New nurse here. Earned my BSN in January and have been working full time at a medical group office since April. It may be a silly question, however I'm compelled to ask it.
I'm also a trained EKG tech, although the group is on the verge of hiring a dedicated EKG Tech/Phlebotomist. Since four of our six exam rooms are equipped for EKG's, the patient will often remain in the exam room, if the doctor has directed an EKG, until the "tech" (me) arrives. I've noticed that many male patients (not all, but many) eschew the disposable powder blue paper exam gowns, and choose to remain in their underwear for full exams. As such, I will often enter the room to perform the EKG and find the male patient in his underwear. I always explain that they may put their trousers on since its only an EKG, and offer to wait outside until they're done, in the interest of patient modesty. Surprisingly, they often cite a desire to "get it over with" and since they're already in prone position, they choose to remain in their underwear.
One 33 year old male patient, two weeks ago, carried on a 10 minute conversation with me about his sister's desire to pursue a nursing career and the benefits of a bachelors over a two-year degree, while wearing only Hanes briefs and socks. He talked casually as if we were neighbors who just met in the frozen food isle at the local Piggly Wiggly. I just find the casual behavior of men in underpants, surrounded by a primarily female staff, to be a bit surprising.
I've been around naked male patients and their "embarrassment" or "awkwardness" is palpable -- and that's an understandable human reaction. However, underpants seem to be another issue, all together. I find myself surprisingly slightly embarrassed by the "casualness" of their behavior, but i'll get used to it.
Again, at the end of the day, it's all a non-issue, but i must pose the question: Are my perceptions accurate or do male patients simply not care about modesty unless it involves nudity?
On a slight tangent, maybe it’s just me, but I find the mentioning of briefs and the local Piggly Wiggly in the same paragraph hilarious Somehow Albertsons or Shoprite would have been better
Male RN here. Didn't realize underwear would cause discomfort. Will remember to wear pants under my gown the next time I'm a patient!
Oh, and funny story about gowns. I was in a bicycle accident on my way to work and I didn't have any clothes on me besides the bicycle clothes I was wearing, which was essentially lycra race wear like you see in the Tour de France. You're essentially bare skin under the lycra (in order to pass sweat). The paramedics who picked me up cut these clothes off me because they were pretty much shredded and blood-soaked, leaving me with nothing but a gown and a sheet in the ER for the rest of the day. Every time I got out of the stretcher to have a pee or go for imaging the staff would do a double take because I was bare ass with nothing but gown and socks on.
Since men don't have bosom so to speak they grow up from little boys running around in their "shorts" so to speak and think nothing of it. There simply isn't the social, moral or often religious compunction to "cover themselves up" that modesty lands females with doing.
Think also men just are more used to being "undressed" and it starts with gym classes/locker rooms, group physical exams and other such situations where men/boys strip down as a collective group.
Showed your post to an old ex-military RN who gave a chuckle and said if one EKG patient bothered you try being the only nurse (female) in a hall full of men striped down to their BVD's giving immunizations. *LOL*
Since men don't have bosom so to speak they grow up from little boys running around in their "shorts" so to speak and think nothing of it. There simply isn't the social, moral or often religious compunction to "cover themselves up" that modesty lands females with doing.
Think also men just are more used to being "undressed" and it starts with gym classes/locker rooms, group physical exams and other such situations where men/boys strip down as a collective group.
Showed your post to an old ex-military RN who gave a chuckle and said if one EKG patient bothered you try being the only nurse (female) in a hall full of men striped down to their BVD's giving immunizations. *LOL*
That's funny. Speaking of the military: during my last year of school, our instructor told us some amusing nursing stories during a lull in one of our classes. She said that her aunt was a navy nurse in the late 1950's. She told her that the commanding officer at a Marine base in California would always assign the youngest, sexiest nurses to the induction process at his base. No scrubs back then. Just starched white, form fitting dresses. She said she always believed it was to break the spirit of the inductees, rid them of any possible bad attitudes and get them used to military life. A buzz cut and two hours of navigating from table to table in your jockey shorts with 23-year old nurses at every turn would certainly have broken a few spirits.
Underwear covers all of what most men feel modesty toward. I have patients who wear nothing but their whole hospitalization unless they're walking the halls.
I don't see a problem. I can't tell you how many times a patient has called me into the bathroom while they were having a bm and asking about something with their care. Although, not my favorite thing to do I will talk to em I guess after so many years (14) your jus use to it and don't even pay it any attention. I have played with so many "bat and balls" and "taco shells" that I don't even think twice.
One: as others mentioned, guys are generally more comfortable in less clothing than women. Underwear cover up the only parts of you that you may be uncomfortable with.
Two: we're healthcare workers, and most patients are more comfortable with us because they assume we've "seen it all", which if you've been nursing for even a couple of years you probably have. I know when I'm at work there's practically nothing that makes me uncomfortable anymore.
I've had a handful of patients (both men and women) refuse to wear anything at all.
From a female aspect, many do not make it a habit to run around in bra and panties--and most will put on the gown as opposed to hanging around in their cute underwear sets whilst waiting for an EKG. Mostly because every line, wrinkle, etc is visable to anyone who walks in, and/or it has been taught that this is somehow sexualized behavior on a female's part, and.or highly inappropriate--and that many females in general are taught modesty to some degree.
Generally speaking, most men and not taught the concept of modesty in the same way as women are. Most are perfectly comfortable in their underwear. Even more that will not "put on a dress". Either put the gown on the patient's lap in case they need to get up to use the restroom, or cover their laps with a sheet.
Look at it this way--either they are naked and covered with a paper gown--that you then have to take the top part down--or they are in their underwear--not a huge difference in material there.....
I always explain that they may put their trousers on since its only an EKG, and offer to wait outside until they're done, in the interest of patient modesty. Surprisingly, they often cite a desire to "get it over with" and since they're already in prone position, they choose to remain in their underwear.
Since they are getting an EKG, I assume you meant "supine" position, not prone -- which means face down. Sorry, just something that was bothering me lol
Somehow Albertsons or Shoprite would have been better 
nycnurse92
14 Posts
Whoa. Vistors? OK, as my Physiology & Anatomy professor would often say: "That's woefully unacceptable." LOL