Do you get crude jokes about your field?

Specialties Ob/Gyn

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Do you people in the OB/GYN field have problems with people when you tell them about your job? The other day, I was talking to some people about nursing, and I mentioned that I was considering the OB/GYN field. A couple poster children for retroactive abortion started making cracks like, "Man, I wish that I could look at ***** all day long," or, "Man, do you know how much I could get away with by disguising it as checkups?" I calmly told them that they were disgusting, turned my back, and walked away.

I'm not asking for advice on dealing with these jerks, you just walk away and hope that they never go anywhere near the medical field. I'm just asking if you've had to deal with people making crude jokes about your job, and if you sometimes don't mention what field you're in because you know that it'll invoke situations similar to the above.

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Specializes in M/S, OB, Ortho, ICU, Diabetes, QA/PI.

even when I worked in OB (L&D & Post-Partum), I never heard that kind of inappropriate stuff but my husband has had people ask him, when they find out that I am a nurse, if I am one of those "naughty" nurses and if we've ever role-played with him as a patient and me as the nurse (of course, I would be wearing a little white dress, high heels and my cap) - he (nicely, because he's a nice man) lets people know how inappropriate that is - then he tells them that when we role-play, it's usually with him dressed as a Roman centurion and me dressed as his long-suffering Roman wife who's been waiting at home for him while he helped Caesar conquer Gaul!!! :rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

I agree, however, that comments like those are just plain rude and those folks usually have their heads up their bums anyway...........

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Do you people in the OB/GYN field have problems with people when you tell them about your job? The other day, I was talking to some people about nursing, and I mentioned that I was considering the OB/GYN field. A couple poster children for retroactive abortion started making cracks like, "Man, I wish that I could look at ***** all day long," or, "Man, do you know how much I could get away with by disguising it as checkups?" I calmly told them that they were disgusting, turned my back, and walked away. QUOTE]

I once worked in a small community hospital where we did +/- 70 births/month. One of our "family centered duties" was to offer to make coffee for the family while they were waiting. One ignorant father to be walked up to me, inappropriately close, and said "I like my coffee the way I like my women. Sweet, hot, and white!" At the same time my coworker who happens to be African American walked around the corner and said "I'm really sorry sir, but we are all out of cream. Perhaps I can make you a mocha instead? Was his face RED :imbar :imbar :imbar !!! Later on we all were in hysterics! We really felt sorry for that poor woman!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.

Had a doctor who routinely used to offer to "put in an extra stitch" when repairing perineums-----to their men----very much inferring it would enhance sexual pleasure after birth. It was really humiliating for the patient (I imagine) and for me...... I reported him finally. As a new nurse, I was too shocked to know WHAT to do. IT was disgusting. He is no longer doing OB anymore, thankfully. What a jerk.

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Gee. I was told this also at the first birth that I attended as a student by a ob doc. He said it in a creepy, grinning way, and assumed that I would "get it".

Since I was 18 and a virgin, of course I didn't "get it", so I just stood there and looked at him with no expression. Of course this was the old days, when 18 year old girls didn't "know everything".

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Specializes in PeriOp, ICU, PICU, NICU.
Had a doctor who routinely used to offer to "put in an extra stitch" when repairing perineums-----to their men----very much inferring it would enhance sexual pleasure after birth. It was really humiliating for the patient (I imagine) and for me...... I reported him finally. As a new nurse, I was too shocked to know WHAT to do. IT was disgusting. He is no longer doing OB anymore, thankfully. What a jerk.

Wow Deb, how awful of him. Glad you did something about it.

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Had a doctor who routinely used to offer to "put in an extra stitch" when repairing perineums-----to their men----very much inferring it would enhance sexual pleasure after birth. It was really humiliating for the patient (I imagine) and for me...... I reported him finally. As a new nurse, I was too shocked to know WHAT to do. IT was disgusting. He is no longer doing OB anymore, thankfully. What a jerk.

You are right--what a jerk.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Pediatrics, Geriatrics.

i am starting my OB rotation in Jan so I have been discussing it somewhat with others...even DH has said some pretty IGNORANT comments about it. *sigh* got to chuck it up to immaturity and lack of knowledge

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Had a doctor who routinely used to offer to "put in an extra stitch" when repairing perineums-----to their men----very much inferring it would enhance sexual pleasure after birth. It was really humiliating for the patient (I imagine) and for me...... I reported him finally. As a new nurse, I was too shocked to know WHAT to do. IT was disgusting. He is no longer doing OB anymore, thankfully. What a jerk.

What I think about the above would make the devil himself blush:angryfire :angryfire :angryfire

Crude jokes? How about crude gestures??

At my current job (med/surg) there is one aide who actually has a restraining order against one pts. family member (husband). He has stalked her and her family. Last week pt. was back (so was her husband) and a nurse walking by pulled me out of the room. She informed me to watch my butt in that room. Apparently, as I was emptying pts. catheter he stepped behind me and did something unmentionable. It was end of shift and I had a gazillion things to do and I just wasn't paying attention. Everybody on this floor seems to have a problem with this guy. If this guy was on the streets doing half the crap he does in the hospital he'd be serving 25 to life in the state pen.

Sorry, off topic. Whew, I feel better!

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I'm a nursing student and also a male. As far as the OP, since you gave your age and I've read other of your posts, it seems you are probably around people your age. Unfortunately guys at that age tend to be immature and think and say things like that. Not all, but many. Of course, this childish behavior is not limited by age. There is a thread here about the very bad behavior of elderly men in nursing homes.

However, this is one of the main stigmas/stereotypes that men in nursing face even from other men (homosexuality being another). Of course, this is a case of a few "bad apples" ruining the bunch. This is much of the consternation and struggle men face when deciding to go into nursing, myself included. I realize this is getting off the topic and there's many threads here in the male forums about this. I just want to make you aware, if you're not already.

bethin - IMHO, that aide shouldn't even be employed by the hospital due to his outstanding criminal background. This hospital will probably be facing a lawsuit due to him. This further hurts men in nursing and nursing as a whole.

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I'm a nursing student and also a male. As far as the OP, since you gave your age and I've read other of your posts, it seems you are probably around people your age. Unfortunately guys at that age tend to be immature and think and say things like that. Not all, but many. Of course, this childish behavior is not limited by age. There is a thread here about the very bad behavior of elderly men in nursing homes.

However, this is one of the main stigmas/stereotypes that men in nursing face even from other men (homosexuality being another). Of course, this is a case of a few "bad apples" ruining the bunch. This is much of the consternation and struggle men face when deciding to go into nursing, myself included. I realize this is getting off the topic and there's many threads here in the male forums about this. I just want to make you aware, if you're not already.

bethin - IMHO, that aide shouldn't even be employed by the hospital due to his outstanding criminal background. This hospital will probably be facing a lawsuit due to him. This further hurts men in nursing and nursing as a whole.

It's not the aide doing these things, it's the patient's family member. The aide has a restraining order against the patient's family member. The aide herself is clean--no warrants for her arrest or anything.

I apologize if I wasn't clear in my post.

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Thanks futureTMA, I was going to ask about the age thing but forgot. Thanks for the reassurance that people may mature. Does the "locker room talk" subside as males mature?

I know that the chances of such perverts getting into the fields are rare, as it's probably too much trouble to do nursing or med school simply for the purpose of getting one's rocks off. It would be easier to be just a peeping tom, as voyeurs don't have to see nasty STDs on a regular basis. However, I read a thread in the forum about a male nurse who would make perverted comments about 16-year old girls to his coworker, who was debating on reporting him. However, I guess that the stastistics of sexual harassment within the medical field would be just about equal in males in females. Example: my CNA classmate Cindy has a son who has cerebral palsy and mental retardation. She used to hire personal care CNAs before she put him in a group home. One CNA was strange. When she was taking care of him, moans could be heard from the room. Cindy's daughter heard them first, and they decided to investigate. One day, they flung open the door to discover the CNA fellatating her son. It turns out that the CNA found out about the son's weekly allowance, and would turn tricks for $10-$20. Cindy was livid. She didn't press charges (she should have), but she called the agency and reported the CNA. However, she went back to the ageny and saw that the CNA was still working. Cindy made a huge stink and made sure that the sex offender was fired.

SmilingBluEyes,

That procedure is called a Lover's Knot (I think) and used to be standard procedure so women could be tight for their husbands again (Kegals, anyone?) OBGYN has an extremely chauvenistic history, so I'm glad that the old-fashioned guy was fired. It's similar to Female Genital Mutilation, in which they cut away the privy parts and leave tiny orifaces that the husband must tear apart on their wedding night. After childbirth, the woman is stitched back up again to enure that her partner will enjoy the tightness.

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