Male student enters OB room. What do you think?

quitor1moretry · Feb 18, 2017

Well, here is one for the books. On my OB rotation a student, from another country, who didn't quite grasp the difference between Medical Jargon and slang. The patient was agreeable to having a student, and had no problem with that student being male. That is until he entered her room, lifted up her gown, completely exposed her, and said to her, "I have to check your tits now." Needless to say she refused to have a student nurse the following day.

MikeMSN-RN, MSN, LVN, RN · Feb 26, 2017

In my OB rotation though is where I finally learned about how some nurses DO NOT want to teach. I don't think it was because I was male. Sometimes you have to be assertive and just find a nurse that wants to teach.
I did have one mom that did not want me on on her service because I was male. I think that was the only time I really "felt my gender" in nursing school. It was always a non-issue for me and 99% of my nurses were helpful and kind.

My OB rotations both for LVN and RN were very awkward just because I am a male nursing student. However, I was very careful whenever I had a contact with patients. There were many Spanish-speaking patients so I had to ask family members if it was OK for me to take care of them prior to assessment. I also asked my female classmate to be with me whenever I went into patient's room.

Also I was instructed by my instructor to ask patients and family members if it was ok to be a nurse for the day first. Any instructor should do that.

quitor1moretry · Mar 1, 2017

You don't have to ask, you know.

And the nurse doesn't have to tell. I am sure I have been given a flu shot or two by nurses who didn't believe in immunizations. Nurses do not have to live by the care they provide. Unless a nurse is delivering care in opposition to the hospital policy and/or a patients beliefs I would not support a patient refusing their care .