Hey everyone! A little background: I always thought of myself as an ER/OR kinda guy and just find it so interesting I was planning work on one of those units when I finish school.
However, since I started my OB rotation a few weeks ago, I have just fallen in love with the units and the mommys/babies with all thier AP, IP and PP care.
Today I was placed in L+D. I found a nurse to teach me for the day and greeted her proffessionally.. The conversation went something like this:
Me: Good morning! Its nice to meet you, my name is ian and I am the student assigned to you today. *smile/extend hand to be shaken*
Nurse1: *she looked me up and down* "Men dont belong on this floor"
Trying to keep my composure I just kept silent for a moment, smiled and asked her to give me report on the patients we would be taking care of today. She didnt. So I thanked her for her time, took some initiative, and got the charts to get myself report I then introduced myself to both patients. They received me very warmly so I was very pleased. Both were 3/4 dilation with pitocin. I went to the Nurses station to chart some of observations, and my nurse walked over to me, *she had just come back from breakfast break* and told me very harshly that both patients said they didnt want me as thier nurse because I am a male and that I am not to go in and even talk to them again.
I was taken aback because they had received me very warmly and it was very unexpected that BOTH young female mothers would be so kind to me and then tell her (without me even seeing her enter their rooms coming back from break) that I wasn't to see them again.. Something was just off.
I kept my composure, stayed calm and told her that I understood and that I had plenty to do on the unit research wise and not to worry. She didnt respond and just walked away.
Now I have been with many of the nurses on this unit doing other areas of my rotation and have a very good reputation because of my energy and willingness to learn. The charge nurse walked over to me after witnessing what happened and changed my nurse.
My new nurse we so excited to have me on her team, it was such a difference and nice to have someone as positive and outgoing as I am to be teaching me. We hit it off, I got report on her patients and she introduced me to each one of them. The families loved me. One patient with her husband and mother in particular. After being introduced to her and her family, my nurse and I were doing the morning assessment and I was just rattling off everything I had learned so far regarding AP care, reading the FHM/Contractions and all that. The mother I guess felt very safe with me after hearing that I knew so much because 2 hours later when i went into the room to check in on her, she was screaming that the baby was coming.
My nurse and I did the prep and called the midwife and I was going to leave the room because I didn't want to make her feel uncomfortable... Not only did she tell me to stay but she motioned me to hold up her left leg while the husband held the right in lithotomy position! I was walking her through breathing and pushing and by the time the whole thing was over the family just couldn't stop thanking me for being part of their birthing process and taking pictures with me, letting me do teaching, ect.
I cant tell you how much confidence that gave me. I showed the patient that I knew my stuff, acted professionally and confidently and got treated with respect. So far I have loved this unit and my OB rotation and was talking to the nurse there about working on the unit when I finish my RN. They seemed very receptive to it.
As a side note: the first nurse I started out with took another student (female) after I left and that student informed me that the patients were asking where I had gone to and why I left thier care.. That really hurt my feelings because that just tells me that my first nurse simply lied to me
Over all the entire experience was amazing, as with all my other OB experiences. I know having men on the unit is rare but I really do think I found my specialty! :monkeydance:
Some women do feel uncomfortable with another man looking at them. If "they" ask for a female, then ok.
If it's the nurse's opinion, the she needs to get over it. You can't have male doctors and male med students seeing patients, then say that a male student nurse can't be a part of the team.
I am a female, but my OB clinical group had 2 men. I really did like our instructor...very nice lady, but she was old school in that "she" felt uncomfortable with male students seeing vag deliveries. At first, they were only going to get to see C-sections!
To each their own, of course, but again, as I added above...If there's a male doctor staring at what isn't a pretty site, then who cares who's holding the legs?
I can see a jealous husband having a problem with it, but then yet again, that goes back to the male doctor thing.
I have been reading the allnurses forums almost daily for three years, and I finally made an account so I could respond to this posting. You really want to work in L+D as a male nurse? There is something very fundamentally wrong with that!!! When I was in my L+D rotation, I intentionally avoided interacting with the mothers so as to not make them feel uncomfortable as they most certainly would be with a male nurse. And, you were actually comfortable helping the patient's husband hold her legs open? This is where you think you "have found your specialty"?? Male nurses do not belong in L+D. Just as females do not belong on the battle field or working as police officers, etc. And to the original poster, would you be comfortable with a male nurse helping to hold your wife's legs open??
Some women do feel uncomfortable with another man looking at them. If "they" ask for a female, then ok.
If it's the nurse's opinion, the she needs to get over it. You can't have male doctors and male med students seeing patients, then say that a male student nurse can't be a part of the team.
I am a female, but my OB clinical group had 2 men. I really did like our instructor...very nice lady, but she was old school in that "she" felt uncomfortable with male students seeing vag deliveries. At first, they were only going to get to see C-sections!
I agree. It all comes down to the patient. Instructors should assign the students carefully, so as not to embarrass anyone. My patient who delivered in school was totally cool with me, and I did hold her when she sat up to push, even cathed her when she couldn't void pp. It was her 5th baby. The OB was a male doctor. I think her legs were up in those stirrup thingies and no one was holding her legs. Surely there's a better way and people holding a women's legs???
I 100% agree there shouldn't be a double standard in the delivery room with a male OB and a male anesthetist, but not a male L&D nurse. There should be no policy of "males don't belong here". However, if the patient/husband has a problem the male nurse should accept that.
I 100% agree, we are first and foremost an advocate of the patient. If simply being there would cause them distress due to gender, I have no problem switching nurses ya know? :)
I know some cultures where they have to have a woman to deliver them, like Muslim, I think. Anyway, at my hospital, they would be out of luck, cause you get who's on-call, period. In other cases, its nuts to have a pt complain they don't want a male nurse, when most of the docs are male. I don't get the reasoning. I have never seen a male L and D nurse, personally. (By this I mean, we don't have any working with us and never have) But I have seen some great male OBs and residents, don't see why a male nurse in L and D would be such a big deal.
OP - well done L&D need good nurses who can do the job and provide safe effective care - no matter what gender you are.
I an new to the USA -and I must say I am completly shocked about some nurses attidues regarding RN who happen to male- USA has a shorted of nurses no wounder if this is how some professionals withi n the profession are treated!
I know some cultures where they have to have a woman to deliver them, like Muslim, I think. Anyway, at my hospital, they would be out of luck, cause you get who's on-call, period. In other cases, its nuts to have a pt complain they don't want a male nurse, when most of the docs are male. I don't get the reasoning. I have never seen a male L and D nurse, personally. (By this I mean, we don't have any working with us and never have) But I have seen some great male OBs and residents, don't see why a male nurse in L and D would be such a big deal.
It just depends on comfort level. I personally, do not see male doctors and there was a male L & D RN on my floor when I had my twins, but he did vitals and brought meds and that was it..so I was ok with that.
I know it's medical, I know it's nothing sexual, etc. However, it makes me uncomfortable and I can't change that no matter how hard I try.
Now, when I had my C-section that was an emergency...there was a male anesthesiologist, and a male ob-gyn assisting my female ob-gyn plus two male Neonatologists in the room....in an emergency..do you think I cared they were male? Heck no! I just wanted to make it out of there alive and with two healthy babies.
If you decide you want L&D come to central florida. We have one guy on our unit and it would be a blast to have a second. So as the locals say..."just bring it on" and we'll be waiting for ya.
I admire your professionalism, Ian. I am glad that you handled yourself in a very respectable manner. I wish you the best of luck on you career and whatever decision you make.
Specializes in Pediatric, Obstetrics, Public Health.
Ian,
I think you should follow your passion. Most patients shouldn't care that you are male. So many of them see male MD's and I'm fairly confident most of them got into their pregnant state by a male. Just don't be discouraged or insulted if you get the occasional pt. who says she doesn't want a male nurse. This would definitley be the time the patient would want to be 100% comfortable with her surroundings.
I used to work with a male nurse who was our breastfeeding expert. If the OB nurse tried and tried to help mom and the baby's assigned nurse tried to no avail, we could always call on our male expert to help with feeding issues. I promise, every single time we had a mom a bit apprehensive about him helping beforehand, she was always so thankful after. If women don't think there is any sexual intimidation by seeing a male doctor, I don't know why they get uncomfortable with a male nurse. But anyway, good luck in whatever you decide to do.
Lastly, PLEASE report the nurse who said that to you when you arrived to the floor. It was rude. It was wrong. It was discrimination - plain and simple. She would have been fired or at least written up if she would have made a statement about your skin color or religion. I also hope you'll let your clinical instructor know what happened so she can be aware for future students.
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icuwant2rn
110 Posts
Sorry, guys, my bad.:imbar