question about pediatric/adolescent physicals

[twahls65]

hi everybody i work in a doctors office as a nurse and wonder if it is really necessary to have the child undress for their physical and if they do do you give them a gown to put on to cover up? i am just wondering if other pediatricians offices do this for their patients or do you have your patients keep their clothes on? what is the procedure at other pediatricians offices for when a child/adolescent comes in for their annual physical. i look forward to hearing back about this from everybody. let me just mention that i am a student nurse presently and working in a pediatricians office working with the regular nurses there. i hope this does not seem like a stupid question for everyone i am just wondering the protocol at other pediatricians offices. i hope to get some good responses back.

[twahls65]

Thank you everybody for your responses, I am still looking for more advice on talking with the main Pediatrician on how he does physicals with toddlers and adolescents. I am the only male nurse in my practice with 2 other female nurses. I feel kinda weird and uncomfortable telling the parents or the patients that they have to undress their child to their underpants/bra for the childs physical. We do give the child a gown to put on but alot of them are still apprehensive on undressing but they end up doing it. For female patients i do tell them that the Dr. would be doing a breast exam on the older alolescents and they have to take their bra off. For the older male patients i do let them know that the Dr. would be doing a testicular exam thats why they have to undress. I still feel weird telling them these things. how do i get over my embarrassment with talking to pediatric patients. I am looking for more stories on how other pediatric offices do toddler/adolsecent physicals in their office. I am defenetly going to talk to the main pediatrician on my feelings on how things are being run in the office. I do really like my job and the people around me we are a good team i just dont want to ruin it by opening my mouth and saying something.