males in the delivery room

FamilymanRNBSN L/D · Mar 9, 2001

Originally posted by dcuson:
I am a nursing student just about to graduate. I asked this question in another section on this website (traveling nursing) but realized that that wouldn't be a good section to ask in since it doesn't really apply. I am male and would really love to be a delivery room nurse. It's hard enough to do a bed bath or cath on a female patient without them being uncomfortable and I can only imagine what delivery would be like. Any comments or suggestions? Any bad experiences that might make me reconsider that choice?

I am the first male L/D nurse ever to work at the hospital that hired me. This concerned my nursing instructors and some advised me against it not due to my gender, but the nature of the unit I would be working. This unit does 400 plus deliveries a month, and has a I'd say at least half of them are high risk on top off all that. My other instructors were thrilled but told me I would not get hired, while writing the very reccomendation letters for my interview.

Some will question your intentions, but the bottom line is patient care. Once they see you providing excellent pt care they will convert, and want to now if you have any male friends interested in working L/D. truely there may be some creepy guys out there that make women feel sceptical, but you will hopefully be a reminder to them to not prejudge the whole gender based on past

opinions. I have enjoyed great...great sucess, good recomendations and evaluations from my peers both physicians and other RNS.

If your a decent human being witha pure heart it won't take very long to win the ladies over. As far as the pt, In one year of nursing I have only had 1 pt desire a female nurse. I approach my pt saying...Hi my name is todd i will be your nurse and proceed to make small talk about their family or something important to them. This

coupled with awesome IV starting skills and a little pt education to answer their fears

before and not during their reality...goes a long long way to wining them over and making them feel like they got the best nurse. I even had a lesbian couple tell me that they were thinking of switching to another nurse, and were so glad they didn't. Everybody likes to be celebrated. Pts, staff, family....My christian faith has helped me in my approach to pts, and staff. I look at each no matter what their station in life as special, holy, because they are created in God's image, whether they know that or not. It has never failed me...My other in road is humor and time. A well placed joke, or funny, to break the tension, or just spending more time in a pts room with them, rather than shooting the bull in the nurses station. This does wonders to calm someone

when words do not seem to stick...If I can be of any help please let me know...Todd from tulsa....

jamistlc · Apr 26, 2001

Greetings All Nurses,

I must tell you that Todd I am impressed and inspired by your posting! I am a male LPN who has only one dream to catch babies! It is awesome to be there in the room when a new soul is born!

Way to go and keep up the good work, brother!

Peace, Jami

momangel29 · Jul 19, 2001

I am an LPN in the RN program currently and I have two little boys. I am not kidding you when I tell you that when I was in labor it wouldn't have mattered if you were an it instead of a male or female I would not have noticed! Do what you would like and be happy.