Male Student in OB Rotation

FutureNurseInfo · Apr 21, 2017

I am not in the nursing program yet, so I am bet jealous of you ;-) However, I do understand that you may feel a bit frustrated with the fact that you do not get to learn simply because you are a male. I guess the patient, which is a customer, is always right. And if the patient does not want to have a male nurse/male nursing student present during the most intimate procedures, you have to leave. It sucks! What you can do is watch videos on youtube. I bet there are a ton of videos about OBGYN and all related things like birth giving, etc.

rachaelofcourse · Apr 21, 2017

Have you spoken with your clinical instructor? I'm currently in my OB rotation, and this has not been an issue for the one male that's in my clinical group. Try and find a multip who is going to deliver as they usually don't care; this "isn't their first rodeo" so to speak. Also, I'm not sure about your scope as a student where you are, but for us we can only observe procedures. YouTube could help, as previously mentioned. I would still speak with your instructor about your concerns though.

bgxyrnf, MSN, RN · Apr 22, 2017

The men in my program were excluded because the nurses were hostile to our presence which eliminated any chance of getting a patient to buy in (e.g. "there's a male nursing student here to observe but we can have him stay outside if you'd prefer...")

I learned all that I needed from books... that is, enough to get an A in the class and pass the NCLEX in under an hour.

Beyond that, I leave it to those without the X chromosome deficiency.

Double-Helix, BSN, RN · Apr 22, 2017

It's true that some laboring women may not want males in the room when they deliver. It's also true that some may not want nursing students involved in their care at all, regardless of gender. However, there will also be women that are happy to have both female and male students observe their delivery. This is a great chance for you to practice an important nursing skill called empathy.â€ These women are vulnerable, exposed, and anxious. They simply may not be comfortable with a stranger- particularly a male- seeing them in that position. It's not personal, nor are they intentionally trying to keep you from learning.

I understand why it's frustrating to feel like other students are getting opportunities that you aren't, but for what it's worth, there isn't really anything about witnessing a birth that is essential to your nursing education. Anything you need to know for tests, NCLEX, etc. you can learn from books. If you're really interested in seeing what a lady partsl birth looks like, there are plenty of videos on YouTube.

Jbutery · Apr 23, 2017

I say don't give up! Prior to nursing school when I delivered my kiddos I always invited the students in! I had 2 kiddos during the program and I specifically requested the male students because I knew the males in our class were often asked to leave. Keep your head up!

Also try breaking the ice as early as possible to establish a level of comfort. I'm sure you know this already but I know I'm much more comfortable with those that interact and share interest.

Here.I.Stand, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2017

For what it's worth, I am female and didn't get to see a delivery; there were 8 of us, and only 5 births over those two days. My nursing education turned out fine.

It is a woman's right to decline unnecessary people in the delivery room. On parenting websites, it seems like a regular on expectant mothers' birth plans (they get posted on the message boards a lot) is "no students." As someone who is quite modest myself, one of the reasons I chose CNM groups is the ones in my area are all female. Unless I had an emergency and the OB-GYN needed to be called, and it was a male on call, my provider would be female. I'm sure you feel frustrated, but it's not a laboring woman's job to ensure you get to see a delivery.

Kuriin, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2017

I was not allowed in some of the women's rooms during their labor in my OB rotation.

AngelKissed857, BSN, RN · Apr 23, 2017

Some women are just not comfortable with male practitioners. Some of it may he related to overall modesty, some to the fact that 1 in 5 women have been raped in this country, and 1 in 20 have been sexually molested, makes them more comfortable with female practitioners when they are particularly vulnerable. As a rape survivor, I understand thay. BUT, as a female nursing student, I've also had pts refuse to have me as part of their care team, sometimes without ever meeting me, because I'm a student. I also know an experienced male nurse who wants to be in L &D, and can't even get an interview. It's not necessarily fair, but it isn't going to hinder your education at all. I agree with other posters about you tube, etc. As Elsa says, "Let it go..."

C0SM0 · Apr 25, 2017

I'm a male currently in an OB rotation as well. Unfortunately for us, patients have the right to refuse us as caretakers. I noticed someone else commented that it's a person's right to refuse unnecessary people in the room, but it seems like your question is more about not being allowed into the room because of your gender, not simply because you're an "unnecessary" person. I haven't had any issues in OB, but I did have a patient in Med/Surg tell me she didn't want me taking care of her because of my gender. I didn't get offended by it. If she's the type of person that's going to stereotype me and somehow think I'm going to provide less of a service, then I don't want to take care of that patient anyways. I've been complimented many times due to level of care that I give and if someone can't get past their sexism, it's their loss.

Scottishtape · Apr 25, 2017

I'm a male currently in an OB rotation as well. Unfortunately for us, patients have the right to refuse us as caretakers. I noticed someone else commented that it's a person's right to refuse unnecessary people in the room, but it seems like your question is more about not being allowed into the room because of your gender, not simply because you're an "unnecessary" person. I haven't had any issues in OB, but I did have a patient in Med/Surg tell me she didn't want me taking care of her because of my gender. I didn't get offended by it. If she's the type of person that's going to stereotype me and somehow think I'm going to provide less of a service, then I don't want to take care of that patient anyways. I've been complimented many times due to level of care that I give and if someone can't get past their sexism, it's their loss.

You know, women can choose to not have a male in the room not because they are stereotyping regarding care, but because of their modesty.

Instead of carrying around a victim mentality, actually consider the vulnerable nature women are in while they are in that setting and try to respect them, instead of turning their motives into something negative.

ETA: also, just because I don't want some random guy with no real purpose in the room staring at my lady parts while I'm giving birth, doesn't make me, or any other woman "sexist". For the record: the attitude you're showing in this post is what makes it harder for men in nursing. You act like it's your right to look at us in vulnerable situations.

C0SM0 · Apr 25, 2017

I'm not sure what I said that leads you to believe I have a victim mentality. I stated that it doesn't bother me if people refuse my care. It seems like you need to work on your attention to detail. Also, I can assure you that I do indeed have a purpose during my clinical rotations and I'm not just some random guy standing around. You certainly have a right to disagree with me, but you seem easily offended and have a lot of maturing to do. For your patients' sake, I hope that maturing comes sooner than later.