Struggles of being a male nurse

[aririe]

So I will be graduating from nursing school in December. This got me thinking that there will be some things that i just cant do for example what a woman patient doesn't want a male taking them to the bathroom or looking at their behind or other such things. So I was just wondering what tips do you guys have for being a male in this profession and what kind of troubles have you had?

[GrumpyRN, NP]

Try not to stare at your female colleagues chests when they are doing CPR - it gets you a name as a creep.

Main thing is treat the girls as human beings - I know it can be difficult sometimes as they really, really seem to come from a different planet sometimes.

Always remember, they may look small, sweet and innocent but;

a) Some of them have mouths like dockers (stevedores)

b) At least one of them will be able to kick your a** if you step out of line

c) They are just as scared/worried/caring/unsure as you are.

I am being a little bit facetious here but don't sweat it. Everything will be fine.

[ASUdevil]

Always have a female staff member (PCT, CNA, another RN, charge nurse, whatever) present in the room when you're doing anything that may be misinterpreted or even remotely be potentially considered culturally taboo between a male and female. Like straight caths, Foley insertions, skin checks, wound care, basic cleanups, whatever involves disrobing or exposing the patient in any way. Always remain professional, no matter what rapport you build with your patient. And be aware of strict religious/cultural issues like with super conservative populations like Muslims, orthodox anything and in general people who identify themselves as very shy, or victims of prior abuse. You can never be too safe. When in doubt, have an extra set of eyes with you so that you have a witness of no wrong-doing.

This approach has served me well. I once had an elderly Neuro patient with progressive dementia who misinterpreted a clean up as an attempt to "get fresh" with her. Needless to say, I had a girl PCT in the room with me doing the cleanup and it never was an issue because she as able to corroborate that nothing inappropriate had happened. Zero issues in 5 years of working in an ICU...don't ever get caught in a situation where is your say vs the patient's say.

[barcode120x, RN, NP]

Have not had a single issue with a female patient just yet. Be courteous, but do your job, and explain what your doing and why. I've had a few female patients request a female CNA/RN for foley, peri stuff, change clothes, etc, but it's no big deal to me. If I have to do procedures like that, I always ask for permission if it's okay for me to do it. If if I have a disoriented patient, I always have a female nurse with me when doing that stuff as well. Otherwise, I believe you will be fine. You may even find a lot more smiles from patients when they see male nurses

[Accolay]

Never really had any troubles as a male nurse. I usually ask female patients if I can help them to the toilet, or if they'd prefer a female. If I'm doing a procedure that involves privacy issues with a female patient, especially unconcious patients, I'll find someone else to be in the room with me.

It's really easy but remember: Treat female coworkers with respect. Don't put your hands on anyone without their permission. Remember sexual harrassment training. Don't be that guy.

[KatiejonD, RN]

I've never seen an incident where a woman declined to have a male Nurse help them with anything. I'm sure it happens, but maybe not as common as you think?

[BUTLERN]

Always a good practice to have another colleague, preferably of the same sex as the patient present for things such as foleys, pericare etc. If they prefer a female nurse to do it, which some definitely will, ask them to do it. They will probably have a guy that will not want something done by a female at some point and u can return the favor. After all its a TEAM SPORT!!

[Pepper The Cat, BSN, RN]

Quote

Main thing is treat the girls as human beings - I know it can be difficult sometimes as they really, really seem to come from a different planet sometimes.

We are women, not girls.

[marable]

If only the male nurses would return the favor...I worked with two male nurses who always needed help with their female patients , even when giving im injections... We not only had to take care of our patients but had to available for their every need when it came to their female patients ....Ask one of them to do a male catheterization , we could forget it....We had a lot of uneeded conflict between the female/male nurses as the male nurses did not offer and showed an attitude when we asked for help with our male patients....

[elijahvegas, ASN, RN, EMT-P]

explain thoroughly what you're doing and why it needs to be done. and if theyre still hesitant, ask if they would feel more comfortable having a female nurse perform whatever task instead. easy peasy

[dumbnurse, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN]

Never a dull moment working in a predominantly female profession. I worked at the VA for 26+ years so I dealt with females less often than men. Female veterans are just like male veterans they say what they think and don't give a damn whether you are male or female as long as you do your job. After leaving the VA I realized I had to be a little more "politically correct" for lack of a better word. It wasn't so much the patients as it was spouse's and family members who were "concerned for the women's privacy"? When people are sick, they mostly want a compassionate soul who can empathize, see things with an open mind and be competent. Good luck!

[stockmanjr, BSN]

Just posted this in a student thread but the only time I felt uncomfortable as a male was OB. My CI kept on assigning me to religious patients who all said no to me. She tried to bully one of the patients to allow me and then yelled at me when I put on the paperwork could not assess after I told her the problem. Otherwise I've had no issues but always had a woman in with me when I did do stuff on OB and certainly on peds.