During my current rotation (I'm a student) in OB, something kind of struck me as odd about how my postion was being represented to the patients. Let me explain a bit...
During my initial med-surg rotation last semester, I was on an ortho floor and was providing care to men and women, both young and old. When my mentor would go into a room, we'd both go in and she'd introduce me simply as "a student" and we'd proceed to provide the requisite care. None of the patients voiced any concerns during this time regarding having a guy in the room during "personal care" or when assessing wound sites below the waist.
Skip to the present...
Upon hitting the OB floor, this all changed. Now, I can't even enter a room before it's announced that a guy is in tow and is it ok if I come in and assist.
Yes, it seems to make sense. Yes, it seems appropriate to do in terms of just being polite. Yet, it still nagged at me a bit. Why?
Well, when observing my classmates going into rooms to perform skills such as D/C of a foley on a male patient, there was never any notification that a female student would be involved. No option given to opt out. No bow to modesty. Similarly, when patients are sent to other depts, such as x-ray (ultrasound), there isn't any notification that the tech's performing the work were of the opposite sex. Similarly, when the doc's were making the rounds with their entourage of students, no special steps were taken regarding modesty issues. And when it came to the OB cases, no mention was ever made that the RNFA's assisting the doc's on the C/S were men, or the anesthesiologists, etc. etc. Does it strike anyone else as a bit odd that the only people in the hospital that seem to be identified according to their sex are the male (student) nurses?
I realize that there are going to be exceptions noted by the readers of this forum. I understand that patients can refuse treatment from anyone they choose for whatever reason they find - no problem. I'm wondering, are the nurses that make this differentiation for the male part of the student body unconsciously setting an expectation that needn't be there? Regardless of who we're treating, or who's providing the treatment, isn't the "secret" to setting people at ease regarding modesty the act of performing your duties with a high degree of professionalism? If we're doing that, shouldn't the issue of our gender be a secondary consideration instead of the default one? If not, then shouldn't we be extending the same considerations to the male patient population? Does announcing a provider's gender just move the modesty issue to the fore, making it a self-fulfilling prophesy?
PS - I don't think that this was ever an act of discrimination on the part of my clinical mentors. Just an act of politeness.
Honestly, I would not want a male doing personal care, like a bed bath on me. Lots of people have pointed out that I'm attractive and young, and frankly, I don't want some guy to get turned on by caring for me. I'm serious. It might not be intentional, and despite how professional he is, I think it's hard for a man to not react to a young, attractive naked woman (depending on circumstances). I remember when I was 14 and went to a male gynecologist, and by the look on his face he looked excited when he was told he was going to give me a pelvic examination. How sick is that. But even w/o that experience, I still wouldn't want a male doing certain kinds of care for me.
I think people should have the right to refuse care based on gender if they want to.
I'm sorry that this causes you to feel discriminated against, and I guess it is a sort of discrimination. It must be frustrating, perhaps demeaning. However, I think the patient should be comfortable w/whoever is giving care.
I would not want a student caring for me in some circumstances, either. It's one thing to give someone a bed bath, and quite another to do a pelvic examination. I'd be afraid the student might miss something a more experienced staff member would notice.
That's my take on that.
This is an OLD post but......wow. Thank GOODNESS that this is a MINORITY opinion (at least I sure as heck hope so!!!). The username easily prefaces the context, but I have to wonder of the poster........can SHE *somehow* manage to NOT get "turned on" caring for an attractive male patient? Is that possible?? (insert sarcasm).
And at 14, to be SO SURE the GYN was "excited" to be doing a pelvic on her? I am seriously speechless.
I prefer having a male GYN, because even though a male can't PERSONALLY relate to gyn-related health concerns, they also do not (unintentionally) insert their own prejudices into their assessment of problems...when a woman has never had pelvic pain, for example (I have endometriosis, and have had intractable menstrual pain since age 13), she can't relate. Make sense?
CaDad
50 Posts
By The way-I consider it a privileged to be allowed to participate in these many discussions.