is much higher if you are male.

I don't have any statistics to back that up, but I think it's something men have to be more conscious of. I think men are at higher risk for false accusations.

Women have to be aware of this too, and would be wise to take a chaperone as well, but in my experience, they don't (except during pelvic exams where it's required.)

As far as doing procedures on a female patient, I don't care, I'll do anything necessary, and ralely has it been a problem. The overwhelming majority of female patients had no problem with me caring for them.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion