The Great Double Standard?

nursemike, ASN, RN · Jan 20, 2011

Since this was originally posted in 2006, I'm interested to know what your experience is now, considering you should be graduated by this time with some nursing experience.
As for the original post, I work in the ED and never experience this from female nurses. If anything, the opposite happens where the male nurses will ask the females to do their foleys or peri care for them, sometimes without the patient even requesting it because the guys just assume that the female patients won't want them to do it.
This gets old and annoying when we have our own patients to care for and have to take time away from them to do a procedure that the guys should be able to do. I started handling this by telling them that I'd be happy to do their foley for them if they will do x, y, or z for one of my patients while I do the foley. If they have made a legitimate request, this helps us both out and it puts the cabosh on unnecessary requests.

Not the OP, but I do have a bit more experience under my belt, although I don't think it has greatly changed my perspective. I do, occassionally, do what you mention and ask a female nurse to help out without first asking the patient. I have come to accept that there are times when I am the one who isn't comfortable with the situation, and I've done enough heavy lifting and interceded with enough combative patients that I don't really need to apologize. I'm not so much like Ruby's husband, with avoiding my "dating range," (perhaps because women in my dating range are, well, let's face it, old) but with very young women, sometimes it's easier just not to go there. I'm not saying I won't do whatever needs to be done, but I'm okay with cutting myself a little slack when it isn't too inconvenient. Of course, we aren't the ED, so the pace is a bit different. And, most often, if I ask another nurse to do a cath, it's because I've already tried and missed. I can't recall ever asking another male to try for me, but we are outnumbered, and our most experienced nurses are women. If I have to call in reinforcements, I'm usually going to go for the sure thing, since the patient has already tolerated one incompetent boob.

CoeKohawk11 · Jan 20, 2011

Depends..if you were turned away by the nursing staff of the OB, your preceptor, or your school clinical liason I'd be po'd as hell. They are doing you are great disservice and a terrible turn for nursing as well and I'd say as much, I'd shame them until next week.

At my school we do 1-1 preceptorships so we do one clinical rotation per semester i.e. I did a rotation specifically on ICU, Med/Surg, Oncology, etc. We have a partnership with 3 hospitals here and one has a no male nurse policy in the maternal/OB, and the other 2 frown upon male nurses. I got pediatrics so I was happy this semester, but still felt hurt that I was unable to at least get the chance in an OB unit. My preceptor does occasionally float to the OB/Maternal floor sooooooo hopefully I do get some of that experience. Thanks for the reply though.

GM2RN · Jan 21, 2011

Depends..if you were turned away by the nursing staff of the OB, your preceptor, or your school clinical liason I'd be po'd as hell. They are doing you are great disservice and a terrible turn for nursing as well and I'd say as much, I'd shame them until next week.
At my school we do 1-1 preceptorships so we do one clinical rotation per semester i.e. I did a rotation specifically on ICU, Med/Surg, Oncology, etc. We have a partnership with 3 hospitals here and one has a no male nurse policy in the maternal/OB, and the other 2 frown upon male nurses. I got pediatrics so I was happy this semester, but still felt hurt that I was unable to at least get the chance in an OB unit. My preceptor does occasionally float to the OB/Maternal floor sooooooo hopefully I do get some of that experience. Thanks for the reply though.

I'm surprised that in 2010/2011, or even 2006, that this kind of attitude still persists in OB. I don't think it should be allowed, but should be based on individual patient's preferences only.

GM2RN · Jan 21, 2011

Not the OP, but I do have a bit more experience under my belt, although I don't think it has greatly changed my perspective. I do, occassionally, do what you mention and ask a female nurse to help out without first asking the patient. I have come to accept that there are times when I am the one who isn't comfortable with the situation, and I've done enough heavy lifting and interceded with enough combative patients that I don't really need to apologize. I'm not so much like Ruby's husband, with avoiding my "dating range," (perhaps because women in my dating range are, well, let's face it, old) but with very young women, sometimes it's easier just not to go there. I'm not saying I won't do whatever needs to be done, but I'm okay with cutting myself a little slack when it isn't too inconvenient. Of course, we aren't the ED, so the pace is a bit different. And, most often, if I ask another nurse to do a cath, it's because I've already tried and missed. I can't recall ever asking another male to try for me, but we are outnumbered, and our most experienced nurses are women. If I have to call in reinforcements, I'm usually going to go for the sure thing, since the patient has already tolerated one incompetent boob.

Everyone needs help now and then, and I occassionally have to ask another nurse, male or female, to help boost a patient or attempt a difficult IV start if I've missed, etc. But I don't entirely get that you feel entitled, for lack of a better word, to ask someone else to do a foley or whatever just because you are uncomfortable and have done enough heavy lifting and interceding with combative patients.

I have to assume that you aren't lifting a heavy pt by yourself and the nurse asking for help with this is also giving you a hand, or someone is. I also have to assume that you aren't facing a combative patient alone either.

I have certainly lent a hand in these types of situations, and more often than not, it even takes more than 2 nurses to handle them. Have you never asked another nurse to help you with a heavy or combative patient? I can't imagine that you haven't, so it would seem that the road would have already gone both ways with this.

I repeat that everyone needs help with something once in awhile, especially if you have already tried and missed, but I don't think you should be asking for somone to do a procedure for you just because you feel uncomfortable with it and haven't even tried. I wouldn't be able to get away with that as a female.

lefteddie · Feb 12, 2011

I’d like to address all of these theories of weather one discrimination, say asking for a certain gender nurse is alright versus race, etc. Most people here are looking at this from the care givers perspective. I can make it very clear, the courts have ruled on this. Where they draw the line in your title V11 equal opportunity employment rights is when patient’s genitals are exposed to opposite gender viewing. The patient has a legal right, MAN or WOMAN, to not be viewed or manipulated by a person of the opposite gender if they so desire. I can post many court cases where a patients genitals were exposed by an opposite gender care giver against his or her will and won when they sued in court. I’m surprised most Don’s or administrative staff aren’t familiar with these laws and inform the nursing staff. I’d also like to mention that staffing in hospitals is 95% female versus 5% male nurses. If a male patient asks for a male nurse to cath him and he is told there is no male staff available to do this intimate procedure, that is not an accident, that is result of a system that is in a monopoly status “All Female”. The courts have ruled that both women and men have a RIGHT by law to same gender intimate care. Years ago when women wanted access to jobs monopolized by men the courts stepped in and asserted affirmative action to even out the gender mix. I think its time either hospital administration or the government steps in to even out the gender mix in nursing. Getting back on subject here, it behooves all of you in nursing to ask your patients if they have a preference for gender when it comes to any intimate care. I’m not saying you aren’t qualified, both male and female nurses are equally qualified to do the same tasks on either gender, but, it’s the patient that holds the final say in who he or she exposes themselves too. This is in no way just a female issue as in OB, how about the men in for a urology procedure, exposed to all female teams, or the man that comes in for a sonogram of his testicles, then finds out the only sonographer in the hospital is female. Men have modesty issues too, let’s respect both genders, it’s the law. I’d like to see hospitals and clinics more gender friendly for men, maybe by making a setting where men aren’t embarrassed and humiliated by opposite gender care in every step of the health care system they would go more often for the care they need. Medicine is female friendly; women don’t go for a mammogram and expect to see a male mammographer. I believe if the same option was available to men, male teams for intimate care, 35-40% of men currently not going for care would go. If anyone would like case law I can post several that clearly show, this is law, the patient by law has a right to bodily privacy when genitals are exposed to anyone of the opposite gender. So the clear answer is, ask the patient their preference, and, hospital administration needs to be able to provide this choice to the patients. Make staffing changes where necessary, provide one male sonographer for the male that wants a same gender technician for a testicular ultrasound, provide some male nurses for the men in urology like you do for women in L&D. Keep one male nurse for men desiring to be cathed by a male nurse, give men the same choices you now give to women. If not, you are discriminating.

lefteddie

nursemike, ASN, RN · Feb 12, 2011

Everyone needs help now and then, and I occassionally have to ask another nurse, male or female, to help boost a patient or attempt a difficult IV start if I've missed, etc. But I don't entirely get that you feel entitled, for lack of a better word, to ask someone else to do a foley or whatever just because you are uncomfortable and have done enough heavy lifting and interceding with combative patients.
I have to assume that you aren't lifting a heavy pt by yourself and the nurse asking for help with this is also giving you a hand, or someone is. I also have to assume that you aren't facing a combative patient alone either.
I have certainly lent a hand in these types of situations, and more often than not, it even takes more than 2 nurses to handle them. Have you never asked another nurse to help you with a heavy or combative patient? I can't imagine that you haven't, so it would seem that the road would have already gone both ways with this.
I repeat that everyone needs help with something once in awhile, especially if you have already tried and missed, but I don't think you should be asking for somone to do a procedure for you just because you feel uncomfortable with it and haven't even tried. I wouldn't be able to get away with that as a female.

I'm sorry I didn't notice this post sooner, and I regret if my post seemed to convey a sense of entitlement. I have said of my shift on my unit that there really isn't one supernurse among us, but I'd match our team against anybody. It isn't that I feel my coworkers owe me the sort of consideration I described, but that I know they will willingly give it, as I will reciprocate. In terms of urinary catheters, I've placed one and pulled another as a favor to a female peer--actually, as a favor to the patient. There have probably been 2-3 I've asked a female to get because pt XXX was a 22 (or whatever) female, and I can only think of one who specifically asked for a female. There have also been times when I was personally uncomfortable, but no one else was readily available and I did what needed to be done.

There was an occassion, not long ago, when an aide requested my assistance bathing one of my patients. When I arrived, the patient was sitting at the sink and the aide was stripping the bed. When she asked me to help bathe the patient while she did the bed, I suggested it would be more gender-appropriate if she helped the patient while I did the bed, and the patient, a nurse, teased me a little about being shy. (Since the aide was still very new, I didn't address the fact that the patient was essentially bathing herself and there was no real need for me to be there at all. Time enough to deal with that if she continued when she should be more confident.) So, when the bed was finished, the patient asked me to show the aide how to do Foley care, which I did, because it made sense. The aide got a demonstration how to do it and an explanation why to do it.

There have been male patients whose behavior made their female nurse uncomfortable doing personal care. I suppose an argument could be made that the nurse is a professional and needs to overcome that challenge. It's not an argument I would make. My attitude is that there is no need to go through that when I can do it. I do understand that the point of this thread is what's fair, but on my floor it's a lot more about all of us just getting through the night with the least necessary grief. If you worked with us and worked with that attitude, you'd get away with it.

GM2RN · Feb 12, 2011

I'm sorry I didn't notice this post sooner, and I regret if my post seemed to convey a sense of entitlement. I have said of my shift on my unit that there really isn't one supernurse among us, but I'd match our team against anybody. It isn't that I feel my coworkers owe me the sort of consideration I described, but that I know they will willingly give it, as I will reciprocate. In terms of urinary catheters, I've placed one and pulled another as a favor to a female peer--actually, as a favor to the patient. There have probably been 2-3 I've asked a female to get because pt XXX was a 22 (or whatever) female, and I can only think of one who specifically asked for a female. There have also been times when I was personally uncomfortable, but no one else was readily available and I did what needed to be done.
There was an occassion, not long ago, when an aide requested my assistance bathing one of my patients. When I arrived, the patient was sitting at the sink and the aide was stripping the bed. When she asked me to help bathe the patient while she did the bed, I suggested it would be more gender-appropriate if she helped the patient while I did the bed, and the patient, a nurse, teased me a little about being shy. (Since the aide was still very new, I didn't address the fact that the patient was essentially bathing herself and there was no real need for me to be there at all. Time enough to deal with that if she continued when she should be more confident.) So, when the bed was finished, the patient asked me to show the aide how to do Foley care, which I did, because it made sense. The aide got a demonstration how to do it and an explanation why to do it.
There have been male patients whose behavior made their female nurse uncomfortable doing personal care. I suppose an argument could be made that the nurse is a professional and needs to overcome that challenge. It's not an argument I would make. My attitude is that there is no need to go through that when I can do it. I do understand that the point of this thread is what's fair, but on my floor it's a lot more about all of us just getting through the night with the least necessary grief. If you worked with us and worked with that attitude, you'd get away with it.

Makes sense. Thanks for the clarification.

GM2RN · Feb 12, 2011

I'd like to address all of these theories of weather one discrimination, say asking for a certain gender nurse is alright versus race, etc. Most people here are looking at this from the care givers perspective. I can make it very clear, the courts have ruled on this. Where they draw the line in your title V11 equal opportunity employment rights is when patient's genitals are exposed to opposite gender viewing. The patient has a legal right, MAN or WOMAN, to not be viewed or manipulated by a person of the opposite gender if they so desire. I can post many court cases where a patients genitals were exposed by an opposite gender care giver against his or her will and won when they sued in court. I'm surprised most Don's or administrative staff aren't familiar with these laws and inform the nursing staff. I'd also like to mention that staffing in hospitals is 95% female versus 5% male nurses. If a male patient asks for a male nurse to cath him and he is told there is no male staff available to do this intimate procedure, that is not an accident, that is result of a system that is in a monopoly status "All Female". The courts have ruled that both women and men have a RIGHT by law to same gender intimate care. Years ago when women wanted access to jobs monopolized by men the courts stepped in and asserted affirmative action to even out the gender mix. I think its time either hospital administration or the government steps in to even out the gender mix in nursing. Getting back on subject here, it behooves all of you in nursing to ask your patients if they have a preference for gender when it comes to any intimate care. I'm not saying you aren't qualified, both male and female nurses are equally qualified to do the same tasks on either gender, but, it's the patient that holds the final say in who he or she exposes themselves too. This is in no way just a female issue as in OB, how about the men in for a urology procedure, exposed to all female teams, or the man that comes in for a sonogram of his testicles, then finds out the only sonographer in the hospital is female. Men have modesty issues too, let's respect both genders, it's the law. I'd like to see hospitals and clinics more gender friendly for men, maybe by making a setting where men aren't embarrassed and humiliated by opposite gender care in every step of the health care system they would go more often for the care they need. Medicine is female friendly; women don't go for a mammogram and expect to see a male mammographer. I believe if the same option was available to men, male teams for intimate care, 35-40% of men currently not going for care would go. If anyone would like case law I can post several that clearly show, this is law, the patient by law has a right to bodily privacy when genitals are exposed to anyone of the opposite gender. So the clear answer is, ask the patient their preference, and, hospital administration needs to be able to provide this choice to the patients. Make staffing changes where necessary, provide one male sonographer for the male that wants a same gender technician for a testicular ultrasound, provide some male nurses for the men in urology like you do for women in L&D. Keep one male nurse for men desiring to be cathed by a male nurse, give men the same choices you now give to women. If not, you are discriminating.
lefteddie

I have no knowledge of the court cases you refer to (references?), but lets say you are correct for the sake of this discussion. I also don't know the stats on male vs female in the workplace, but we all know it's dominated by females, so let's go with your numbers.

So a male patient needs a testicular US and the only sonographer employed by the hospital is female, but the male patient has the RIGHT to a male sonographer. Where do you propose the hospital gets one?

Now a male patient on a med/surg floor needs foley care or a help with a bath and there is no male nurse available. Same question.

Do those same laws apply for doctors? You stated that staffing is dominated by females, and I agree when it comes to nurses, but doctors are still predominately men. You admit a female patient to a male hospitalist and there is no female available, now what do we do?

I don't disagree that we should TRY to provide same gender care when the patient requests it, but it isn't reasonable, or even possible, to provide same gender care in all instances, and it's ridiculous to expect it to happen in all cases.

I also don't think we should ask every patient if they prefer a male or female doctor, nurse, sonographer, xray tech, ekg tech, etc. That will just open a can of worms that will make it impossible to get anything done for ANY patient if we have to hunt down the proper gender for every procedure.

Cul2 · Feb 12, 2011

"I also don't think we should ask every patient if they prefer a male or female

doctor, nurse, sonographer, xray tech, ekg tech, etc. That will just open a can

of worms that will make it impossible to get anything done for ANY patient if

we have to hunt down the proper gender for every procedure.'

Let's open the can of worms, take the worms out, analyze them, see what

they look like -- instead sticking the can on a self and making believe it doesn't

exist. If you are correct, then there is a need that should be met. Rather than

ignore the need, take steps to mitigate it. I've said in past posts, the the key

for most patients is how they're approached, regardless of gender. That's for

most patients. They'll always be a few who just want same gender care for

whatever reason, and that should be respected. once had a man tell me

that, although he wasn't overly modest, he once need a foley cath and a

female nurse was about to do the procedure. But...she asked him how he

felt about this and said she'd be glad to find a male nurse if he preferred.

Although it didn't matter to him, he said this made him feel more respected.

I think to a large degree that dignity and respect are connected to how

patients feel about their autonomy and control of the situation. The more

choices you can give them, the more respected they feel --- generally.

The modesty issue represents one of the important cultural aspects of

nursing. You shouldn't assume you know how patients feel about this,

esp. if you sense a patient's discomfort about modesty and you absolutely

can't accommodate. That's when it's important to open up that can of worms

and talk about that issue honestly. That shows respect, rather than just

going about your business making believe the issue doesn't exist.

So, getting back to the quote above -- asking preferences shows respect,

even if the patient has no particular preferences. If it's an issue, face it

and try to solve the problem rather than just ignoring it.

lefteddie · Feb 13, 2011

GM2RN & NURSE MIKE,

I would be glad to give a few examples of court cases documented with case numbers. This is not a rare thing at all, the reason you seldom hear about it is men usually don't challenge the status quo; they just go along with the program and be humiliated. Women speak up, that's why medicine is female friendly, the hospitals and clinics know females will sue in a heartbeat. Like I said, women don't face opposite gender intimate care at every step of the health care system. I'm not saying if they don't make their preferences known that they may not get same gender care, it is possible, but not likely.

Whereas with men, the deck is stacked against them. Men do have a choice of doctors, most, not all, but 95% of men choose a male urologist, that should tell you something. Also, very few females go into Urology to be an M.D. they know most men will want same gender care. Where things change is outside the doctor's office, once in a hospital it's a sea of women, men don't have any choice. Your answer to what to do if no male support staff are available is to HIRE THEM. The hospital environment is a monopoly; the only way to break up a monopoly is usually through outside help, as in affirmative action to get more men into those positions. With an all female administrative staff in hospitals protecting the all female staff this will never come to pass. Same as in years gone past for women being discriminated against in men's jobs, just saying we need more women to apply didn't solve the problem. Action had to be taken to make it happen. I will give some court cases to support my claim, they can be lengthy, so I'll just attach a few that show the courts decision on bodily privacy. Nursemike, it's admirable that you help out your female counterparts when you can, but, and it's a big but, you are doing this to help your peers, the focus in your own words isn't the patient. Focus on the patients concerns then your motives will be aligned in the right direction. You will be helping your peers and accommodating the patient's needs. GM2RM, you don't see the disparity when it comes to how women's modesty is treated in health care versus men's. Like I said, a woman can go to almost any doctor, get any test, and be assured that she won't have to endure opposite gender intimate care. If she does encounter it, all she has to do is say she is uncomfortable with it and in 99% of the cases she is accommodated. All I'm saying is, the deck is stacked for men, this is thought to be one major reason 35-40% of men won't go for regular check ups. You don't have to have a 50-50 mix of gender in health care to accommodate men's modesty, but it would be nice to hire One Sonographer for men's intimate tests, and keep one male nurse on each shift for the men that desire same gender care for Caths, One for Surgical prep for those that want it. Is that too much to ask? It might bring the total male support staff all the way up to 8 or 10%. Men die on average five years younger than women and the health care system turns their back on them. There is no office of men's health in Washington; I believe there is for women. Check your State licensing board and see how many male mammographers are licensed in your State, the answer should be near zero if not zero. I wonder why this is, if medicine is gender neutral as it appears, it's only for one gender, men. Urology is no different, no less sensitive for men than OB/GYN for women. Find an all male urology clinic where men can comfortably talk about their problems with men. All of the male urologist's I called were assisted by either female R.N.s or M.A.s, good luck finding one that has a male R.N. or M.A. for the patient's comfort. I called six hospitals in my area looking for a male ultrasound tech, every single one was staffed by females. This post is getting long. I will post court judgments in my next blog. Hospitals ask what they can do to make patients more comfortable, what kind of food they prefer, how about asking what they prefer when it comes to intimate care and not force it on them. No one wants to go into a system that humiliates and degrades them. Surveys have been done asking both men and women about this; it comes out almost the same for both genders. About 50% don't care one way or the other who cares for them, the other 50% do. It's a choice I think that needs to be addressed for those that do. You're the one's clothed in the encounter, the patient is the naked one laying there putting their trust in a stranger. Next post I will include some court judgments, if you need more let me know, I can provide another 50-100, although they take up a lot of blog space.

lefteddie · Feb 13, 2011

some case law & judgements that went against hospitals for violating patients privacy rights where opposite gender care was involved:

case law:

applying virtually the same standards, the court in jones v. hinds general hospital found a hospital's gender discriminating policy, which resulted in female nurse assistants being laid off before male orderlies with less seniority, was justified for privacy reasons. the evidence relied upon by the hinds court included objection and refusal by a significant number of male patients to procedures of an intimate nature being performed by female assistants, thus precluding all or substantially all females from performing intimate procedures on male patients. additionally, the court was convinced that no alternative practices with less discriminatory effect existed which would satisfy the legitimate needs of the hospital given the size and organization of the business.

", "do patients have a legal right to choose the sex of their nurse, especially when intimate procedures are involved?" the answer seems to be an unambiguous "yes." in backus v. baptist health center and eeoc v. mercy health center, the courts concluded that the desire of americans to cover their naked bodies, especially from people of the opposite sex, is "a matter of elementary self respect and personal dignity" and has its foundation in the "fundamental right to privacy." in shulman v. group productions, the court added that anyone who would usurp these rights "is the master of the other" who uses the "primary weapon of the tyrant. . . one who intentionally intrudes, physicially or otherwise, upon the solitude or seclusion of another or his private affairs or concerns [including the provision of intimate care over his objections is subject to liablity to the other for invasion of his privacy."

a quote from a yale law blog:

now, regardless of this, male patients have as much right to modesty as females and bfoq anti-discrimination law that extends from 1964 allows facilities to staff according to modesty requests. unfortunately, right now, across this land, these requests are being, ignored, suppressed, undocumented, and male patients mocked for their modesty concerns. in your search for employment remember that when you hear female staff supervisors tell you they have no requests for male techs for intimate pelvic care it's a big lie designed to protect their gender-status, jobs, and all-female working environment.

westlaw

15 yjlf 225 for educational use only page 16

15 yale j.l. & feminism 225

(cite as: 15 yale j.l. & feminism 225)

*269 before examining title vii in the prison setting, it is useful to examine its deployment in another setting where employment rights conflict with privacy rights or "customer preference." for example, several title vii challenges have been raised where a qualified male nurse is prevented from intimate contact with female patients. [fn291] in each case, the male nurse's employment rights gave way to the female patient's privacy rights. [fn292] in non-prison settings, the solution appears straightforward: privacy trumps employment rights; this applies for both men and women. [fn293]

legal eagle eye newsletter for the nursing profession october, 1996 page 5

the superior court of new jersey,

appellate division, recently upheld

a male home health aide’s

gender discrimination lawsuit against his

former employer’s policy of allowing both

male and female aides to care for male clients,

while only female aides were assigned

to care for female clients. the court ruled

that an employer’s policy of completely

excluding males from caring for females is

unlawful gender discrimination.

a healthcare employer is permitted to a

limited extent to honor specific requests

from patients of either sex for same-sex

caregivers. these requests may be honored

if, and only if, the care to be given is

of a sensitive personal nature. the court

gave examples where a patient’s request for

a same-sex caregiver can be honored: assis

ting the patient to the commode, cleansing

the patient’s perineal area and caring

for a urinary catheter.

although not stated in so many

words, the court probably would not approve

honoring a patient’s request for a

same-sex caregiver to pass medications,

change a dressing, hang an iv, assist with

ambulation, or other patient care which

does not involve intimate personal privacy.

the court was particularly offended by

the home health agency’s policy that male

clients were assigned male or female caregivers,

with the clients having no apparent

choice, while female caregivers only were

automatically assumed to be appropriate

for female clients. spragg vs. shore care,

679 a. 2d 685 (n.j. app., 1996).

see gender-based shift assignments

upheld by court over charge of discrimination.,

legal eagle eye newsletter

for the nursing profession, (4)9, jun. ‘96, p.

1 (a male and a female needed with adolescent

psych patients.); male nurse cares

for female patient against her wishes:

hospital liable., legal eagle eye newsletter

for the nursing profession (4)1, oct. ‘95,

p.1 (patient handled by male in surgery despite

GM2RN · Feb 13, 2011

GM2RN & NURSE MIKE,
I would be glad to give a few examples of court cases documented with case numbers. This is not a rare thing at all, the reason you seldom hear about it is men usually don't challenge the status quo; they just go along with the program and be humiliated. Women speak up, that's why medicine is female friendly, the hospitals and clinics know females will sue in a heartbeat. Like I said, women don't face opposite gender intimate care at every step of the health care system. I'm not saying if they don't make their preferences known that they may not get same gender care, it is possible, but not likely.
Whereas with men, the deck is stacked against them. Men do have a choice of doctors, most, not all, but 95% of men choose a male urologist, that should tell you something. Also, very few females go into Urology to be an M.D. they know most men will want same gender care. Where things change is outside the doctor's office, once in a hospital it's a sea of women, men don't have any choice. Your answer to what to do if no male support staff are available is to HIRE THEM. The hospital environment is a monopoly; the only way to break up a monopoly is usually through outside help, as in affirmative action to get more men into those positions. With an all female administrative staff in hospitals protecting the all female staff this will never come to pass. Same as in years gone past for women being discriminated against in men's jobs, just saying we need more women to apply didn't solve the problem. Action had to be taken to make it happen. I will give some court cases to support my claim, they can be lengthy, so I'll just attach a few that show the courts decision on bodily privacy. Nursemike, it's admirable that you help out your female counterparts when you can, but, and it's a big but, you are doing this to help your peers, the focus in your own words isn't the patient. Focus on the patients concerns then your motives will be aligned in the right direction. You will be helping your peers and accommodating the patient's needs. GM2RM, you don't see the disparity when it comes to how women's modesty is treated in health care versus men's. Like I said, a woman can go to almost any doctor, get any test, and be assured that she won't have to endure opposite gender intimate care. If she does encounter it, all she has to do is say she is uncomfortable with it and in 99% of the cases she is accommodated. All I'm saying is, the deck is stacked for men, this is thought to be one major reason 35-40% of men won't go for regular check ups. You don't have to have a 50-50 mix of gender in health care to accommodate men's modesty, but it would be nice to hire One Sonographer for men's intimate tests, and keep one male nurse on each shift for the men that desire same gender care for Caths, One for Surgical prep for those that want it. Is that too much to ask? It might bring the total male support staff all the way up to 8 or 10%. Men die on average five years younger than women and the health care system turns their back on them. There is no office of men's health in Washington; I believe there is for women. Check your State licensing board and see how many male mammographers are licensed in your State, the answer should be near zero if not zero. I wonder why this is, if medicine is gender neutral as it appears, it's only for one gender, men. Urology is no different, no less sensitive for men than OB/GYN for women. Find an all male urology clinic where men can comfortably talk about their problems with men. All of the male urologist's I called were assisted by either female R.N.s or M.A.s, good luck finding one that has a male R.N. or M.A. for the patient's comfort. I called six hospitals in my area looking for a male ultrasound tech, every single one was staffed by females. This post is getting long. I will post court judgments in my next blog. Hospitals ask what they can do to make patients more comfortable, what kind of food they prefer, how about asking what they prefer when it comes to intimate care and not force it on them. No one wants to go into a system that humiliates and degrades them. Surveys have been done asking both men and women about this; it comes out almost the same for both genders. About 50% don't care one way or the other who cares for them, the other 50% do. It's a choice I think that needs to be addressed for those that do. You're the one's clothed in the encounter, the patient is the naked one laying there putting their trust in a stranger. Next post I will include some court judgments, if you need more let me know, I can provide another 50-100, although they take up a lot of blog space.

It seems that your answer to my questions was to tell management to "hire them." That doesn't take care of the problem in the moment, and maybe never if they don't get hired. And that's assuming that there are qualified males to do the jobs you want them to be hired for, which is not going to happen 100% of the time.

As for management being all women, both hospitals I currently work for are predominently men past the manager level, so that isn't flying with me.

I can't address any of the rest of your post since I gave up trying to read it without paragraphs.