Should male nurses put the toilet seat down?

[Emergent]

I will post this as a poll. I will be voting yes, they should. Not only do I think it's common courtesy and a gentlemanly thing to do, but I think I have solid infection control rationale.

Think of it it. If a woman has to put down the seat before doing her business, she will be contaminating her hands, and then she has to wipe herself 'down there'. Maybe she is menstruating and has to perform an invasive procedure with a tampon.

On the other hand, men only have to aim and fire, maybe briefly touching the external part of their organ of urination. There is no chance of the men folk performing an invasive procedure.

I bring this up because it has become an issue in our workplace. Someone keeps leaving the seat up!

[Cobweb]

I can put the seat down OK, and I wash my hands before I use the bathroom anyway. I'd rather be in charge of my own safety than depend on someone else. You know 99 out of a hundred guys will be great...but then there's that one...

[PacoUSA, BSN, RN]

I was raised in a house of women, so putting the seat down when I'm done anywhere I go is just automatic now. I even take toilet paper and wipe splatter off the rim before I put the seat back down, flush and wash my hands. Don't you wish you worked with me now?

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[SoldierNurse22, BSN, RN]

We had an issue with this at one of my previous duty stations. One of the younger guys had...let's just say really bad aim. Pretty much detonated the bathroom every time he used it and it made all of us ladies extremely angry. I don't care if you're male or female; that's just gross. Even his male coworkers complained.

Nothing like **** on the toilet, **** on the floor, **** on the handle, **** on the door...

[dudette10, MSN, RN]

I was raised in a house of women, so putting the seat down when I'm done anywhere I go is just automatic now. I even take toilet paper and wipe splatter off the rim before I put the seat back down, flush and wash my hands. Don't you wish you worked with me now?

Sent from my iPad using allnurses

I was raised in a house full of men, and I currently live in a house full of men. I don't know what the seat looks like down.

Being around boys all the time growing up, I tried to pee standing up. I was not successful, not one drop actually made it to the toilet.

[Been there,done that, ASN, RN]

Choose your battles wisely.

Grab some paper , put the seat back down.

[Mr. Murse]

First of all, for all of you who use your nasty feet to flush and do other things, please start using a paper towel or a piece of toilet paper instead. Everyone who comes behind you and uses their bare hands are now just dragging whatever was on the bottom of your shoes out into public on their hands. Eventually all that contamination will come back to you, especially if you're sharing a work space with these people. All around nasty habit.

Ultimately the seat issue comes down to the fact that we (men) are expected to be "gentlemanly" and put the seat down after we go. But from a hygienic standpoint and disregarding toilet chivalry, that means we have to touch the seat to lift it, then do our business, then touch it again to lower it, then touch the handle to flush, then the faucet handle, etc., etc.

So really, it makes more sense to just do whatever requires the least seat touching, no? Especially for guys who have to handle their man-parts directly every time they go.

My proposition: if a lady goes in to the restroom and it's up, then grab a couple squares of TP or paper towel and lower it. If a man goes in and it's down, then grab a couple squares of TP or paper towel and raise it up. Problem of touching it directly is solved.

I hate to break it to all you ladies out there though, but you would be horrified to know how many men touch everything bare handed then never wash before leaving the bathroom. I take mental note of this all the time in public restrooms, and I can honestly say probably less than 50% of men actually wash with soap after using the restroom. A slightly higher percentage of men will run their hands under the water and bypass the soap and consider that a sufficient wash.

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

Speaking of hygiene habits in the bathroom....one day upon picking my prechooler up from her class, the teacher said that she had never seen a child that young use their paper towel to shut the faucet off. I did a silent "YES"!!!!!!! She does actually listen to me and do what I teach her, even when I'm not around!

And if you're ever in a public restroom and hear a woman in the next stall yell "WAIT!!!", it may just be me as I try to beat my little girl at unzipping while I'm hurriedly preparing a makeshift toilet seat cover:roflmao:

As we all know, when little ones gotta go, they gotta go NOW!

I had a potable seat that fit over the toilet that I would spray and clean when they were finished....and I wore gloves.

I know excessive but I couldn't help myself.

Between my son and my hubby I've given up with the toilet seat down...I'm happy if they change the toilet paper and not leave it empty.

[ICURN3020]

Everyone who comes behind you and uses their bare hands are now just dragging whatever was on the bottom of your shoes out into public on their hands.

Not if they wash their hands on the way out!!!!!

[tarotale]

trust me, if that is officially enforced, I guarantee there will be movements against it due to male-female discrimination blah blah and the hospitals will have to install those old school squat toilets, at least in this sensitive country.

[Mr. Murse]

Not if they wash their hands on the way out!!!!!

You're putting way too much faith in the general public's hygienic habits.

But by the same rationale, those people using their feet could just as easily use their hands instead then wash them too.........

[kgoode0919]

I always take my foot and slam it down as loud as I can. When I exit I just remind everyone that someone left the seat up AGAIN.

[malamud69, BSN, RN]

"...mmmm...don't care?" If people aren't observant enough to notice/clean up-looking at it from all perspectives then it's their problem...what are we 5?