OB clinicals for males

pinkiepie_RN · Oct 14, 2008

Is it different in this rotation for males? =). I'm wondering how this is going to go down, seeing as i'll be the only male in my clinical group for OB. I hope i get to assess patients , but i don't want to be a hindrance either.. I start next week and don't want to get in anyones way, but I also want to learn, i heard that many male students have similar predicaments in OB clinical, and was wondering if those accusations are true.

There was a guy in my OB rotation and the only adaptation my instructor really made is that she asked all the potential patients if they were ok with having a male nursing student work with them, and then she gave the rest of us girls options. There seemed to be no real problems or bias. Obviously some women feel less comfortable with a male nurse and that's their prerogative or belief. Good luck!

beth66335, BSN, RN · Oct 14, 2008

In my OB rotation last Spring no men got to work with a pt, we had too few of them to begin with, and they all refused a guy in their room...of course on the last day there was only one lady in labor on the floor and she didn't want any of us! :lol2: I worked in the women's clinic that day, downstairs and saw a lot more than I would have on the floor anyway! Everyone's experience is different so good luck to you! BTW, none of the guys in our group really wanted to do the OB rotation, so maybe their negative feelings about the rotation showed to the pts.

TheSquire, DNP, APRN, NP · Oct 14, 2008

Check the Male Nursing Student Board:https://allnurses.com/forums/f213/index3.html

I know the issue has been discussed in-depth (i.e. 20+ posts) at least once over there, but I'm hard-put at the moment to actually find it.

MB37 · Oct 14, 2008

We only had one guy in our clinical group when we did OB, and while he got to assist with a lady partsl birth, I (female) never got the chance. It was pure luck of the draw. They didn't walk up to pts and ask them if they minded a guy being in the the room, but pts do of course have the right to refuse a student. On the postpartum floor, I did notice one room that had the door always kept shut. The nurses told me her religion prohibited her from being seen naked by any male who wasn't her husband/father, so there was a sign posted on her door that no males were allowed to enter w/o checking with the nurses' station - that included male docs as well as nurses, students, techs, etc. Hopefully you live in a progressive area or have a large teaching hospital to do clinicals at - good luck!

PNWNusingStudent · Oct 15, 2008

I am new here but have been looking through the posts for awhile. I just wanted to let you know that I had my last kid 16 years ago at a teaching hospital. She was very premature and I opted to have the male nursing student in with me during delivery. He was very calm and professional and was a great help to me. She came really fast and my family had no time to get to the hospital to assist so he, the female RN, and the doctors were the only one's there.

Hope it works out for you. I just wanted to let you know that some of us don't mind.

COLPN · Oct 15, 2008

I am a male nursing student and have done a few rotations through OB. I have had some women refuse and some let me in. It is the luck of the draw and up to the patient. I also did a woman's health rotation and was allowed into many of the exams and procedure with the women's permission.

My advice to you is to be very outgoing and willing to do everything. Have a good attitude going in and the patient's will be more likely to let you into their space. Some women are comfortable having a male do most of the care with the exception of certain more personal things. There are a lot of male doctor's caring for woman so many times they are used to having a male involved in their care.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Oct 15, 2008

We had two guys in my clinical group. One guy in my class even wants to be a midwife! None of them were rejected as far as I know, and if they were they eventually got a patient for the shift. One of the guys was nervous about teaching breastfeeding because he did not have breasts...but my teacher pointed out, "have you ever had a heart attack? you give pt teaching related to that". Male OB's deliver babies every day...why the sudden stink because its a male nurse? Women practitioners do prostate exams...

Atheos · Oct 15, 2008

I am looking forward to my OB rotation. Out of all of them, the most to be learned will be in that one.

I also know a male midwife. Hmm should it be midhusband?!?! :chuckle

In any case, the people he's had have come back to him repeatedly and his 'word of mouth' reputation is astonishing.

HeartsOpenWide, RN · Oct 15, 2008

I also know a male midwife. Hmm should it be midhusband?!?! :chuckle

Well, actually midwife means with woman....the wife part mean woman (the client) not the practitioner. So if you were to say midhusband you would be saying with husband or with male...although I have seen some new daddies that could use a midhusband!! :chuckle

Bortaz, MSN, RN · Oct 15, 2008

Is it different in this rotation for males? =). I'm wondering how this is going to go down, seeing as i'll be the only male in my clinical group for OB. I hope i get to assess patients , but i don't want to be a hindrance either.. I start next week and don't want to get in anyones way, but I also want to learn, i heard that many male students have similar predicaments in OB clinical, and was wondering if those accusations are true.

I start OB Monday, with the first clinical the following Friday. I asked my professor what to expect, as a male, and was promptly told "you can expect the same thing every other student can expect."

We'll see, I guess.

Flames9_RN, BSN, RN, EMT-B · Oct 15, 2008

I was the only male in my OB group,and i did the exact same stuff as the females. I actually had a great rotation. keep an open mind!!! And ys you may find a family that will say they don't want you in the room, but don't take offense to it. I never had that problem though.