OB nursing in males.

deftonez188 · Sep 12, 2008

Our rotation is next semester so i'm not where you're at yet, however I don't doubt the experience will be similar - many of us don't have children of our own, and comforting mother's, well.................................i'd probably be about as useful as a pat on the back saying, "there, there..." lol.

The only ace in my pocket is my mother has been an OB nurse for 30+ years so at least i'll be a well-informed uncomfortable clunky nursing student.

spuropathy · Sep 13, 2008

Our rotation is next semester so i'm not where you're at yet, however I don't doubt the experience will be similar - many of us don't have children of our own, and comforting mother's, well.................................i'd probably be about as useful as a pat on the back saying, "there, there..." lol.
The only ace in my pocket is my mother has been an OB nurse for 30+ years so at least i'll be a well-informed uncomfortable clunky nursing student.

Haha, I really dont know what I'll do with my first labor patient.

Probably just sit there and look. I dont know what to say, if I am going to say something unhelpful so I'd probably just touch them, pat them in the back and not say a thing. xD

That is very helpful, you should take advantage of that. My mom has been a RT for about 25 years and respiratory's one of my weakest areas so Im sorry that's not therapeutic communication haha.

colberag · Sep 13, 2008

I went through a 2 week OB rotation about a month ago and trust me labor and delivery is not bad. For me the nurses I was with recognized the fact I was a younger guy and did not force me into any situations where me or the patient would feel uncomfortable. For the first few deliveries I saw I mostly stood back and watched but as I got more comfortable I got closer and helped more (going as far as holding a leg during pushing which I thought I would never do!)

Most of the patients appreciate any type of help or comfort you can provide for them, no matter how trivial it might seem to you. And if you feel uncomfortable dealing with the mom, many times there is a dad over there that feels just as out of place as you and could also use some comforting. Its good if you can spend the whole day with a single patient while she is progressing through labor, that way you can get used to eachother and decide how much or how little the mom wants you to do and you are willing to do.

JeepDudeRN · Sep 13, 2008

I am going into my last week of OB, its been 11 weeks. I had the most awesome experience. I assisted in one lady partsl, and 2 c sections. The nurses, and my instructor are awesome. I was extremely apprehensive at first, and my instructor broke me in gently. I was never pressured into anything I didnt feel comfortable with. All my patients accepted me without so much as a blink of an eye. OB is not my chosen profession, but I am really glad I went through it. I have read some horror stories on here with some guys and their OB rotation. But, I guess I was really lucky. I am the only guy left in my program, so I was pretty nervous, not to mention, I have no kids, and never even fed a baby. Now, though, Im an old pro at it..LOL

Good luck! :up:

nursingarts · Sep 13, 2008

I will be having my first exposure to the OB ward on September 28,29 and 30 in one of the public hospitals here in the Philippines. I am really excited but nervous about it.'

There are certain skills that we need to develop in dealing with our patients, skills we need not to learn in the four corners of the classroom but skills we learn as we embarce diversity. These separate us from the rest of the pofessions.

hoff5000 · Sep 15, 2008

I just finished a 7 week OB clinical rotation. Overall it went well. My instructor and the staff were extremely supportive and helpful. I did run into several instances where patients (female obviously) were not comfortable with a male student giving them post delivery care. My instructor made every effort to find patients that were comfortable however.