OB Rotation is Hell

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I am a male nursing student. I am doing well in school overall and acing my Med surg rotations--However, my OB rotation is pure hell! i feel useless and out of place. They tossed me out of a Birthing room today because I was in the way of the doctor and nurse! They make me feel like a jerk and like I dont belong there--I dont want to fail this rotation because --right now I feel like a incompetant idiot! What are your thoughts about OB and Male nurses?

If you go back in the thread, some state specifically that they think it is sexist if a woman does not want a male nurse in the room when she's giving birth.

I guess my concern isn't about how nursing students are going to get the most of their OB rotation during someone's birth experience. That would be the least of my worries. Figure it out. Maybe go in with an attitude other than "OB is a nightmare and I don't feel comfortable here." Maybe female nurses aren't asked to leave as often because they aren't as likely to go in with that attitude?

If you go back in the thread, you''ll see that some students have a horrible attitude and don't want to be in OB anyway, but they can't understand why they're being asked to leave during births. Would you want someone in the room like that during the most vulnerable, and important time in your life? Birthing women have amazing intuition and can sense BS a mile away.

Funny how some men have problems in L&D and some are welcomed with open arms... I'm even more convinced that it's more about attitude than sex.

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Specializes in Med-Surg.
Funny how some men have problems in L&D and some are welcomed with open arms... I'm even more convinced that it's more about attitude than sex.

It's probably a little of both, but probably more likely the woman doesn't doesn't a strange male in their birthing area and that's understandable. If I was having a turp or a colonoscopy I wouldn't want unknown females in the room watching me. Technically that might be "sexist" but I think students should be respectful of the patients wishes and move on without getting bent out of shape about it.

I dreaded OB like no other clinical and hated every moment of it, but wasn't asked to leave the room. Part of the reason was the instructor picked good patients for me, one was a nurse herself and another was having her fifth and was in no way modest or nervous. I think instructors neeed to be a little sensitive in their assignments and feel the patients out, in most areas but OB especially.

Also note that this is the MALE nursing student forum and maybe they just want to relate to each other without females coming along telling them what bad attitudes they have or to "get over it". OB is hard on some male students and they need an outlet for their frustrations. We all don't have to like 100% of our clinicals but we suffer through if we want to become nurses.

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Specializes in Nephrology, Cardiology, ER, ICU.

Totally agree Tweety - I would guess OB would be very difficult for most male nurses and a rant is very appropriate.

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Specializes in Neonatal ICU (Cardiothoracic).

I guess my concern isn't about how nursing students are going to get the most of their OB rotation during someone's birth experience. That would be the least of my worries. Figure it out.

You would not say the same thing to a male medical student.

Male nursing students are the same. Maybe it's not your specialty of interest, but having a good experience and forming a solid foundation in clinical practice is very important regardless of whether you plan to work in OB or not.

I think the "bad attitudes" you saw on this thread were simply men reacting to discrimination from the staff, not primarily the mothers. OB is the last bastion of women's health that still shuts it's door in male RNs faces. It's time we changed that.

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Specializes in Cardiac.
maybe female nurses aren't asked to leave as often because they aren't as likely to go in with that attitude?

nope, it's because they lack a member. some women are shy, uncomfortable, have a history of abuse, etc. whatever the reason, its ok and i understand completely. i plan on going into icu and have zero interest in l&d for long-term, but it's required and it's good to have a functional knowledge. i strongly agree that our clinical instructors should really attempt to get willing patients assigned to the male students.

if you don't want me there, i definitely don't want to be there.

however... i guarantee there is no checkbox on the nclex to fill in that exempts me from the relevant test questions if i was not allowed access in my l&d rotation. so, i need to be in there.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Education.

I have seen several sides of the issue. As an instructor, I had a male student who was very personable, and quickly made friends with the staff. They advocated for him with the patients and he saw many deliveries. His assertiveness, professionalism, and willingness to help out really made this rotation easier for him.

However, I also saw a few things I felt were inappropriate. To me, my male students are no different than my female students: they are professionals in training. One of the nurses actually went into the patient's room and I overheard her saying "You don't really want a MALE nursing student in here do you?" Um, well who would when you put it like that? You would have thought that my student was a voyeur. I spoke to her and asked that in the future, she discuss with the patient whether they would mind having A STUDENT in the room. I don't think the fact that the student is male even needs to be mentioned. I've never heard anyone ask a patient if they mind having a MALE or FEMALE medical student before. In this day and age, we need competent nurses of any and every race, gender, sexual orientation, and background. I am sorry that your rotation was not the learning experience it should have been. I hope that I can avoid this problem this semester with my students by discussing this issue with the staff prior to our rotation. Change is slow, but necessary.

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Specializes in psychiatry.

Doulalove,

This is a really interesting thread. I think it speaks to a greater reality than just L&D, but what is the role of a man in nursing...how is that different than a woman in nursing? What exactly is the nature of nursing? As far as L&D is concerned, it is also often a matter of cultural differences why men may be asked to leave the room. Where does cultural sensitivity end, and the need to learn begin...because nursing schools have ordered men to learn maternal nursing. And then the various male nursing students themselves also come with their own cultural biases. For many of these male students, this may be the first time they have come face to face with the birth experience. It is an awesome thing. We should all approach nursing with dignity and awe, and try to get our ego out of the way. Easier said than done.

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My OB rotation was great. It's all about your clinical instructor and how they set the tone.

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I had a great experience in maternity. I had clinicals at a facility that had separate labor and delivery and postpartum units. I was rejected by a couple of patients, but I did not take it personally. I understood whythe pt and FOB would not want me in there, especially for lady partsl deliveries. However, for CS the patients did not really care. I actually brought up to the nurse manager that I would love to work there if they would hire me. She said that hiring a male nurse may be a bit counterproductive considering that some patients may refuse a male nurse. She did add that she believes that it will be great to have male nurses on either units, and that the NICU and Nursery are open though, i think that babies do not usually care if your male or female.

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Specializes in ER, ICU, Family Practice.

That is really too bad. All OB experience has been wonderful and ALL of the mothers I have been paired with have been so great to work with.

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Specializes in geriatrics,emergency,hospice.

I am doing my OB rotation now. It's pretty awesome. To tell you the truth, I was scared crapless because of the things I have read on this board. Some of the guys had horror stories, and I just figured I would be sitting at the nurses station all the time. I havent been asked to leave a room yet, and I have done antepartum, intrapartum, and postpartum.

My instructor, who is awesome herself, knew the apphrension I was feeling,and broke me in slowly. The nurses have been great to work with and the patients have been very receptive, so far. I have 5 more weeks to go...Its not going to be my chosen field, but I have to say, I am really glad I was able to do it.

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I just had to reapond to the thread about the male student nurse and discrimination. Firstly, as a student in a clinical rotation, you are a guest of the facility and not an employee. Therefore all patients at ANY clinical facility has the right to deny you access. Women would be much less likely to reject a "real" male nurse who walks into the room and says, "hi, Im ----and I'll be your nurse". When the student nurse asks the patient if they are okay with them observing it gives the patient an out, so to speak. It makes it a lot easier to say "no".

Secondly, EVERY patient has a right to ask for a different nurse if they want one. Just like they have a right to ask for a different doctor if they want to. They can ask for a different nurse on any basis. If they don't like the nurse because he/she is black, or if he/she is white, or if he/she is just not the right personality. It doesn't matter, when it comes to healthcare, the patient is king. And that's the way it shoule be. We can't dictate to patients what thier values should be. Like it or not, medicine and nursing, are in the service industry. If the patient is not comfortable, for whatever reason, right or wrong, they have the right to ask for someone else.

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