OB Clinicals

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I would like to know about your experience in OB/Maternal Nursing clinical rotations.

Specializes in home health, LTC, assisted living.
I would like to know about your experience in OB/Maternal Nursing clinical rotations.

:rolleyes: Well lets see,,,,,,, no babies in the NICU to observe or care for. Moms reluctant to have a student do any of their assessments, do not really like you doing assessments on their baby, moms have baby in room all the time, so you have to disturb them to try to do your assessments. Hard to do teaching, always company or family members in the room. Not all of them really want a student doing their cares. did I miss anything?

First off let me say that both of my clinical experiences were difficult. I went to a 1+1 program (LPN then RN).

My LPN clinical was the worst I was repeatedly embarrassed, made to feel out of place and insulted, by nurses not by patients. However, this was the clinical that made me become an L&D nurse so I wouldn't trade all that frustration for anything. My OB clinical was 3 days long and by the third day I was happy to see it ending.

On my third day I was hiding in a corner at the nurses station pretending to read while I tried to be invisible. A call light went off and to my great displeasure I was the only student or nurse at the station so I was sent by the secretary to see what the patent needed. I hadn't been allowed into room for anything other then vital sighs because it was assumed that I would make the patients uncomfortable. When I got to the room I ended up having an experience I hadn't expected. I ended up supporting a very scared patient threw her labor. Her nurse threw me out but the patient made her bring me back. I walked away from that experience very confused but very much in love with OB.

On my second clinical I learned that a male nursing student is different from a male nurse. By the time I went back for my RN clinical I had been working as a postpartum nurse for 6 months and patients had more reservations toward me as a student then I was accustomed to as a postpartum nurse.

As far as the debate about weather or not the patient should be asked about having MALE nursing student. I do think that all patients should be asked weather or not they want nursing students in general however I don't think that they should be asked specifically about MALE nursing students, to do so implies that there is something wrong with MALE nursing students (and male nurses for that matter). At the same time I believe that the patients feelings regarding male care providers should be taken into consideration. Consideration of the patient's feelings is easily addressed by assigning MALE nursing students to patients who have CHOSEN male doctors. Now as an L&D nurse I don't choose my pateint assighnments based on the gender of their doctor but there is a differance between nurse and student nurse.

I am nearing the end of my third year as a labor and delivery nurse. I can tell you that most patients don't have the same reservations about men in nursing that many nurses do. Yes there have been a few patients that have asked for a female nurse and there have been a few times that I have traded patients because either I sensed they were uncomfortable or I was uncomfortable.

For the most part my patients love me as much as I love them. I cant remember the last time I paid for Starbucks because patients send me thank you notes with Starbucks cards (I have 6 in my wallet at the moment). Sometimes I even forget that I am a MALE nurse and just think of myself as a nurse.

As for the concerns that have been brought up about patients with a history of sexual abuse:

This was a concern of mine when I entered this area. What I have found is that I often do better then my coworkers with patients who have been abused. Weather this is because of my gender or in spite of it I'm not sure but very often the patients I have taken care of with histories of abuse ask for me when they come back. Patients who have been abused by bad people were abused by a person and weather that person was male or female does not automatically make all men abusers in their mind.

Most sexually abused women don't distrust all men. More commonly people who have had a string of bad relationships assume that attitude. It is a coping mechanism used by people (of either gender) to convince themselves that they were not at fault for relationship problems so they place all the blame on members of the opposite sex i.e.. They are all dogs or crazy. I have actually observed the inverse of this attitude in abused women. I have had many patients talk to me about their history of abuse and have had the privilege of finding them help.

Every time men in OB (or men in nursing for that matter) is addressed on this board the subject of cultural and religious beliefs is brought up. Honestly this one tiers me because it should go without mention. Of course muslem women should not be made to accept a male care provider.

I love responding to the subject of men in OB because I think that people's perception of it needs to change. I can tell you from experience that its not as complicated as we (nurses) often make it out to be.

Doing OB right now, and clinical has been wonderful so far. A couple guys at my clinical site have been told the patient didn't want a male nurse, and a couple patients have said no students at all in the room. It really bothers me when I hear about not wanting male nurses in the room considering most of the OB docs are male. I don't understand that one.

However, I'm enjoying OB so much that I would consider working there if I could get past some stereotypes and actually get offered a job there when I graduate.

I absolutely loved my first patient. she was a young mother of 19 like myself. she was eager for information and attention. I graciously met every whim with a smile because she made me feel as if I was my destiny to be a nurse. She was the mother of a pre term baby girl that was in nicu. I was able to give her depo shot, remove her c - section staples, and apply steri strips. Even though she was afraid she never made me feel unwanted.

I loved every moment during my OB rotation. After observing my first c section, 11 lbs and 3oz, I gave the baby's first shots...I was nervous because he was just small (well, big baby but you know). OMG!! the circ was crazy, talk about ouch!!! poor baby was strapped down. I can still hear the cries. :crying2: .....It was sad though b/c when I finish school, I do plan to have a family and I wanted my child to be my first. I did my first bottle feed, and diaper change. It's a funny thought how I changed adults over a hundred times but when I first did an infant, I had the impression that the baby is brittle....but I was wrong. Overall, I met my objectives, the rotation filled in the blanks, I'm still writing my research paper which is already due... :rolleyes:

KAL

Specializes in Home Health Care.

I wanted to address the theory that laboring mothers don't have a problem with male doctors, so why should they have a problem with a male student nurse?

In my case, we had no other choice, there weren't any female OB/Gyn's at my hospital or any surrounding towns.

I had 40 weeks to build a trusting relationship with my Dr.

He wasn't a complete stranger when it was time for me to show my most vulnerable moment. That's probably a significant reason why male Dr's are more accepted that male nurses in O.B.

I personally wouldn't feel comfortable having a strange male student nurse or Male R.N doing my peri-care, episiotomy checks, or trying to instruct me how to breast feed because I am shy, private and embarrass easily.......

Seeing as that I have no children it was very good birth control!!!:rotfl:

I had fun though. We got to just about everything even though we were only there 2 days a week for 5 weeks.

The first week I got to help in the newborn nursury which I loooovvveeed.

I got to assess the babies, bathe them, dress them, feed them and change them. ( I love babies)

The second week I was in mother/baby and I got to take care of both the mother and the baby. (Hence the phrase mother/baby) It was a little difficult becuase they basically gave us 4 patients. (2 moms and 2 babies) It was a lot of running around from room to room...nursury to room and assessing the new mom wasnt as much fun as assess their baby. (By the end of the second day I was done looking at lochia's.:stone ) YUCK!!!

The third week I spent in NICU which is where I've decided to specialize. I knew several of the nurses in this area because my mom had worked with them at another hospital. I actually got to see a nurse put an IV into a baby's head.:uhoh21: I didn't know they did that!! I also got to watch a nurse insert an NG tube.

The fourth week was the week of embarrassment. While I watched my first C-section I fainted in the OR. (I know how embarrasing) I wasnt bothered by the blood it was the heat in there. Then I almost gagged during a lady partsl delivery. It's safe to say L&D and mother/baby is not for me.

It's OVER! And I passed...bout over thought the final and squeaked by.

However, I really enjoyed this class. I wonder how much better it would have been if we would have had a med-surg class before Maternity...

OB Rotation is terrifying me and i haven't even started classes yet. Peds scares me too to be honest as I am not much for children who are hurting. They begin in August and first clinicals are in September. OB/Peds are third semester. They must be done though.

I have seen from reading here that the issue of men in the delivery room is a hotly debated one. I personally think the patient should be asked and if the answer is negative the student should be told and re-assigned.

seems like a simple solution but then there's a catch. The next time I go to the ER, or the MD's office, or anywhere else for medical care, I as a man, want to be asked if it is ok for a female to take care of me, if it involves anything that could potentially cause a problem for me.

I used to work as a referral coordinator for an MD's office and i had men ask me all the time before their referrals to urologists, GI MD's and many other specialties, if there was a doctor I knew of in the area who had a male nurse because the idea of stepping in for your turp/colonoscopy/flexsig/ or whatever to a room full of females is somewhat unsettling.

I just think that the same consideration should be given to male patients and female patients on all floors of the system. Not only in OB.

I have seen from reading here that the issue of men in the delivery room is a hotly debated one. I personally think the patient should be asked and if the answer is negative the student should be told and re-assigned.

seems like a simple solution but then there's a catch. The next time I go to the ER, or the MD's office, or anywhere else for medical care, I as a man, want to be asked if it is ok for a female to take care of me, if it involves anything that could potentially cause a problem for me.

If you'd asked me ahead of time, I'd have said that I didn't want any man except my husband in the delivery room. But, having gone through it, I can tell you that the gender of the people in the room was the last thing on my mind. Are you proposing that patients be queried about their comfort level with the physician's gender, too, or just everyone else?

If you'd asked me ahead of time, I'd have said that I didn't want any man except my husband in the delivery room. But, having gone through it, I can tell you that the gender of the people in the room was the last thing on my mind. Are you proposing that patients be queried about their comfort level with the physician's gender, too, or just everyone else?

What I was trying to convey is that women are not the only people who may be uncomfortable as patients in a treatment situation if certain others are present. Therefore any patient should be given the opportunity to make up their own mind about who gets to be in the room with them when certain types of procedures are done.

My opinion and suggestion is that all patients be allowed to determine their own comfort level regardless. Most people know their doctors but most doctors offices rotate hospitalist duties. I know plenty of patients who would refuse to see any doctor other than their own even if they were an inpatient. As a patient it is their right to refuse care from anyone, regardless of the caregiver's role and for whatever reason. They should be made comfortable in any way possible given whatever resources are available on the floor to accomodate them.

i am getting a hard time doing a research about males in OB.. well, basically my research is about male student nurses in OB clinicals.. if have any idea where i can possible get journal/magazine articles of similar studies, please pleaase please let me know. i will thank you forever if u can suggest something i can use. thanks in advance!

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