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Should Male Nurses Do All That Female Nurses Do?

I refuse to do female catheterization, while female nurses do both men and women. Do you think this is right?
Before you judge me, here's my reasoning:

1. I need a female chaperon, so what point is there in me doing the deed?

2. It's hard to think of an occasion when a female catheter needs to be inserted urgently. Every time it's been needed there have been plenty of female staff around.

3. It's definitely more difficult for women to have a man doing such a job as opposed to a women doing the job on a man. I've spent plenty of time in the urology surgical ward as well as the walk in STD clinics, and trust me when I say it is generally less stressful for the men than for the women.

4. The argument that nurses are professionals and as such we can do it all, is just insensitive--to the patient as well as the nurse.

Bryn

nursingaround.blogspot.com


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52 Responses to “Should Male Nurses Do All That Female Nurses Do?”

  1. New Nurse Says:

    Bryn-

    I have to say, in the ER there are times that a catheter is needed and you may be the only nurse up in the ER or the only one there at the time. Also, it is important for you to do this to remember the anatomy and keep the ability of doing it. There are plenty of male doctors that do paps, gyno exams, etc there is no reason for you not to perform this one thing as well.

    Are you not doing it because it makes YOU uncomfortable? It may be okay to not do it on the floor you are on now, but will it look bad on your evaluation?

  2. Alex Says:

    Hi Bryn.

    As another guy in this field (albeit a student), I find a lot of things wrong with not doing female catheterizations. I just finished my rehab rotation, and I did plenty of independent (not chaperoned) female intermittent catheterizations. I had no problems with patients, and most were pleased to have a…change in pace. I see no reason why you should be chaperoned in the first place, and were I in your shoes would fight it. Well, except you don’t want to.

    Which leads me to another problem. There is already a big gender bias in nursing that we are working against. I am entirely tired of being the go-to guy for transfers, lifts, or what have you. Activities that do not require a bigger frame, more muscle, or…a male. But, it’s this stereotype that assumes that I fit the role naturally. Which is ironic, because one of my strengths is building a patient-nurse relationship and gaining patients’ trust (based on instructor feedback). Yet, I’ve never had a preceptor ask me to talk with a patient about experienced grief.

    In my OB rotation, I also spent quite a bit of time on the postpartum unit. I was able to help a lot of new mothers with breastfeeding, fundal assessment teaching, and perineal care in recovery. No patients had a problem with me coaching them on bonding and attachment, breastfeeding, or PP care. I would say that my attitude had a lot to do with it. Never was I awkward while going out the various tasks.

    Just a few of my thoughts, because I don’t have an “unformed opinion” on this topic.

    In short: yes, male nurses should do all that female nurses do. Unless the patient specifies.

  3. nursingaround Says:

    It’s rarely been an issue for me not to do it. It’s only been the very occasional staff nurse that has a problem with it. I have done it when needed in the emergency room, I spent six years in the ER, but over-all, there really isn’t a need.
    Mostly it’s female patients that ask for a female, or female patients that don’t say anything, but you can see the look of shock on their face when they hear you will be inserting a catheter.
    On a practical side, I need a female chaperon anyway, so why not just do the common sense thing and have her do it anyway, which saves two people needing to be there.

  4. nursingaround Says:

    I think it is great when male nurses can take on traditional female roles, eg obstetrics, needless to say it isn’t for me. My first job was in a gynaecology ward, over twelve years ago. I had a charge nurse that literally hated me, and my preceptor even told me so. But I did notice that I was more sympathetic than many of the female nurses in the ward. I was naturally more careful about privacy issues etc. But be that aside, in respose to Alex, I am a little concerned.
    I have spent four years working as an agency nurse in London, among other places, and you could really be putting yourself in jeopardy without a chaperon. You really can’t trust anyone in that situation.
    I am interested to know what the law in the states says about this in regards to nurses, especially since male doctors need a chaperon. Is there anyone who can enlighten me.
    Perhaps I’m a little old fashioned, but it certainly has never detracted from my ability to care well for someone.

  5. TheCannulator Says:

    Bryn i appreciate your points but here’s my insight. Especially as abloke and as someone who is pretty hot a catheterising….so to speak.

    1. I need a female chaperon, so what point is there in me doing the deed?

    What’s with the chaperon-have you done something wrong? you take each case on it merits. Cahterising a young conscious female may be uncomfortable for all and a better choice is a female full stop. Use your nouse.

    2. It’s hard to think of an occasion when a female catheter needs to be inserted urgently. Every time it’s been needed there have been plenty of female staff around.

    Urinary retention is real. Autonomic dyrefelxia is REAL and life threatening. it’s not howwever about urgency but about the fact that you are a nurse.

    3. It’s definitely more difficult for women to have a man doing such a job as opposed to a women doing the job on a man. I’ve spent plenty of time in the urology surgical ward as well as the walk in STD clinics, and trust me when I say it is generally less stressful for the men than for the women.

    Yeah sure male lying there with his bits fondels by a female…….

    4. The argument that nurses are professionals and as such we can do it all, is just insensitive–to the patient as well as the nurse.

    No it’s true. The insensitive part is the aparent fear you have of the female urinary tract. As a professional you judge each case on it’s merits and adapt your decisions and care as required.

  6. Lisa Says:

    That’s alittle irritating the way you are making yourself sound, to be honest. Why is it more okay for women to have to catheterize men than for men to catheterize women? Every individual person is different, and attempting to group such events isn’t that professional at all. I have done my share of catheterizing pts., both male and female and find that some women are embarrassed as well as some men. I am engaged to a male RN, he has also catheterized women, and so far there has been no problems. It is depending on the individual. What if you get a female pt. that has say…skin tears all throughout her groin, yeast infection…etc. Unable to take care of herself, fully conscious and alert. Are you telling me that you’re going to go find another nurse to apply her medications? All nurses should share equal responsibilities. It should not be based on gender.

  7. nursingaround Says:

    Well, if that’s how everyone feels, then you really should make sure you don’t go work at St Thomas’ hospital in central London in the STD clinic. I could only test/swab the men while women could do both, I’m sure you’d probably feel this is sexist, when it really isn’t.
    I can’t believe how much of a big deal everyone is making out of this issue. Is there nothing you will refuse to do? I’m also surprised that it seems that men in the states don’t need a chaperon. I’m also worried about the potential trouble that men put themselves in without one.

  8. JT Says:

    Why shouldn’t male nurses do all that female nurses do, unless a patient refuses to allow a male nurse perform a procedure. If female collegues are not comfortable with this they probably need to examine their owm biases and thoughts. Could it be that you just don’t like to do catheterizations. I have to admit, it isn’t the most interesting procedure but obviously necessary so to monitor a patient’s health status. I am not trying to be rude but, maybe you are thinking about it too much. Focus on your patient. ASK!

  9. Adrienne Zurub Says:

    I think that is a ridiculous question! Of course, you as a male should do everything a female nurse does. Unless, a patient requests a female for their comfort, not yours.

    It is the same as a female patient requesting a female doctor over a male doctor. Yet, the doctor does not refuse to see any other female patients!

    Dude! Get to work and quit making mountains out of molehills.

    Adrienne Zurub,RN,CNOR
    ‘cardiac bitch’
    AUTHOR!
    ‘Notes From the Mothership The Naked Invisibles’
    http://adriennezurub.typepad.com

  10. nursingaround Says:

    I can’t believe it that people say that it is sexist not to want to do the damn job. As for not being professional, what does that really mean? I’m not a professional, I’m a caring carer. I have my faults, my biases. I sometimes let my feeling guide my actions, but if I ever felt my views could harm a patient, I would get someone else to do it.
    We are not sexless professionals.
    Has anyone thought that perhaps my hospital is much more professional because women do women and men do men. It’s not sexist. It’s not a rule set in concrete, but the patients are happy, and besides, I can guarantee that if you ask 100 women if they would prefer a man or woman, they would answer a woman.
    Is this such a terrible problem. There are a lot worse things I could be.

  11. Lindsey Says:

    If it’s in your job description as a nurse, you should do it unless the patient specifies otherwise. End of story.

  12. Paula Says:

    I am afraid that if you feel this way then you might have chosen the wrong field to go into. Nursing is taking care of the whole person even if it means inserting a cath. You said that you simply refuse to do them. That is just not acceptable….if it is the patient who is not comfortable I can understand but you make it sound like it is you who is not comfortable and I just don’t understand why you chose to be a nurse

  13. nursingaround Says:

    What on earth is such a big deal? Female nurses at work come to me and I catheterize their male patients, and they do my female patients. I do them a favor, and they do me a favor. Everyone is happy, including the patients.
    Perhaps refusing is the wrong word as I have done it and will when needed, but in twelve years of nursing, it hasn’t been an issue.
    I strongly disagree that nurses must “Do it all”. Your response would indicate that we are emotionless machines. Has anyone out there ever refused to do something, not because of a patients request, but because of their own beliefs/values. There is almost always an alternative solution.

  14. Mr Ian Says:

    It seems to me that Bryn is getting a flogging, as they say in these parts, for being reflective and conscientious in his practice. Good on ya.

    I once posted a question on ‘how do you clean under the foreskin?’ and asked for nursing input. The responses were much the same; “just get in there and do it”; “what’s you’re problem?” “just grab on, pull back and scrub”. Not one of the responses actually mentioned asking the patient permission and certainly none of them recognised any of the potential physical or pschological problems that might complicate matters.

    My point would be, I am sick of nurses who hold themselves in such high esteem that they feel they are beyond reproach and can ajudge FOR the patient and for the profession based on “the task in hand”. I applaud Bryn’s tactful approach to his patients which shows consideration and understanding that the issue is NOT just about sticking a catheter in a urinary tract but actually has a person attached to it.

    He is not debating whether male nurses can or should insert female catheters; he is discussing whether nurses have an automatic right to invade the privacy of patients of opposite sex.

    What I seem to see is, once again, nurses (most of whom appear to be describing themselves as of ‘unquestionable’ merit) are acting just like their medical counterparts who for years we’ve advocated should be more personable with the patients. Unfortunately, some nurses appear to hold themselves above the need for reflection, ethical consideration, individuality and generally being conscientious of the boundaries they may be crossing in the performance of their “duties”.

    Patients in the ‘sick role’ accept care from professionals without question – not because they have no objections – but because they rely on us to provide that which they cannot. I would be interested to know of all those (esp males) who engage in intimiate procedures such as catheters, or even bathing or toileting, a patient of the opposite sex, do you actually seek their expressed permission as a member of the opposite sex to interfere or do you assume it is implied because ‘you’re so good’ and they don’t object?

  15. Jerry R Lucas RN Says:

    OMG Mr. Ian you speak as some one that has a thought. I can not tell you just how happy I was to read what you had posted. I think your words are right tract. We as nurses sometimes forget about the thoughts of our patients. When we ask a question or try to stated a point of view for “professional” response you get blasted.

    As with anythig we need to learn that when some one has a point of view we should “Share” that thought and give advice. In nursing we jump on the hours and try to do people in.

    Jerry R Lucas RN
    Male Nurse Magazine
    Just my point of view

  16. cook172 Says:

    I think the men should definitely do everything the women do in nursing…that is why you went into nursing! I can understand in situations where you might have an elder or very religious lady where you wouldn’t be able to perform certain activities, but if the patient doesn’t care you should be the one doing the job as their nurse. Also, with the OB setting, most of the women in there don’t care (not saying all!). By this point they’ve already been looked at by doctors, nurses, ext. However, the problem men get in this area of nursing is the husbands! I find for some reason, the fathers of the babies don’t want male nurses anywhere around their wife or baby’s mother! Be careful in those situations!

  17. nursingaround Says:

    My Final Thoughts in regards to the male/female nursing issue.
    I want to tell one more story, which I hope you read. It may really give you some food for thought.

    As a student nurse, the school had problems finding a kindergarten placement for me. The kindergartens around the city didn’t exactly have a problem with a male nurse, but the parents whose children went to the kindy did. When I finally found a placement, I was warned by the women who worked there that if certain parents come to see/collect their kids, that I should try not to be seen. Some of the parents only sent their children to that kindy because there were no male staff. What is my point?
    The point is, we live in such a society where gender does matter. We live in a society where 99% of sexual assault victims are female. In an ideal world, a nurses gender shouldn’t matter, but this is far from the case.
    Now, when I began my first job, I received a letter in the mail saying I was accepted and was to spend 6months in ward 16. I had no interview, and I do wonder if the hospital management thought my name a female name. I was sent to the gynaecology ward. It was a job, I couldn’t turn it down, plus after six months I would be transfered to another ward.
    Now, every single patient in that ward was shocked when they realized they had a male nurse. Sometimes this was voiced to me, and other times the patient didn’t say anything, but you could tell from their body language, the look in their eyes, their tone of voice, their general discomfort, that they didn’t want a male nurse. Even when they said it was alright, most times they were still uncomfortable.
    Now, as a new graduate with this extra hurdle, I had a problem. How did I get around this problem? I began by being far more sensitive to my patients privacy than the rest of the nurses in the ward. For example, when checking a surgical wound for a abdominal hysterectomy patient, I would put a towel over their genital area, and make sure I only saw the wound. When assessing PV bleeding, I had a brown paper bag at the bedside they could discreetly put the pads in and I could check them after. Of course I would ask them how much bleeding they had, but we all know how subjective this can be.
    Patients did come to appreciate me and my efforts. I never once saw any of the other female nurses do the little extra things I did to make a patient comfortable. In fact, learning to do these things, was one of the best thing that came out of my time in the Gynae ward.
    So, when nurses say we are nurses first, and men/women next, I find insensitive. I wonder if the nurses who say this have given thought to the way society is. I know as nurses we try to be above this, but it must be taken into consideration.
    Now, as to my not catheterizing women. One nurse said “Why do you need a chaperone? Do you think you might do something bad?” The nurse who said this wasn’t thinking about the world we live in. A chaperone is needed, even the male gynaecologists need one, at least in New Zealand.
    This then brings up a practical issue. Why have two people to do a job that only one, needs to do. Why have a women standing watching me do a very invasive, intimate procedure on a woman, when I could be doing something useful to help her, while she does the catheterization.
    Another scenario for those mothers out there with 16 year old daughters. In many countries 16 is the legal age of consent, and you are considered an adult. Imagine if your 16yr old daughter was approached by a male nurse. You, the mother is not there at the time. It is explained to her that she needs a catheter. She is nervous, but gives her consent. Is she nervous about the procedure, well probably, but I bet she’s a damn sight more nervous about having a guy go down “there”. She’s probably so nervous that she doesn’t realise she can say no, even if you say that you can get a female nurse. How would you, as the mother, feel about this?
    Needless to say I would absolutely refuse to do this on a young, teenage girl, no matter what, even with a chaperone. It would not be right for the patient and it would not be right for me.
    I find it so strange to be called sexist because I care what my female patients think. I find it strange to be called sexist because I incorporate my values and beliefs in my care. Isn’t that what makes us good nurses, using our values/beliefs to help provide great care.
    For those who say that I shouldn’t be a nurse because I “Don’t do it all,” I say to them, Is there anything you won’t do because of your beliefs/values? And is all the good, the people that I have helped, the happiness and sadness that I have shared with patients in the last twelve years, is that now meaningless?
    I’m sorry to hear that I shouldn’t be a nurse because I don’t “Do it all.” I guess I’m just a failed nurse.

    A caring nurse
    Bryn

  18. Paula Says:

    Oh for goodness sake I think you are just thinking too much…..do what you are comfortable with and don’t do what you don’t want to do. But try to work it out with your co-workers so they don’t feel like you are just “dumping” on them. I have been in that situation and I didn’t like it

  19. steubified Says:

    I see a lot of this attitude in nursing school and in clinical by the nursing staff: task-oriented, insensitive, no second thoughts of a task or word, or being able to see problems or situations from other points of view. I’m glad, Bryn, that you have the sensitivity to realize there is more to the “task” than doing it, how you feel about it, and how the patient looks like they’re reacting to it.

  20. jcrew44 Says:

    Even should be equal there should be no reason why male nurses should not do just as much as females. If a patient is uncomfortable having a male or female nurse all they have to do is request someone else. There should be no gender bias in any other way. If women want to be respected in the same way as men then men should be able to do the same thing women can do.

  21. Mr Ian Says:

    I think we would all generally agree with the notion that if a patient requests something we should attempt as best we can to facilitate it and that male and female nurses can have equal job responsibilities.
    However, I would further the point, and possibly reiterate what I believe Bryn has been trying to get across, perhaps waiting for that expression is not enough; perhaps as nurses we should be pro-actively thinking about it and not just waiting for that positive expression from the patient.
    To suggest “all they have to do is request” is, unfortunately a demonstration that nurses today still consider that patients can and will speak up for themselves when really they’re just mostly grateful they’re getting attention to their needs. Most patients I meet in general health would never dream of making such an imposition on the staff, even if it was their preference.
    I always believe, a good nurse is one who can instinctively tend to the patients wants and needs before the patient even knows or identifies what they are.
    For those who might not want a certain procedure or may feel more comfortable with gender specific, or even opposite gender, staff – do we always apply that pro-active thinking ahead of our clinical task needs?

  22. Charis Says:

    I believe male nurses should be able to do everything that female nurses do. The only exception (and I am one of these females) is if a patient specifies. As a patient I am incredibly
    uncomfortable with a male nurse doing particular procedures. In my views the patient should decide. If she doesn’t want a male nurse performing certain procedures – pass it off to a female nurse. If she could care less – you might as well do it. chaperoning? I’ve been a chaperon for male nurse and as it turns out it is all for his protection in the case (which did end up happening) that the female patient decides to make allegations against him. I was a witness to a correct and professional insertion of a catheter and no action was taken against the male nurse (as he didn’t do anything wrong).

  23. Ganenthiran Says:

    Being sensitive is a very very good thing, but then lets see, if Catheterization is sensitive, then how about administering suppository, performing peri care, or heck even giving a bath. All of these things can be considered sensitive. Then we will have to go with, female nurses must look after female nurses and so forth, wich will turn into a whole sexist issue. I don’t know y u people blow things out of proportion. Look at it from the basics, which is your primary role. Preventing the pt.’s discomfort or preventing her from physical harm from the urinary retention?

  24. Mr Ian Says:

    Proportion is in the mind of the recipient.
    Imposing care on someone who might not want a male (or female) tending them is unethical.
    The point in question is, do nurses hear the patient’s expressed or consider the patient’s suppressed wishes when an opposite sex nurse tends to them? From your post I see that your patients do not have that option as you ajudge what is more important and act on your unilateral opinion driven by ‘task’, not ‘care’.

  25. Bulldog jack Says:

    Your thinking bothers me. As a nurse you should have the utmost respect for the human body. If the sex of the patient bothers you, you need help.

    That being said, you should also be extremely sensitive to what the patient needs. Example; A victim of rape and/or molestation (now or in the past) might be traumatized by a male (or female) touching her (or him) ANYWHERE Between the shoulders and knees.
    Always think of the patient first.

  26. Kbomb Says:

    I think it’s good to keep up in practice with doing female catheterizations, however given the way the world is today, you just need to be extra careful. As a female, I’ve always had a chaperon during pelvic exams. This is really important because just recently around where I live a girl took her gynecologist to court over touching her “inappropriately” during a pap smear.
    As far as what the patient wants, thats very important. Personally, because of my past I’ll get PTSD flare ups after a male examines me, so I request to have a woman.

  27. Mr Ian Says:

    ok.. I’m still not getting this. People are arguing for and against themselves in the same posting.

    Bulldog: I’m not sure if you are referring to my post or someone else’s when you say “If the sex of the patient bothers you, you need help.” but to answer it anyway;
    – “As a nurse you should have the utmost respect for the human body.” – which is just the point. It is not a “body”; it is a person, we are not working in a lab or a morgue. These are (usually) live human beings.
    – If the sex of the patient bothers you, you need help. – That’s saying, if I care about something negatively effecting my patients well being, I am not nursing?
    Patients are people who have thoughts, feelings and beliefs – just as they have physiology and anatomy. You seem to detach the person from the body. Your thinking bothers me.
    Do you have any idea on the statistics for the number of people who are sexually abused in your country? Do you know the prevalence rates for those people requiring further medical care because of related and unrelated health complications? Can you be assured that the next female (assuming you’re male) patient you expose in the name of ‘health care’ hasn’t had the same treatment done to her by some predator in the name of paedophilia or rape?
    I might expect such comments from a butcher, not from a nurse; “it’s just a bit of meat”.

    “That being said, you should also be extremely sensitive to what the patient needs”. How in the heck do you begin to know what is the patients needs when you determine that nurses don’t even have to be gender sensitive?

    As for the fears also expressed of being sued as a primary reason for heterogenous contact or chaperoning; why is it we can ‘protect’ ourselves by avoiding unchaperoned contact with opposite sex, yet if we think it’s not going to be a problem, that is all we need to consider and we can just go right on in there and fiddle with their most intimate daily activities?

    Kbomb makes interesting point.. “so I request to have a woman”. Why aren’t you asked if male was acceptable or woman was preferred? Or was that the case?

    Honestly, I am appalled at the nature of nurses who believe care can and should be just imposed because we have a job to do.

    I thought that job was caring for the person, not simply completing a clinical task.

  28. Ganenthiran Says:

    Considering the fact that there are more and more men entering the Nursing field. Lets assume, we have a Surgical ward with 50 patients. The staff compose of 6 male nurses. Now if one of the female pt that had intrathecal morphine for her OR, has not voided and her bladder has 600cc. The pt. states that she is uncomfortable with a male nurse performing the catheterization. What will u do?

  29. Ganenthiran Says:

    “Imposing care on someone who might not want a male (or female) tending them is unethical.
    The point in question is, do nurses hear the patient’s expressed or consider the patient’s suppressed wishes when an opposite sex nurse tends to them? From your post I see that your patients do not have that option as you ajudge what is more important and act on your unilateral opinion driven by ‘task’, not ‘care’.”

    No one is imposing care on someone who doesn’t want it. At the end its the pt’s choice.
    Yes nurses do hear the pt’s wishes, the reality is do we have the resources to accommodate it. There are 3 urologist in my hospital and they are all men. So what do we do when a female pt with Kidney stones, states she is uncomfortable with a male urologist doing the procedure?

    I would kindly ask u not to judge any1 by their post, especially one in which pt’s right to refuse has not been discussed. Furthermore I would ask u not to judge how I treat my pts, unless u have witnessed it.

    At the end of the day, it is important to consider the physical harm to the pt and to let the pt know of such consequence. This is not being “task” oriented. This is genuine concern of pt’s Health.

    I don’t think u will appreciate it if I make an accusation that from your post u sound like a nurse who, when your female pt has 1L urine in her bladder will run around for 20 minutes trying to find a female Nurse to do it. I am truly offended by how u judged me.

  30. Mr Ian Says:

    Dear G,

    I thought this thread was dead – but hey-ho – good on ya ….

    “No one is imposing care on someone who doesn’t want it. At the end its the pt’s choice.”
    And if that pt wants to retain their choice until the end?

    You set out that we don’t impose care; then create an argument that it doesn’t matter – then finish by saying we should impose care; and anyone who doesn’t, and runs around to get the patient what they expressly request; is doing something bad?

    Just because we can tell, that if this procedure isn’t done in 20 minutes, this patient is going to get worse; doesn’t mean I have to panic and do it immediately; and certainly not to compromise the patient’s expressed wishes.

    In answer to your scenario:
    If that patient said she wanted a female nurse – and I had explained to her the consequences of any delay – yet she continued to want a female nurse – I would not touch her. To do so is assault.
    If she began to show signs of becoming acutely unwell – then I would re-iterate the need for the procedure. I would advise my medical team and seek their collaboration.
    If that did not resolve the gender issue and she continued to refuse treatment and became life threateningly unwell, I would perform the clinical procedure after already advised the patient and the medical staff that it was my obligation to preserve life and those would be my actions.

    I would then file a critical incident report with the hospital to outline the case and the issues involved; identifying some possible solutions and asking for more consideration to be given to ensuring their is an acceptable gender mix in the unit each shift reflective of the patient group needs.

    Feel free to copy my answer, anytime.

    However, in a real world scenario, how likely is it that you can’t find a female nurse anywhere at all in the hospital? How rare is it that a female nurse is asked for? Apparently and according to the posts, not very often. So what harm to accommodate on this one rare infrequent occasion?
    Might we be opening the flood gates to every patient wanting to be nursed by their own gender as you suggested? Then this would only show us we’ve been forcing contra-gender care onto patients when they didn’t want it for a very long time.

    You wouldn’t staff a telemetry unit with a bunch of mental health nurses – why would you staff a mixed sex ward with only males? It’s as much a pt-need as a technical skill.

    “u sound like a nurse who, when your female pt has 1L urine in her bladder will run around for 20 minutes trying to find a female Nurse to do it”

    If the patient asked for a female nurse, and there was no particular reason why it shouldn’t be done, then I would gladly be accused of doing what the patient wants. Several female nurses have posted about how they often exchange favours with male nurses – “you lift my heavy chap, I’ll catheterise your woman”.
    If the patient hadn’t objected to my doing the procedure though, then I wouldn’t need to run around. But isn’t that what nursing is?
    If the patient says they don’t want injection, don’t we run around and seek alternatives if available? If they say they don’t want to eat meat, don’t we get them vegetarian meals? If they say they want a female nurse to fiddle with their genitalia – I’d guess that’s more than reasonable.

    Who made me decision maker in this persons life? Unfortunately, where I work in secure mental health, the Mental Health law made me decision maker in my patients lives temporarily. I guess that’s why I see the boundary differently to you; I’ve challenged my own thinking on this for many years and act as decision maker for people who, for the most part, do not make decisions well, and often at a costly consequence. But I have learned the stark difference between “What you should do” – and “What do you want to do?” – and just how far that really goes.

    As it happens, I work in an all-male pt area. I am always providing gender specific intervention for my patients. Some guys accept a depot needle from a female; that’s fine – go for it. But some female staff prefer I was the one who did the hourly observational round on a night shift – just in case one is naked on their bed or having a bit of “personal time” with their phallus.
    How would you fair if you were a female nurse in my environment where patients who return to the unit have to be searched? Male patients. Mostly not very good at personal hygiene; many happy to have a female nurse run their hands up and down them and make lewd comments; some even committed for rape. How would you feel if, when you said you were a little uncomfortable doing this part of the job, if I said – “It’s your job; just do it.” ?

    If I can make the exception for my female staff – then why can’t I do it for my female patients?

    I have never argued that male nurses should not do what female nurses do. Apart from give birth, both are very capable of entirely the same things. What I have argued is just because we can, does not mean we should assume it’s ok on the patient’s behalf.

    “I don’t know y u people blow things out of proportion. Look at it from the basics, which is your primary role. Preventing the pt.’s discomfort or preventing her from physical harm from the urinary retention?”

    Unfortunately, this is not ‘basics’. This is why nurses get degrees. To understand ethics and decision making, as well as how to insert a catheter, should the need arise.
    Accusing people who care about patient rights and choices of ‘blowing things out of proportion’ is a demonstration of how shallow your thinking is. This is how I judge you. If you do not wish to be judged then do not put your judgmental opinion there to be judged.

    We deserve to be judged by our actions and inactions; our decisions and our indecisions.

    Ian

  31. Nurse Buffy Says:

    There has been been some really awesome responses here and I was actually searching the web for the incidence of male nurse working in gynaecology and obstetrics!

    Firstly, I am particualrly supportive of Byn and Mr Ian comments. My stance on all of this is that the patient are at the centre of your care, but you as a health professonal are also entitled to be cared for. As colleagues we should be supportive of each other, trading nursing tasks as appropriate, we are in a world where litigation is always at the back of your mind. Do you think that perhaps chaperoning is not only of benefit to the nurse/doctor for legality reasons but also put a nervous patient’s mind at rest. In the end as long as the patient is safe and you as a nurse is safe it should not matter gender, procedure.

    I have worked in Saudi Arabia where wards were segregated into male and female. I could work on all wards but my male counterparts could only work on male wards. I was not allowed to catheterize males. This displayed cultural sensitivity for male and female patients alike.

    Sorry for adding my own agenda to this thread but here goes. I was searching the net because I believe that having male nurses as part of any nusing team I have found make an enormous difference on workplace culture. I find it gives a balanced view of things. I, like many of you are probably working with staff shortages. I work in a womens hospital where shortages exist and we are looking at recruitment more abstractly to try and attract nurses. Our hospital in the entire establishment has two male nurses. Organisational culture can be grim at times because of an predominately all female culture. I would like to see more males and wonder why we don’t. Responses from male nurses would be appreciated.

    Cheers

  32. n00bienurse Says:

    Thank you Bryn and Mr. Ian and Buffy –

    I’ve had similar issues on the post partum unit where I work. Nursing instructors will assign their students higgldy-piggldy and just say hop to it. If I know that a student is being paired up with one of my patients, I first ask if it is alright for a student nurse to be a part of their care for the day and (assuming that the student is male) if they are comfortable with a male student nurse. Most welcome the opportunity, but sometimes I need to let the nursing instructor know that the patient has specific wishes to not have a male student nurse.

    Also, at the start of each shift or on admission, I ask my patients if they have any concerns or wishes that I should be aware of. If they don’t have any for me at the start of the shift, I ask them to think on it and get back to me. Giving them that opening from the start allows them to present their concerns to me if any come up later on.

  33. bryn Says:

    Glad to see the topic is still alive, and also glad to see so many opinions/perspectives. I think at the end of the day sensitivety for patient needs, whether spoken or interpreted through body language etc is important, but so of course is common sense.

    As Mr Ian said in an earlier comment in reply to the urology ward scenario, he really hit the nail on the head. Forcing care without consent is assaut.

    But like everything, most fear, worry comes from not understanding, and fortunately in an urgent/emergency situation, making sure the patient is informed/understands the seriousness of an issue, solves most gender issues. If the patient knows that you are the best person to ease their suffering or save their life, they’re pretty happy to have to do so, no matter what sex you are.

    It all comes down to communication.

    bryn
    nursingaround.blogspot.com

  34. liz Says:

    Wow some lengthy discussion here!

    When Ive been in the day surgery unit as a patient I dont mind having a male nurse look after me but I will be cautious.
    When I had my last op, I was getting into the sexy undies as we affectionlly call them lol, and the anaesthetist came out of one surgerya dn had time to do the pre op consult. So he called out for me and i said hey im gettin changed and he said oh ok ill wait til your ready and i went out, with the back undone, and said oh that doesnt matter, you’r going to be seeing it all anyway (having gynae surgery) and he laughed and said no no dont worry im up the other end.

    I wouldnt want a young bloke sticking a catheter in me, id be nervous.

    When i had the wisdom teeth out, the male pre op nurse was a lot nicer (and younger and good looking) than the female nurse.

    For inserting catheters, they say if you get the vagina, you have to leave the catheter there, so that when you get the new one, you wont put it back in the same hole. Males, its easier to put in.

    When we had our first clincial, the nurse said often both nurse and patient may be nervous, and she told us about this patient who got an erection and the nurse freaked out and then calmed down and said its normal….so yeah

  35. Mr Ian Says:

    Re all the points betwixt this and my last post: I concur.

    In response to Nurse Buffy and why aren’t there more males in your “predominately all female culture”?

    Speaking as a guy…. (which I am on weekdays)…
    arrrgghh…. !! Too much oestrogen.

    Seriously tho;
    There is a majority bias towards females in the profession anyhow so 2 might be the norm – if you had 10 nurses in total. How bad is your shortage?

    Without knowing the hospital or anything about what happens there, it’s difficult to say. Perhaps if you canvassed the two guys there they may have some better idea. You could do an anonymous survey on the male staff – print it double sided and it’d only cost you one A4 sheet!
    I might suggest that the predominantly female culture might be a big covert influence against males just by the general ‘feel’ of the place but personally I don’t see it as a sexist issue that usually prevents guys working somewhere.
    Perhaps it’s the nailed down toilet seats?

    Do you see the same tends in medical staff; cleaners; ancillary staff?

  36. n00bienurse Says:

    i don’t think we’ve ever had a male ancillary or RN… even our housekeepers are female!

    but it might have to do with the 100% estrogen saturation we have in postpartum… haha… talk about too much estrogen!

    our medical staff is about 50/50 i’d say, though…

  37. Michael Says:

    I am a male nurse who has remained on primarily medical/surgical units. I can honestly say, I have never had a female watch over me while I was inserting a catheter. I dont feel I need to find anyone else to do it either.
    I always follow proper bedside manner and explain a procedure, the rational for it being done and the risks involved before I do it. I also get a feel for the pt. and see if they may be uncomfortable with me inserting the catheter. On very rare occasions, I’ve been told by the pt. that they prefer a female nurse. I have found a way to accomodate the request when it was made. But those occasions are few and far between.

  38. Mr Ian Says:

    Which would be exactly how I’d envisage a professional nurse doing it, Michael.

  39. MC Says:

    So, it is the U.S. nurses with the problem on this issue. I have been reading and reading on the subject of male nurses and intimate care on females. Here is how it seems to go.

    1. Any male nurse who either does not want to do these intimate procedures (often for patient comfort) or wants a chaperone is blasted, put down, treated like crap. While our male docs need to ask about chaperones some of the nurses resent being expected to ask, or have a chaperone present, like it is an insult to them personally.

    2. Same way when a patient asks for a female. They are put down, told they are sick in the head, often their requests are ignored, and they are accused of sexism.

    3. Seems to me the U.S. medical plays into the rape culture when they have no respect for women’s dignity, rights, autonomy, and privacy. What a load of crap. No wonder so many women use the term “Medical Rape.” The disrespect is so present here in U.S. that while, these nurses may not tell you the truth, I will; male providers are forced upon women against their will. Especially women who have voiced a preference and then are sedated. Once they are sedated, it is a free for all. Practice pelvic, rectal and breast exams by teams of students, (banned last year but still going on), bait and switch surgeries and more. Women are actually punished for requesting only men in some teaching hospitals. Then they complain when a woman files a complaint. Say she is just money grubbing or crazy. Med students and nurses can be found all over the net putting down patients who request gender specific care. I have been told I am a bigot many times for requesting gender specific care for intimate nursing procedures. I also seek female docs when available. But these women have often bait and switched me off to a male. It is out of hand here; as if it has become a war between female patients and health care providers. In such a poisonous environment is it any wonder women are being raped. Yes, raped. When it happens, the patient is accused of misunderstanding. Offenders are allowed to practice after many complaints even convictions. In cases that cannot be doubted or denied, (like one where a nurse followed another into the bathroom to find a patient bleeding on the floor, just raped by the nurse leaving the bathroom. Then they complain about new reporting the story as it, “gives nurses a bad name”. This attitude you have about gender sensitive care is what is giving nurses a bad name and provides so many opportunities for assaults.

    Another example of male providers being forced upon women is the military. Women have no choice, not even for rape exams.

  40. kreko Says:

    I totally agree with thatwestern cultures are way too ‘open minded’ when it comes to protecting women’s dignity and modesty.For example, i’ve read and read too many times in forums how male nurses bragging how they have bath, cathed, wash female patients and neverin one second sexualise them or they would say it’s nothing to fuss about.

    In most and often all Asian countries,ONLY female nurses are allowed to do intimate procedures like washing , cathing,or whatever that requires the female patients to exposed her private parts in order not to violate her modesty and dignity.This also would make the female patient more comfortable and not be traumatised.

    However male nurses are still allowed to attend to female patients like giving her medications or help with lifting but this also seem to be unlikely if there were female nurses available.

    I know most male nurse would feel offended with my views and probably would chant the heckneyed phrase ‘ a nurse is a nurse is a nurse’ or a male nurse always works in a profesional manner or would not get seually aroused when they give a bath or cath a female patient.

    My point is, it’s OK for a male nurse to help with medications and things that aren’t requred the exposure or invasive procedures of the genitals.

    What are those male nurses happy about when they bragged how they have the “opportunity” to see and touch someones wifes ,sisters or mothers naked body?How would this very same male nurses feel if their wifes or girlfriends told them that they have had the same intimate procedures done on them by other male nurses?.

  41. lesliejas Says:

    Well, once you’ve done gyno exams, I think the issue of cathertizing a female is moot!

    I felt as you did once, Bryn, that having to do that to a female might be inappropriate, and likewise for a female having to do a male. But, ultimately, as others have said, when you’re a nurse you do it all. Never had to have a female chaperon for any of the women I had to catherterize, except when my female instructor was there to make sure I was doing it right as a student. So that’s a little unusual and shows some potential trust issues with the employer. Or has there been an incident in your past?

    But if you refuse to do something, although every nursing organization from the NLN to ANA says you can, that’s very VERY frowned upon and you come across as someone no one can rely on to do your own work, much less help someone else. And this isn’t what your manager or directors would think, this would be your colleagues in the trenches with you. Always keep that in mind, because their opinions count 10 fold over your bosses. They actually have to work with you and they will tell it like it is.

    Now as far as the urgency of needing a catheter, it’s always urgent in my book or they wouldn’t need it in the first place. Lie in bed for a little while waiting on a male nurse to come cathertize you when you can’t go and I bet you won’t care if a goat inserts it as long as someone gives you some relief.

    Only advice I can give is stop being insensitive yourself and just do your job. You’ll be much more appreciated for it.

  42. Maxwell Says:

    Well, I have never noticed having problems with female patients. There is just a social stigma around where I work that you MUST refuse all caregivers of another gender. I got kicked out by a 17 year old girl, who then became irate when she found out that all the female nurses were busy and she had to wait 10 minutes for her shower. Her family sued the facility and lost, the reason… nurses are nurses. If refused by a patient, I have a personal policy that unless otherwise I will not go back in there unless they either change their attitude or stop throwing things. I have never had a pleasant female patient who is under the age of 60, because everyone is so worried that Im going to molest them. They judge men on a basis of being male, and fail to consider not all of us are rapists. The easiest time I ever had, I told a girl in the ER that I was gay. (I’m definitely not, but it got her to relax and stop shouting “Help! rape!” every time I walked in the door even if it was to deliver her lunch) Never had a problem.
    Its come down to it that I believe patients have rights, but if you refuse everything you will soon be out of the job you love, and up in nursing management, which would make me quit in a heartbeat. I believe that a nurse is a nurse, you take care of each patient individually, listen to them, and tend to their needs. Deal with the wierdos in a manner that will help and don’t take refusal personally.
    Ive found that more than a chaperon, the parents and or spouses are the most helpful people. If you are real, sensitive, and honest, you can usually get your job done.

    Where I encounter the most problem is that other nurses are the ones who place the stigma on male nurses. I have female nurses who ask me to do patient transfers, push beds/wheelchairs for them, and I found out that many of them don’t think a man is competent to be a nurse regardless of their credentials. Female CNAs refuse and jack with my assignment sheets because they think I do not understand how to care for a person – and when I ask why, they say its because I’m male.
    I have been evaluated, and had a board of nursing representative as well as many RNs shadow me in every aspect of every day – in their opinion its not me, its the environment I work in.

    Point being, I have enough female patients to refuse me. So much so that most male nurses here are almost out of a job because the patients and NRS support staff wont let us do our jobs. We don’t get the luxury of refusal, because if we did we might just lose our jobs.

  43. minutemoon Says:

    It’s interesting that this question is even being asked. Let’s reverse this question and extrapolate:
    — Should female doctors do all that male doctors do?
    — Should female soldiers do all that male soldiers do?
    — Should female teachers do all that male teachers do?
    — Should female construction workers do all that male construction workers do?

    The fact that this question is even being asked and taken seriously, demonstrates the deep gender discrimination male nurses are up against.

  44. C.V. Compton Shaw Says:

    I am a male R.N. I do not like to provide health care to women that involves personal privacy concerns.
    However, I have done the same very successfully on many occasions.
    On one occasion, I was a prison R.N.. For a matter of days or weeks, there was no other male or female R.N. available to take care of the female prisoner’s female problems.
    I had to take care of them. I was very apprehensive about the same.
    However, to my surprise, I was extremely successful in addressing their female medical problems. In fact, the female prisoners rated my nursing-medical care of their female medical problems much better than the other male OR FEMALE NURSES. They, also, stated that I was very respectful towards them and professional with them. Management gave me extremely high marks with regard to my nursing care, also.
    I didn’t like to do it. However, I did the same successfully. Also, I was working at a public health care institution that had both male and female patients. I wanted to work with the male patients. After a period of time, because of scheduling problems, I was assigned as an intervention and assessment R.N. in the women’s section! I was scared stiff! However, on the first day, within about one hour, I assessed a female patient as requiring emergency life saving intervention and intervened appropriately probably saving her life! Many of the women patients witnessed the same. Seeing the same, they requested that I be permanently assigned to the women’s section. I was permanently assigned to the women’s section, with the exception of when there were scheduling problems with the men’s section. The women patients were extremely satisfied with my performance as an R.N. including that with regard to women’s health issues. What is very important to women patients, as with all patients, is your integrity, your sense of duty, and your assertiveness and efficaciousness in addressing their medical problems.

  45. button2cute Says:

    If a Male and a Female student accepted into a didactic nursing program, complete clinical training sessions successfully, graduate from an accredited nursing program with a 3.0 GPA, had to successfully pass the NCLEX examination to become a licensure nurse in their home state and able to use the initials RN behind the last name. I believe the nursing program did not show inequalities to either sex by omitting role or clinical assessment according to your gender. Yes, I would have agreed the nursing programs might have inequalities in other areas but not in this area.

    The patient has the right to ask a specific nurse to perform a task to decrease their stress or anxiety. I hope that the medical facility can provide the staff member to meet the need of the patient.

    For some reasons, I have observed several male nurses who believe they are not required to work in the trenches. They believed their positions were administration and above, which many were place in those positions within a month with higher salaries. Its problem within the system and it needs to be resolve, quickly.

    There are several days; I am in elbow deep of C-Diff, paperwork, and oral secretions. My co-workers are not superior or inferior to me and they are not excuse from these days. I would not be so nice with administration about the equality treatment of nurses and my lawyers will be working for their money. I have seen this occur with low functioning (more complicated) patients pass off to certain nurses as well and the male nurses have higher functioning patients (less complicated).

    In conclusion, why did you become a nurse? It is not a glorified field to catch that ultimate female/male physician. It is about caring for the injured and ill patient and encouraging healing physical, psychological, social, personal, and professional, etc. The male nurse needs to accept the role of the whole nurse and contribute to the profession or move on to another choice of career. There is not much time to waste on a person who is not a team player, has hidden professional occupational agendas, and displays negative attitudes toward certain tasks as a nurse.

    Oh…one of the male nurses I met use to say “The female nurses have penis envy and wish they would have one.” I would laugh at him and say “I am sorry you do not have one and plastic surgery is three floor down. I will get the elevator for you.” I use to get him pissed off and evenutally, he became one of the best nurses in the hospital after 8 months of write-ups, suspensions and getting it back in his face. Finally, he understood that he was making more enemies than friends.

    I am still friends with him today and he tells us “Ladies, here’s another one..trying land on our runway.” We just laugh and laugh at him.

  46. Casey Says:

    I am a female student nurse in the US. In our program, there are 76 students in my semester, 11 of those being male. Teachers every semester comment that “we have so many men” which is really a sad thing to say when there is such an overwhelming gender ratio difference. In the hospital we do our rotations in, male and female nurses are seen as equals and are expected to perform the same tasks and obviously an effective standard of care. The rules apply to both genders: if a male patient is going to have a female nurse do a sensitive/invasive intervention, then the female nurse brings a male nurse into the room to help. If a female patient has a male nurse, he brings in a female nurse for delicate interventions. So the rules apply to everyone. The chaperoning is done automatically, but the work is done more efficiently: bed baths are faster, exposing patients to the cold (and strangers) for a shorter amount of time; an extra hand is available during catheterization if needed to hold excess skin folds on obese patients, etc. As a student, I see this as a great learning experience, because then the patients are not overwhelmed with a room full of students watching their asses get wiped – there is only one student at a time. In care facilities where there is one nurse performing a skill and one nurse just watching to chaperon (especially in the case of inserting a catheter), from a patient’s point of view, this would be uncomfortable knowing that one of the two people in the room’s sole purpose is to watch the other put a tube into your private places… meaning that person is just staring at your genitals. I would much prefer the two people to be WORKING on me, keeping their hands and eyes busy with the task at hand.

    I had a male patient with an inguinal hernia who needed a catheter change, so the male nurse came in to do the procedure while I watched, learned, and assisted. The patient said that he was uncomfortable with me touching him, and specifically asked to be given a drug to make himself less bashful while I was in the room. While we respected the patient’s wishes and gave him his drug and I did not touch him, I watched and learned, which is still helpful for in the future when I have a male patient who needs to be catheterized and does not mind that I am a female. It is an essential skill to know, and how else would I have learned it if I was never given any exposure to the procedure being done? Some may argue that my presence was forced upon the patient; however, the nurse explained to him that he needed an extra set of hands in the room to take away the old, occluded tubing and dirty supplies (mine just happened to be the extra set of hands available), after which the patient consented to my presence.

    At some point in this thread, an argument was made that female patients who had previously been victims of molestation or rape would have objections to male nurses “going down there” because it would be a traumatizing experience and result in PTSD. As a rape victim myself, I would like to point out that not every rape victim feels this way, so male nurses should not assume that they should be excused from tasks below the belt and just dump them on their female coworkers. I was raped in October 2006 and got treatment to deal with all the complicated thoughts and emotions that that terrible experience brought up. I realize that I may be at the more “free” end of the spectrum, but if I were hospitalized today, I would not object to a male nurse providing care for me solely on the basis that he is male. Rather, I might object if the male had a certain characteristic that felt threatening – either because it reminded me of my attacker or because (let’s face it) some guys are just creepy! Of the 11 males in my semester, I would only object to one of them providing me any sort of care, and that is because he gives off a creepy vibe. Women are sensitive to these things, and I’ve talked with multiple females in my semester who have said the same thing about this one male student. It is clear that even our female instructor senses this too, because she hovers over him way more than any other student, and doesn’t let him go into patient rooms alone. So if you are a male nurse, I would say that you should start your care for every patient with the intention that you are going to provide all aspects of it, but as you build the nurse-patient relationship, tailor your care to that specific patient’s needs. If you think that the female rape victim that you are caring for would not be able to mentally/emotionally handle you providing a certain type of care because it would be “traumatizing” then it is your responsibility not only to find someone who can provide the care with minimal patient discomfort, but TO ALSO GET THAT PATIENT HELP so that she can overcome the traumatic experience. As a nurse, if you identify a problem, shouldn’t you do something about it? Even if you cannot care for it directly, you get someone who can. It’s the same as getting the respiratory therapist or dietician, etc.

    Patients are so different and each has his/her own values/beliefs/comfort levels with exposure to strangers/professionals of the opposite gender. I don’t think it is in the patient’s (or the nurse’s) best interest to have rules that say only males can give care to males or all nurses MUST do all tasks, regardless of the nurse’s and the patient’s comfort with the tasks. Instead, I suggest that each case with each patient be taken independently and actions taken reflect the individuality of the patient and nurse involved.

    I would say that male and female nurses (in the US) should be expected to do the same tasks and give the same care UNTIL THE PATIENT REQUESTS OTHERWISE. But this also means that nurses should offer patients a choice right from the start, so that the patients who are afraid to speak up are encouraged and given an opportunity to do so. If you enter the room and say “you need a catheter for this reason” and explain the procedure, THEN SAY “if you are comfortable with me placing it, I can do it now, but if you would prefer a nurse of my opposite sex, it would be no problem for me to get one for you,” the patient does not have to go out of his/her comfort zone to request someone else.

  47. Casey Says:

    So, in response to the original question posted on this thread, “should male nurses do all that female nurses do?” my answer is yes. Maybe not with every patient, but throughout the total extent of your care. In the medical field, RNs are all professionals who became certified to do a job: provide care for those in need (not just pick some of the care to provide and refuse to tend to others). In order to be a competent nurse, you need to do every aspect of your job, but you also need to know when (with which patients) it is and is not appropriate to personally perform every task.

  48. andrea Says:

    In my own practice, we are a team. In most instantces, an older female would prefer to be cath’ed by a female nurse. We always just asked each other to switch off if there was a cath to be done. Same for vaginal medicine insertions. It was never a prob. But then, we worked as a team and knew some one would help w/o griping.

  49. Anonymous Says:

    I am a male nurse working for a hospital. One night when working, I had to insert a catheter in one of my female pts. The pt understood why and what I was going to do. I did it successfully with the help of a female nurse. Right now I’m suspended for further investigation for inappropriate sexual contact that the pt is accusing me for. I’m going thrOugh hell right now bec # 1 I did my job and I was very professional w a witness. #2 I’m being accused! You decide ….

  50. Sara Says:

    Don’t have time to read all of these comments, but in response to “Anonymous” I am sorry you are going through hell. It sounds like you did the right thing.

    I had to have a male NP do a pelvic exam on me and it was a horrid experience for me. He did nothing wrong at all and we had a witness. But it is something I will not allow ever again unless extreme emergency or I am under anesthesia! Seriously.

    I just think it depends on each individual situation and the patient preference. I would, personally, ask for a female to do the cath if I was the patient. Some patients, however, may not feel comfortable enough to do that. I have observed some male nurses ask, or ask for a female nurse to do it.

    I think Andrea is spot-on. We have teams that we work with…we can help each other out with respect. It is not about us as nurses, it is about the patient and what they are comfortable with…:)

  51. Srinivas Says:

    I am a nurse. Worked in cardiothoracic gersury for several years1. I totally agree with the notepad and pens for questions. Docs come in for about 5 minutes out of the whole day. You will never remember all your questions.2. Many times, pain medications are written on an as needed basis meaning the nurse cannot legally just give you pain meds every 4 hours or whatever. It is up to YOU to ask for you pain medication when the the pain STARTS. You will have to rate your pain on a 1-10 scale. Ask for pain medicine when pain is a 3/10, not an 8/10. It is much harder to get pain under control when it gets higher.3. Bring some books or laptop. You will get bored4. WALK when they tell you too. It is for your health and so you don’t get pneumonia.5. Deep breathe and cough at least 10 times every hour right after gersury. Same pneumonia issue6. Trust the nurses we mean the best for you.7. If you get nauseas, try putting an alcohol swab under your nose I don’t know why it works, but it does sometimes8. Ask all kinds of questions at discharge so you don’t get home and get confused. We don’t mind9. Tell your friends and family that you WILL NOT BE AVAILABLE for the first 3-5 days. Major gersury needs rest. Unplug the phones in the room and ask people to call a designated family member or friend for updates. I see WAY too many patients become completely exhausted because they will not say no to visitors. If you are ready to see people earlier, you can call them.10. Stay calm. Anxiety will only make everything worse. If you find you are very anxious or have trouble sleeping, ask the doctors if they can prescribe you something just for the time you are in the hospital.Good luck!

  52. BobD Says:

    I am a patient not a nurse but recently due to prostate cancer been seen, poked, prodded by female Doctors (2),male surgeon, female nurses (at least 10), Biopsy (Female Dr and Female nurse), external radiarion tech’s (3 female/2male), CT scan twice (female), bone scan (female), DAXA (female), female PA, imaging for Brachytherapy (male Dr. female Dr. 4 female nurses) and personally have literally no concern with females doing their job no matter what they see, examine or ask. Each and every one have been compassionate, professional and kind. All were concerned with my well being and were great.
    If a patient has concern who is caring for them they should voice it but in some instances they do not leaving it up to the healthcare professional to choose how to react and offer a change. If not sure based on patient reaction better to err to the side of caution.

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