OB Clinicals

kmchugh · Mar 22, 2005

Folks, don't get too up in arms about Moscow. Yes, clearly there was an agenda to her posts. Clearly, she believed men had no place in OB nursing (though the idea of a male doing the epidurals, or male OB physicians didn't bother her too much). But then, we don't know what gave her such strong opinions. And she won't be around to tell us, either. She's been banned. Game, set, and match to the moderators.

KM

Candidnt · Apr 6, 2005

I went through OB twice...once as an LPN student, then later as an RN/BSN student. The first time was a good experience; I got to see a natural birth. It was the closest I have ever come to seeing a miracle; I was awed, stunned, literally frozen in place. I also remember the mother cursing the doctor (and when I was no longer frozen, I remember laughing about that; I thought her head would spin at one point). Back then, I was in a more rural part of the south for my clinicals. My mommies-to-be were either single, or their hubbies were away for military duty or boyfriends in jail (so I didn't have to worry about a jealous male presence), and I was lucky in that I didn't get the usual prudish female that was often a problem in med-surg when I was in the south. The second time around wasn't quite as good. I didn't see a live natural birth, but I did get to watch a a caesarean birth. The one time I tried to watch a live birth, the nurses wouldn't let me in the room. Overall, it was a good experience. Postpartum, etc, I always made sure I had a female present when i was doing any kind of exam (just as I do in a med-surg/ICU setting; it is especially important for a male nurse to do this, especially down there. it can be a career saving move). I would not do OB for a living, but it was an enjoyable experience. Because it's so different from what nursing normally is; in usual circumstances, they come into the hospital not because something is wrong, but because they're having a baby, and it's a good occasion (unless they're high risk mamas, etc, or the baby has problems), unlike med-surg, peds, ICU, psych, etc...

Ronold · Apr 7, 2005

I finished my OB clinical's about two weeks ago. It was a good experience when the nurses actually allowed me to do procedures. They seemed fine when they were with my female classmates, but oh well it was just something we had to get out of the way. The patients that I ended up having in L&D and post partum were great and a few of my nurses just left everything up to me like all the assessments etc. I think it has to do about location because my other classmates in other hospitals had no problems with their nurses because they are at teaching hospitals. The hospital i was at did not have many students, so the nurses weren't used to allowing students to do things.

malenurse1 · Apr 9, 2005

Well, here is my two cents ... I have mixed feelings about my OB rotation. Going into the rotation I had already had the priveledge of witnessing a couple of births as well as assisting with my youngest daughters birth, (a great story that I will save for another thread). I tried to keep an open mind goning into the rotation, hoping that something good might come from it. The first day we were teamed up with another student, we walked in the room of the first postpartum mom that we were assigned and I intoduced myself. The pt looked at me and then looked at my classmate, then she looked at me and asked if her RN was available. Mind you, each pt had been asked if they would mind haveing a student care for them and had agreed to the same. The RN went in and then she got our instructor who came out and informed us that the pt had decided that she didn't want any student caring for her. The next day was much of the same except that it was just me. I asked my instructor to let me go to Peds, the nursery, and the NICU (all part of this rotation). I stated that I felt that the "vibe" I got from the patients is that it was because of my gender. I alos told her of my past experiance with childbirth and that I felt that I not only wouldn't miss much on OB, but that I would gain more from going to the other areas as I am interested in Peds/NICU as a career. She said that it had nothing to do with my gender, cause so many women have male MD's. I said that the nurse-patient relationship in the OB setting is much more intimate than the doctor-patient relationship (this was confirmed by my wife and several female friends and coworkers). I also said that I didn't have a problem with this fact, and I even respect it, why did she. She just didn't want to accept that she might be a little wrong on this one. Eventually as the rotation progressed she found two women for me to take care of, one was a former classmate who had had academic problems. She knew and trusted me to be caring enough for her and her twins. The other was a postpartum woman who was G-5 P-5, all sons! When I thanked her for allowing me to care for her she said that when her first two sons were born it was at a teaching hospital and her doctor asked if he could bring in some med students to observe. She siad okay and they were all male. She said it was great that it turned out that it was like her own little cheering section. By the time I came along and her fifth son, a male nurse was really no big deal!

All-in-all, the rotation turned out to be a good expiriance (that I wouldn't want to repeat, lol). I got to spend some time in the NICU and peds and I loved it! To those of you that can work in OB ... great we need people like you ... it just isn't my cup of tea.

barefootlady, ADN, RN · Apr 9, 2005

I am not a man, was already a mother when I went into nursing, but that said I hated my OB clinicals. I had a broken leg in a walking cast, could not move fast enough for some of the regular staff and was run over by a stretcher. The docs were rude and very mean to everyone, even the patients, one doc told patient to "shut-up", he was tired of her hollering. Our instructor was going through a divorce and was never anywhere to be found on the unit, but always on the phone out on post delivery unit. Saw 3 births and 1 c-section. These were young women, the babies were healthy and strong, but the atmosphere was one of "what a bother". No husbands, mothers, or other family members were allowed into the delivery room. The docs controlled everything and when something went wrong it was blamed on the first nurse in sight. Like I said, I hated every minute of it, studied the book and made A's, but would never have chosen to work OB. I know some units are wonderful, but after that experience, I would not even chance it. :crying2:

JessicaInOr · Apr 10, 2005

AH, you mean most FEMALE nurses, right? Let's get the right sexist slant ot this.
Males should automatically be excluded from L&D? Give me a break.
Well gee, what if I'm not "comfortable" with a female nurse? By your criteria, I shouldn't even have to ask that I not be taken care of by a female nurse. It should just be assumed. I feel my "rights" being trampled on already!
What a crock.
Your sexist attitudes are truly appalling. I'm curious - what other "types" of people shouldn't take care of expectant mothers?

FANTASTIC POST! (the comments you were replying to likely won't show up but that's okay, your words are the good ones!)

pfitz1079 · Apr 23, 2005

My OB rotation was a generally unpleasant experience. The patient's all were comfortable with me. My instructor was one of the best I had in school. I was at ease with the skills involved. [i spent ten years as a paramedic before going to nursing school - I know how to catch a baby.] There were plenty of births during my days there.

So what was the problem?

The staff. They treated me like a I had the plague. They were rude to me. They often sent me out to fetch something. Upon my return told me that they'd done everything, and I could go. One went so far as to try and convince a patient to ask me to leave. The way I see it, most nurses in OB see it as the last bastion of all-female nursing, and see any nurse with a Y chromosome as an intruder.

Today I work in transport. It always makes my day when I go into a community hospital L&D to take over a patient they can't handle. Being competent with OB has nothing to do with owning a lady parts.

MosCOW, when they come for my prostate, I'd let you be my nurse, so you can wipe my butt.

Pete Fitzpatrick

RN, CCRN, CFRN, EMT-P

Calfax · Apr 25, 2005

I think back to when I was in nursing school....and my OB rotation. They were really rude, ungrateful for help and couldn't start IV's worth a damn. They didn't seem to want any students there and definately not any male students. That's OK, because I didn't want to be there, either. But afterwards, my clinical rotation took the time to meet with the dept supervisor to inform her that none of us would be willing to come to work there after graduation because of their attitudes and we recommended that the university terminate that clinical site.

However, I am a military nurse.......and there are simply more male nurses in the military and therefore more male nurses on the L&D and OB decks along with male corpmen. Most of the male nurses don't really want to be there.....although it's a toss-up whether the nurses or the military wives have the better tattoos.

JMBM · May 23, 2005

My OB rotation was a generally unpleasant experience. The patient's all were comfortable with me. My instructor was one of the best I had in school. I was at ease with the skills involved. [i spent ten years as a paramedic before going to nursing school - I know how to catch a baby.] There were plenty of births during my days there.
So what was the problem?
The staff. They treated me like a I had the plague. They were rude to me. They often sent me out to fetch something. Upon my return told me that they'd done everything, and I could go. One went so far as to try and convince a patient to ask me to leave. The way I see it, most nurses in OB see it as the last bastion of all-female nursing, and see any nurse with a Y chromosome as an intruder.
Today I work in transport. It always makes my day when I go into a community hospital L&D to take over a patient they can't handle. Being competent with OB has nothing to do with owning a lady parts.
MosCOW, when they come for my prostate, I'd let you be my nurse, so you can wipe my butt.
Pete Fitzpatrick
RN, CCRN, CFRN, EMT-P

Exactly my experience. The patients had no problem at all with a male nurse (I asked), but the staff were non-stop rude. It was the only unit I worked on where I experienced this. Now I'm in Emergency and loving it.

gtrexler1 · May 25, 2005

I thought my OB experience was great. I didn't feel uncomfortable at all. At our awards banquet last year, I actually won the outstanding OB nursing award..haha

ladydame · May 25, 2005

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

Clinical in OB/Maternal Nursing was quite a rewarding experience. Sure you have those incidents in which a mother or baby aren't healthy, but overall it's a really happy time for everyone on the floor. It's always amazing to experience a birth and interact with the patient that has just given birth. I wasn't too sure about this clinical, but afterwards I looked back on it as one of my favorites and one of the most rewarding

Medical Maria · May 27, 2005

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

It was an eye-opener and a very pleasant experience. I did OB/Gyn at Kaiser Sunset in L.A. about fifteen years ago. It was a very good unit...I saw a half dozen births and one c-section. Expectant fathers were not always happy to see a male nursing student in the back of the room, otherwise things were cool. I got to see a circumcision procedure, performed by a female MD, ask questions and report back to the class on it. I remember the NICU was a trip (all those little ET's) and that I had to study really hard for the module, not knowing ANYTHING about pregnancy and birth beforehand. I believe they're a lot stricter now in California about who can be in the delivery room and especially about videotaping.