Required to watch circumcision?

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I'm a nursing student and unfortunately will be starting my OB rotation in a couple weeks. I'm against circumcision and I'm wondering if nursing students are "required" to assist or at least witness circ? I'm doing my clinical during 2nd shift so I shouldn't have to worry about refusing to watch due to circs mainly being done in the morning. But I'm just wondering if this is something a nursing student is involved in. Thanks!

Specializes in NICU.

I watched one in nursing school. Horrible. Any future sons I have will be circ'ed over my dead cold body.

Why would you want to surgically reduce the size of your son's member? BEcause it's cleaner??? Yeah, an open wound in a diaper full of poop is sure clean. Eyeroll. And let's not forget about the times we've had to call urology and surgery because the bleeding wouldn't stop.

No thanks. My years of experience have just reenforced my opnion that circ'ing is unnecessary, painful and dangerous.

Fortunately, we only have a 30% circ rate where I live. :yeah:

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The smudge in the foreskin

It's actually called smegma, unless you're referring to something else.

It's pretty much the same thing as lady partsl discharge.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

I'm personally very opposed to RIC. I do assist with them, however. I know that if I asked another nurse to do it, they wouldn't have a problem with switching assignments with me. That's just where I work, though, and other places may be different. I've never asked to switch assignments, though. I feel my job is to comfort that baby as best as I can, and help the mom with the subsequent difficulty with breastfeeding that often takes place immediately afterwards.

RIC is the only surgical procedure I'm aware of that's done on infants as a preventative for cancer later in life. Could you imagine if we routinely removed baby girls' breast buds as a preventative of breast cancer? I'm sure that would go over well.

I have one son who is circed, and one son who is intact. In my work, I have personally talked two couples out of circing who were on the fence and weren't sure if they wanted to do it.

I'm not interested in entering into debate on the subject, because IME, it doesn't change anyone's mind. I just want to let the OP know that it's quite possible that even as an OB nurse, you may not have to assist with circs. Many hospitals are very sensitive to nurse's personal conscientious beliefs, and would be totally willing to accommodate changing an assignment for 20 minutes (as in, 'Hey if I watch your babies for you, would you mind assisting with that circ?"). It's really no big deal to do that.

Our state Medicaid doesn't pay for RIC anymore. Parents on Medicaid have to come up with $350 cash for the doctor if they want to have it done. I find it so funny (in a sad, ironic sort of way) that we have women who don't have the money to pay for freaking paternity testing, but are willing to beg, borrow or steal in order to scrape up the $350 for a circ.

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Specializes in LTC, rehab, medical review.

My husband is circ'd and we have three boys. All three of them are uncirc'd. I didnt have the heart to put them through that pain so early in life. I want to be an OB nurse myself, eventually a midwife, and if someone circ's their baby, that is their choice, though I dont agree with it.

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To each their own. Ask if you can be excluded, if you can't I say its all part of the experience. Nurses who are against abortions must assist with care if there is no one else available. IMO circumcision is not in the best interests of the child, usually it is for the parents. However, I wouldn't throw my hands up in the air and say that you can't observe/participate, as a nurse you have an obligation to seek alternative assignment first and then if that fails observe/assist.

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Specializes in Home Health, Case Management, OR.

As a nursing student in my OB rotation we did not have to watch a circ, in fact I am not sure that any of us even got the opportunity. At the time I would have taken it! Though now that I am 38 wks with a boy I am glad I don't have the visual!! I would think it more important, esp as a student, to be educated on the aftercare of the circ and be able to educate mom and dad on how to care for the site.

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My baby son is currently 13 days old. He's perfect and wonderful and everything I dreamed he would be.

He got circ'd on day 3 by my ob. I was there. He got a penile block 15 minutes prior to the procedure, and a dose of tylenol 30 minutes prior. They don't use the papoose board anymore - his top half was swaddled and another nurse and I held his feet. He got a sucrose pacifier. He didn't cry at all during the circ.

We kept his diaper lubed up with vaseline, and the circ. site never seemed to bother him. He never cried with cleaning. He never had problems eating immediately post-circ. He never had a problem with poop getting into the site. It healed in less than a week.

In short - it went as perfectly as a circ. can go.

Now, if other people don't want to circ. their boys, that's certainly their option. Who the hell am I to try to talk anyone into or out of a procedure for their child? As a nurse, it's not my business to give my opinion, even when asked for it. And I have been asked. My standard answer is, "It doesn't matter what I think/believe - what matters is what *you* think/believe." And that's the truth. What we as nurses think/feel/believe about our patients and their decisions isn't important - it's the patient's perception and feelings and beliefs that matter.

To the original poster, I'd have to say that starting your nursing career with such a judgmental attitude doesn't bode well for you. What are you going to do when you come across other situations where you feel a patient is making a bad/immoral choice? Are you going to refuse to provide care? Are you going to inflict your own value system on your patients? Are you going to burden your co-workers by dumping your assignments on them because you don't agree with a patient's choice? You might think about these things and whether or not nursing is really the right career for you.

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Specializes in Nurse Leader specializing in Labor & Delivery.

I'm shocked that any doctor would give a newborn Tylenol. That just seems so risky, considering their immature livers.

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

I think even though you have strong feelings against circumcision, you stand to gain a learning experience by watching. No nursing students do not participate in such where I have practiced (in 4 different hospitals), but most watch. And many are staunchly against it. Just keep in mind, in nursing, anywhere, ethical and personal conflicts WILL arise and challenge you. Keeping an open mind and being open to LEARNING to me, is key, not agreeing with everything your patients or clients elect to do. Try to learn from the experience, if you are indeed "forced" to observe. And like others said, you will have to learn to keep some strong feelings to yourself when you are caring for your patients. No time like the present to test this ability and learn from it. Only my opinion, of course.

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Specializes in Only the O.R. and proud of it!.
It's actually called smegma, unless you're referring to something else.

It's pretty much the same thing as lady partsl discharge.

yes, That's what I was referring to. I write what I feel. If it's not legal documentation, I just word it the way that I want.

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Specializes in Only the O.R. and proud of it!.

Why would you want to surgically reduce the size of your son's member? :yeah:

It doesn't reduce the size of the member. The foreskin retracts with erection. Which can be painful with phymosis. And if the foreskin is really tight, it can tear somewhat. A foreskin that is not returned to place after cleaning, catheterization, etc. can lead to a paraphymosis, which may require surgery. We get alot of kids in for elective circumcision due to phymosis, recurrent infection, etc. Also many elderly men for a dorsal slit.

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Specializes in Community, OB, Nursery.
It doesn't reduce the size of the member. The foreskin retracts with erection. Which can be painful with phymosis. And if the foreskin is really tight, it can tear somewhat. A foreskin that is not returned to place after cleaning, catheterization, etc. can lead to a paraphymosis, which may require surgery. We get alot of kids in for elective circumcision due to phymosis, recurrent infection, etc. Also many elderly men for a dorsal slit.

A foreskin's a part of a normal member, and cutting off a part of the member makes it smaller. I'll give you the erection argument, though. It doesn't change that.

However, all the other reasons you mentioned aren't good reasons to cut it off when he's a newborn. They're good reasons to teach boys how to take care of their own memberes (so easy a preschooler can do it :) ) ...AND to teach healthcare professionals what is/isn't normal. Some boys' foreskins don't fully retract til they're in their teens, and that is normal. Not a reason to circ. I think it would be a good idea to teach healthcare professionals in the US proper care of intact memberes - knowledge seems to be lacking (not you personally, since I am quoting you, after all) because circ has been the norm for so long.

Believe it's already been mentioned here, but the incidence of adult men getting circed for medical reasons in countries that don't routinely circ babies is very, very low. We are getting way way off topic, but that's the way of things, I guess.

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