Can men works as a labor and delivery nurse?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Updated:   Published

Have any of you ever known male nurses that work in OB / Labor and Devliery?

During all 4 of my complicated pregnancies the only time I had a male nurse with many admissions for preterm labor was once in post partum. At the time, and at that hospital, males were permitted to work post partum but not l & d. Will be interesting to see what the trend is nowadays!

I know of at least one male L&D nurse at my hospital.

Specializes in NICU,MB,Lact.Consultant, L/D.
docomo said:
Have any of you ever known male nurses that work in OB / Labor and Devliery?

Of course, I recruited him. : )

Specializes in Postpartum, special care nursery.
docomo said:
Have any of you ever known male nurses that work in OB / Labor and Devliery?

One of the best L&D RNs I know is a male nurse!

Specializes in L&D.

It seems strange to see the post.."If men are allowed"...doesnt make sense. I mean we examine and treat men..why is it differant for male nurses treating women?

Hey Jody-

I know it seems odd that the mentality is still around, but I have worked in many hosp and never ran into a male L & D nurse. I don't know if it is that they don't usually apply for that area, or that the management doesn't usually hire them. Until society's mainstream image of how women should look/be, etc, changes-I think a lot of women might be uncomfortable with a male nurse in that setting....but probably not other settings. I had females for my many pregnancy related admissions and all the time spent in L & D including a 3 week stay for preterm labor. I am not sure how I would have felt then with a male nurse, I think for the most part it would have been fine, but everyone is different.

It is a notion that persists today it seems...hopefully if anyone wants to work in area, their gender won't stop them being hired---if that is what is happening-- today!

To ALL..

I am a new graduate and recently got hired into L&D. I personally never thought that I would have a chance to work in this area because I was a man. To my surprise the hiring manager was excited to see a male nurse apply and said she was looking to hire more males to add some diversity to the floor. I think there is a serious stigma and old mentality when it comes to males in L&D. And I must say that I am concerned how other nurses who don't share the directors vision will treat me. Yet I have no problem fighting stereotypes/ double standards and hopefully paving the way for more males to be accepted into L&D. I feel a pressure to perform better than any other nurse and be more knowledgeable just because I am a man (which is a good thing). Anyways I just wanted to add my two cents and feelings. I start in a few weeks and I am nervous, so wish me luck..

Specializes in Obstetrics.

Best of luck to you! I also will be starting work as an L & D/PP nurse in a couple of months. I am in the Air Force, so I don't know if that helped with getting into OB as a man, but its what I wanted to do, so I wasn't going to give up on it. From my experience during school, the issues with men in OB seemed to come from the nurses and instructors and very little, if any, push-back from the patients. I felt very well received by my patients and their families, which further pushed me to continue my path towards OB. I think having more men in OB will have a very positive impact on OB nursing as a whole. I too hope to clear a path for fellow men everywhere who may have been dissuaded to work in this field.

Again, best of luck to you!!!

HRN

Why the heck not?!!! Men work as ob/gyn physicians, so why couldn't a man be an L&D nurse?

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