Nursing for Intimate care for men

CharleeFoxtrot, BSN, RN · Mar 12, 2020

Source for statistics? If you're going to cite stats please be so kind as to include your research materials.

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Mar 12, 2020

While I can empathize with the modesty thing, please remember that many women are treated by male OBGYN and other specialists who often need to conduct some awkward exams. It's not a given that we're seen by someone of our own gender either. I appreciate the gender imbalance in healthcare, but women cannot control how many men pursue healthcare careers or work in particular specialties or locations.

If you are struggling to get medical care because even the front desk staff are female, it might be of benefit to reconsider how you see them. These are professionals whose work is literally to help you with treatment of a medical condition. They are not random women who are laughing at you or judging you for seeking needed medical intervention. They will certainly do anything possible to make you feel comfortable, especially if you're able to confide that you're uneasy. No one wants you to have an unpleasant experience, but there's only so much that the employees of this office can do about who works there.

Like CharleeFoxtrot, I would be interested in reading some of the research and source materials you have found relating to this issue.

HandsOffMySteth · Mar 12, 2020

The ratio of females to males in nursing seems to be diminishing. At my school I would guess that one fourth of new nursing students are male. Personally, I don't care who performs a procedure on myself as long as they are good at it. I agree that everyone deserves to be comfortable with their healthcare but sometimes that is just not possible.

RNMikeMiller · Mar 13, 2020

13 hours ago, CharleeFoxtrot said:
Source for statistics? If you're going to cite stats please be so kind as to include your research materials.

https://healthunlocked.com/sensitiveissuesmen/posts/131513904/same-gender-intimate-care-for-men?fbclid=IwAR0ZnGZIQgO9b5voD50NUvkjMchouZeMfsRq3g20NNQ2c6Wm6VZXPJTcc28

RNMikeMiller · Mar 13, 2020

12 hours ago, NightNerd said:
While I can empathize with the modesty thing, please remember that many women are treated by male OBGYN and other specialists who often need to conduct some awkward exams. It's not a given that we're seen by someone of our own gender either. I appreciate the gender imbalance in healthcare, but women cannot control how many men pursue healthcare careers or work in particular specialties or locations.
If you are struggling to get medical care because even the front desk staff are female, it might be of benefit to reconsider how you see them. These are professionals whose work is literally to help you with treatment of a medical condition. They are not random women who are laughing at you or judging you for seeking needed medical intervention. They will certainly do anything possible to make you feel comfortable, especially if you're able to confide that you're uneasy. No one wants you to have an unpleasant experience, but there's only so much that the employees of this office can do about who works there.
Like CharleeFoxtrot, I would be interested in reading some of the research and source materials you have found relating to this issue.

@NightNerd You made the choice to see a male OBGYN, but you could of chose a female OBGYN if you wanted. I bet that you will never have a male doctor and male nurse/pa alone with you during an exam, but a male patient has a female doctor/np and female nurse/pa which is unequal treatment.

The problem for a male is for someone like my dad who choose a very good urologist who is a man. After arriving to his office he is ambushed with an entire office staff of all females. He asked if they had a male nurse, PA, etc. and received a giggle and comment, "we are all females." Why do urology practices with predominantly male patients only have female nurses? Hire at least one male nurse and a male assistant for your patients. This is the reason I can not get my dad to go get checked. Nowadays, women have the option of going to an all-female OB/GYN practice; men should also have this option.

Both men & women have had dignity issues with our healthcare industry. Because the administrative staff in many places is all female, they listened somewhat to women and adjusted better protect to their privacy and dignity. For the most part the industry is still tone deaf to male requests.

Many female nurses/techs only want a female GYN doctor, mammographers, sonographers for lady partsl ultrasound, and a female nurse when she needs a urinal catheter but when the roles are reversed the same nurse/tech will tell male patients that they are professionals and it is OK for them to provide intimate care to men by putting in a catheter, scrotum sonogram, exams, etc.

“Many of us have experienced the 'ambush,' where that trust is broken, when the female doctor brings in another female chaperone to be in the exam and sees 'everything' without asking the man whether the presence of another female would be acceptable," - https://www.athenahealth.com/knowledge-hub/patient-experience/chaperones-exam-room-—-who-gets-decide

Why Men Avoid Healthcare: The Elephant in the Room -https://www.talkingaboutmenshealth.com/modesty-why-men-avoid-healthcare/

GrumpyRN, NP · Mar 13, 2020

I think it is a bit simplistic to say that the reason males avoid health care is because of female staff. Not totally wrong but not the only reason.

The three citations you have given are all opinion pieces not research articles.

Fairly obviously health care is a female dominated profession, we all know this. To expect to have male only staff is unrealistic plus a lot of males do not want another man handling their junk.

Anything which gets men to see health professionals in a timely manner is to be encouraged but cutting and pasting an article and talking about "ambushing" is not it, however I will concede that you may get the AN community discussing it.

trytounderstand · Mar 13, 2020

13 hours ago, NightNerd said:
These are professionals whose work is literally to help you with treatment of a medical condition. They are not random women who are laughing at you or judging you for seeking needed medical intervention.

Recent personal experience, I was sitting in a urologist office waiting for my appointment. A staff person came to the door to call a lady in the from the waiting room. Apparently from what I heard just sitting there playing on my phone minding my own business, her husband just had had a cystocopy and the staff member shared with all of us in the waiting room that he had had to have extra sedation because of his procedure. And this was stated with a laugh and a wink. So to me that was making fun of a male patient by a female staff member.

At that point my opinion of this organization went down a peg or two.

Have witnessed too many times seeing male patients totally exposed and watch female nurses, techs, and doctors seem to think it is a joke. Then watch a male nurse, tech or doctor being very careful to protect a female patient or that very same male patient's dignity.

caliotter3 · Mar 13, 2020

My husband avoided all healthcare from all providers for any reason at all cost. I can assure you though that it had nothing to do with the gender of the providers.

trytounderstand · Mar 13, 2020

13 hours ago, juniper222 said:
I agree that everyone deserves to be comfortable with their healthcare but sometimes that is just not possible.

In all honesty sometimes it just is not possible but those instances should be kept at a minimum. But most men and women will not speak up, they will just keep on keeping on.

I have also witnessed and even had my own experience of embarrassment at the hands of nursing staff, techs. Have also had a nurse tell me I used to raise their sheets just to see what they had with a wink and a smile.

Men and women have a right to be treated with dignity and respect. Telling someone "Oh its alright, I've seen it all." sometimes just sets off even more anxiety and upset. You may have seen it all but that doesn't mean they want to show it all and to have an audience.....

Having said all that, yes sometimes it is unavoidable but nobody wants to be treated like they are playing out a scene in a sitcom. It should be professional and the office staff should be straightforward in telling any patient that we have no female/male staff available and if you prefer not to have a chaperone of the opposite sex that is your right. Rather than whichever it happens to be male/female patient being made to feel that don't have a choice in how their body is treated....

RNMikeMiller · Mar 13, 2020

1 hour ago, trytounderstand said:
Recent personal experience, I was sitting in a urologist office waiting for my appointment. A staff person came to the door to call a lady in the from the waiting room. Apparently from what I heard just sitting there playing on my phone minding my own business, her husband just had had a cystocopy and the staff member shared with all of us in the waiting room that he had had to have extra sedation because of his procedure. And this was stated with a laugh and a wink. So to me that was making fun of a male patient by a female staff member.
At that point my opinion of this organization went down a peg or two.
Have witnessed too many times seeing male patients totally exposed and watch female nurses, techs, and doctors seem to think it is a joke. Then watch a male nurse, tech or doctor being very careful to protect a female patient or that very same male patient's dignity.

You hit the head on the nail that females get treated with respect and men do not. Many times a female staff members make jokes and comments about male patients. I've seen more member than a prostitute and balls than a cather. Imagine a male nurse making comments like this towards females. We would be in HR and be fired.

NightNerd, MSN, RN · Mar 13, 2020

3 hours ago, trytounderstand said:
Recent personal experience, I was sitting in a urologist office waiting for my appointment. A staff person came to the door to call a lady in the from the waiting room. Apparently from what I heard just sitting there playing on my phone minding my own business, her husband just had had a cystocopy and the staff member shared with all of us in the waiting room that he had had to have extra sedation because of his procedure. And this was stated with a laugh and a wink. So to me that was making fun of a male patient by a female staff member.
At that point my opinion of this organization went down a peg or two.
Have witnessed too many times seeing male patients totally exposed and watch female nurses, techs, and doctors seem to think it is a joke. Then watch a male nurse, tech or doctor being very careful to protect a female patient or that very same male patient's dignity.

Agreed that this was unprofessional and rude. This is unfortunate, as my experience is that most providers wish to keep their patients comfortable. I would argue that more training, feedback, and constructive criticism to staff who are observed acting this way is a more realistic solution than male-only clinics. There is is frequently not enough staff to be able to tailor care in this manner - for either men or women.