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.

After being a nurse for a decent while, I can honestly say I'd have no problem requesting male staff only, particularly if it involved intimate care. I'd be very uncomfortable having a nurse young enough to be my daughter putting in my Foley (regardless of experience). I've actually seen my share of young female nurses gossiping at the nurses station about the size of a patient's member. Not saying every young nurse does that but it's sad that I've seen that more than once!

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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?

I would not turn down a nurse that had not given birth but I would prefer one who had. I would prefer nurses who had experience in natural birth since that is what I wanted to accomplish. I was thankful that I got one.

If a nurse chose to not breastfeed(with no other reason that she didn't want to), I would not want her as my nurse ever. With the overwhelming evidence that breastfeeding is best and that support is key, I would not want anyone who could not fully support that. I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding. I had a horrible lactation consultant who had me so confused and frustrated I almost gave up. I worked through it and went on breastfeed successfully for 18 months. I was lucky that I had a great online support system. Not many do.

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You don't have to ask, you know.

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Specializes in Pediatric Critical Care.
I had administrators at my school tell me to my face that I have to "prove" myself because I'm male and that there are higher expectations because of my gender. If they want to find reasons to put you out, they will. Move on and be happy that you aren't stuck in a thankless, back breaking career. Go to medical school where you'll be treated with more respect. You don't owe anything to nursing and don't buy into the self righteous, hypocritical BS they try to shove down your throat.

Just want to point out that this 'hypocritical BS' is what women have to deal with every day in many careers. So, you know, be encouraged by knowing that everybody is treated unfairly! Yay!

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Sorry for the old thread but I just now read it...and WOW what a different experience! Male student here and this summer I went through post-partum, NICU and overnight LnD. I participated in 2 lady partsl deliveries and a C-section. Nobody ever suggested I shouldn't be in the rooms. I was encouraged to participate. Hell, I actually held a leg on each of the vag deliveries while they were pushing. The only thing I didn't do was check dilation+effacement with my fingers. I took pictures of couples, and cut the cord on one baby because the father was afraid :p

Did I stare? Absolutely, there was a head coming out of there afterall! It's kind of hard to deliver without looking. One of the couples was fairly conservative Amish and neither the wife nor husband suggested I shouldn't be involved. In fact, that man may have been relieved to have me there instead of being the only guy with 7 women packed into a room. The only funny part is he assumed I was the physician as the only man in the room, at which point he said "oh you're JUST a nurse". Bah!

Now post-partum, the clinical instructor did rush me through some of the lady partsl checks and I never felt for swelling. I'm not sure if she was worried for the patients or for me, but I was fine and comfortable. Again, no patients asked me to not be involved. 1/2 of them seemed very comfortable and I did feel breasts for mastitis.

I would be very disappointed and critical of my school if I had the OPs experience.

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Specializes in Post Acute, Med/Surg, ED, Nurse Manager.

I looked it up, crazy thing its true! Male nurses are prohibited from OB in CA. Its gender bias and unfair. If women where prevented from a field of nursing everyone would be in arms about it. Men can be just as clinical and unbias. I understand plenty of women would prefer a female nurse due to the fact they may have been through labor and have a deeper understanding. But my OB's have been male and amazing. Why would nurses be different.

http://www.nursezone.com/Nursing-News-Events/more-features/New-Study-Examines-Attitudes-about-Men-in-Obstetrical-Nursing_21060.aspx

I will confess though when I had my tubes tied before being in the nursing program I did panic before going under when I had an all male surgical staff that had to prep me before surgery but after I was under anesthetic. I couldn't help it, and it did not reflect my interpretation of how they do their job. They found a female nurse, my dr. was male and I trusted him, and the anesthesiologist. but I was too uncomfortable being swapped and prepped by a male. I can see where a patient can come from being uncomfortable BUT a law preventing males in any area of nursing due to gender is wrong.

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I would not turn down a nurse that had not given birth but I would prefer one who had. I would prefer nurses who had experience in natural birth since that is what I wanted to accomplish. I was thankful that I got one.

If a nurse chose to not breastfeed(with no other reason that she didn't want to), I would not want her as my nurse ever. With the overwhelming evidence that breastfeeding is best and that support is key, I would not want anyone who could not fully support that. I am a huge advocate of breastfeeding. I had a horrible lactation consultant who had me so confused and frustrated I almost gave up. I worked through it and went on breastfeed successfully for 18 months. I was lucky that I had a great online support system. Not many do.

You would likely never know if a nurse chose not to breastfeed unless she specifically told you. So the chances are that you've had nurses who didn't breast feed simply because they didn't want to.

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Got me thinking about this thread again. Spent 2 days in the Hospital at an affiliate of the one I got in trouble at(Integris). I had such a wonderful experience and now I also have a new baby girl. None of the misery I had to go through in school, but it did bring back memories. I still think about nursing, but I have very little stress making Oxygen at Air Liquide. I guess I will still have to decide if I go back in January, but for the moment I believe the answer is no.

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Specializes in Allergy/ENT, Occ Health, LTC/Skilled.

Wow, some of these comments are really something. I have had three kids in the last 7 years, I never had a male nurse but I had a male student my very first delivery when I was 21. I was scared and kind of in denial. There was also a female nurse with him. When it was time to push, it was him holding my left while my husband nearly fainted and I had kicked out the female nursing student hours earlier lol (She was telling my stories about deliveries gone wrong, bad move). He was awesome, he was calm, practical, and took awesome care of me. I actually wish I had the option to choose male nurses for the next two deliveries! The female nurses were just fine but I have to say I often felt judgement from them if I chose to place my baby in the nursery over night or wasnt over into breast feeding. I had a male OB all thre pregnancies too and a liked him for the same reason. It was my baby so my parenting rules, he was just there to make sure I delievered that baby safely.

Sorry you had such a bad experience. I really didnt care what male in the room when I delievered, it's not like anyone is gonna get a stiffy over a dilated lady parts. Now, if a male nurse was teaching me to breast feed I may find that strange lol.

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Specializes in Allergy/ENT, Occ Health, LTC/Skilled.

congrats on your baby girl!!!!

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I heard in California it is illegal for a male nurse to work on an OB floor. I would question why I even need the training?

Not true

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I believe I was mistaken. I was reading an old article and California was one of the last holdouts that did ban males as recent as 15 years ago.

The patient happened to be hispanic, but I don't really think that makes much of a difference. Everyone is entitled to their modesty if they demand it. There was another patient that was some sort of Amish maybe? I'm not familiar with Menonite culture. I was told not to enter and I didn't.

Still not true. I had my last kid greater than 20 years ago and had a male post part nurse

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