Male student enters OB room. What do you think?

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I was doing my OB clinicals and entered a patient's room to deliver a food tray. Stupid move on my part, but it got me a complaint from the patient and kicked out of my OB class. I'm allowed to repeat next year.

Specializes in ICU / PCU / Telemetry / Oncology.
That makes me sad! I'm sorry you had such a horrible experience in your OB rotation. I've always loved seeing male students on the floor - most of them feel like such fish out of water, I want to try to ease the way for them as much as possible. I would love to see more male nurses in OB/L&D.

I blame the particular hospital where I did this clinical to be honest - unfortunately, a smaller community hospital. My only good memory there were all the postpartum patients who didn't care less that I was a male. LD nurses refused to let male students in to see lady partsl deliveries, I only ever saw 2 CS's.

In hindsight, I would have insisted on doing my rotation at the university hospital where I was going to school (where in fact I did hear males were better welcomed in OB and LD) but alas I had no real choice. My experience wants me to avoid the whole thing altogether.

ETA: ironically, my OB instructor was awesome and tried to change things at the site for males but they were unyielding. She did manage to get me a day on the univ hospital's Level III NICU so I could see the difference between that and the clinical site's level II ... that was nice of her.

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This whole discussion is why I wouldn't WORK OB. Not the staff- I can handle myself c them. The whole birth plan thing makes my teeth hurt. Not that people don't have the right to have one. I had them for both of my kids, and neither one worked out the way I planned; I got two healthy kids out of them and that's all that mattered to me.

I just don't want to have to jump, jump, jump all the time wondering when the "How high?" will come back to bite me.

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I loved OB. The nurses were more than willing to teach me. I showed an interest and respect for their practice. The nurses rewarded me by letting me participate in a delivery. I thanked all the nurses and patient for educating me.

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Specializes in Inpatient Surgery.

I agree. I just had a great OB rotation. Male. Student. Dealt with food. I had no problems. I had patients kick out the family but let me stay in the room.

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The staring at her naked crotch statement made me laugh for a minute. No, that did not occur. I showed my dismissal letter and my response to the teacher my sister. She thinks it is discrimination also. She is a fairly reasonable individual and in nursing school also.

After discussing it with my family, I believe maybe I am not cut out to work as a nurse. I was thinking if this was just a case of me being fired from a nursing job. I don't care to have my reputation ruined or questioned because I am a male. I am thinking this is how some nurses behave and my personality brings this out.

Might be best to reconsider...

If your mind is dead set on not continuing, that makes sense. Although I recall my own OB rotation, and how horrible it was. Honestly, I thought both myself and the other male in that class were doomed. A completely random and unfortunate circumstance changed everything. If it eases your mind, I'll share.

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You said a few pages back that you were going to get out of nursing and become an engineer or something "less noble." Buddy, I'm telling you right now, THAT is the thing to do. I stuck it out and got my degree and it is, without any doubt, the worst mistake I ever made in my life. It looked goood on paper. Obama and the media said "there's a nursing shortage" and I thought, great I can make a living AND help people. Win win right? Wrong. The reason for the "shortage" is that nurses are overworked and simply burn out. Then the institutions need more meat for the grinder. The price for a man is Waaay to high. It was too high for my family, my wallet and my sanity. Oh the academic part is difficult but doable. It's all the garbage that comes with it. The pompous instructors (all women) who have an axe to grind when it comes to men. We had one who reiterated frequently; "if you got in this to marry a doctor, you got into it for the wrong reason, they will run off with a younger nurse." and this in front of the whole class. I found out later that was her actual history. They would talk about how the hospitals used to make them wear girdles and stand in line for morning inspection. They're mad, I get it. They will tell you "oh, things have changed, it's not just for women." BULL BUTTER. I have never been so discriminated against. I know I'm going to catch flak for this BUT it is nonetheless true. Nursing is for women and males. Men need not apply. Whether you'll have it or not that's the way it is with nursing no matter what "they" say. Run don't walk away, you'll be a lot happier and have a more fulfilling life brother.

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Its not the same thing. You have a long established relationship with your OB. I have been going to mine for 13 years. Also, nurses are the backbone of labor. They are the ones who coach and reassure a laboring woman. My nurses were champs. They were on the same level because they had been there.

I chose my OB for his expertise. I would choose female labor nurses for theirs as well. The difference is theirs is personal. A male nurse can't tell you about his natural labor. A male nurse can't commiserate with you about how breastfeeding sucks. So basically it boils down to wanting someone who knows your pain. Not a man who no matter how much he has read or seen it. will never know it

Sorry have to disagree here. So are you going to turn down nurses who have never given birth, or nurses who have never experienced labor or nurses who chose not to breastfeed or did so without issues?

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...Nursing is for women and males. Men need not apply. Whether you'll have it or not that's the way it is with nursing no matter what "they" say. Run don't walk away, you'll be a lot happier and have a more fulfilling life brother.

I'd likely be better served biting my lip - but I'll bite:

How is it exactly that you differentiate between Men and males as you say?

I can't help but to ask.

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I'm very confused about this scenario. During my OB rotation the RN's introduced themselves and asked if it was OK for me to go in. I was a male student. If they said yes, I went in and observed. I did Foley catheters, cut the cord, and watched the labor. I also observed C-section births as well. If they said "no", I took another assignment.

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Found this while browsing an old midwifery blog Men in Midwifery

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Specializes in Med Surg, PCU, Travel.

The whole problem of this male female nurse thing is that male patients are never given and NEVER WILL HAVE THE OPTION OF ALL MALE NURSES. I know of no institution who would grant that request and men do have "male issues" too where they rather not be seen by a female or anyone for the matter. Part of this is why mens health is going down the toilet and there is little to no research on mens health issues. A wopping 14.2% men will get prostate cancer and its trending up while women have 12% chance of breast cancer trending down. Over 50% of men will have BPH and noone is doing nothing about it cause it benign yet greatly affects quality of life. Look at the whole nursing curriculum, most is about treatment for women and maybe 1% of class time was spent on male issues. And men are literally dying out here.

Back to OB , when I was an EMT and we got a eminent pregnancy call for first time my female cowoker got all panicky when she saw the baby head was right there crowning, I had to take control of the scene and do the delivery. For you women who think its better to have a female you may just be short changing yourself to not see the difference having a male nurse. Men are extremely sensitive to female issues even if we may not have experience and last I read NURSING IS ABOUT EVIDENCE BASED PRACTICE NOT TRADITIONS AND EXPERIENCE.

And for you male nurses who are discriminated against, there have been lawsuits made where the male nurses has won the discrimination case against the hospital and this will continue to grow if we pursue it and force change.

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Specializes in hospice.
The whole problem of this male female nurse thing is that male patients are never given and NEVER WILL HAVE THE OPTION OF ALL MALE NURSES. I know of no institution who would grant that request and men do have "male issues" too where they rather not be seen by a female or anyone for the matter.

The hospital I used to work at did in fact provide only male caregivers if requested, wherever possible. Our unit always had at least one male on every shift. If the nurse had to be female, he could at least have a male CNA, and if there was a male nurse but no male CNA, then the nurse would do total care for the person requesting male only. I guess we were lucky?

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