Male hospital staff

[ToadRage]

I don't really know how i feel about this or if I'm just being a bit precious. I had an appointment for a transvaginal ultrasound a couple of weeks ago. I was a bit shocked to find the sonographer was a man. A female nurse was present and she did all the talking, he barely said a word to me. I have had ultrasounds before but they have always been done by women. He was professional and nothing out of the ordinary happened but I felt a bit awkward as I haven't had a man down there except my husband in 20+ years, not even a male doctor. Am I wrong in thinking I should have been told it was going to be done by a man, maybe given the option to request a woman or AIBU?

Not in our idea, unless it's changed very recentlt.
For a large number of people, it could be physically difficult (a lot of gynae issues involve back pain, and a significant number of the people having this test might find it very hard to do). But it would be good for it to be an option, for all the people who could-and that would apply to other kinds of tests, like rectal too. The more choice when it's physically safe, the better.

Oh god I actually said it when it came into my head.

Was I not supposed to do that, because it explains a lot about the deadly awkward silence and then the pity laugh 😂

I lay there in horrible pain thinking, “wait, am I now one those people who thinks they’re being a cheeky cunt when they’re really just being a cunt and says things like ‘so it’s free he he he’ when something doesnt scan at the cash register?”

So that was a year ago and the jury’s still out. My current conclusion is that I’m fine as long as I don’t start saying “fancy seeing you here” to my postie every day.

I’ve had two infernal ultrasounds by male, one sweep by a male consultant and one by a male midwife. It’s their job. If you’re that bothered request beforehand but unfortunately it may make wait times longer.

Anyone is allowed to make such requests.

I work in this area and train a wide range of people to scan - male and female.

Bookings teams often will not know who is running a scan list - all they see is an open slot and will book into them.

BUT

The staff within the scan room should be asking if you are happy for them to perform the scan. If they don't then you are also within your rights to express you preference. You won't upset anyone by expressing a preference even at time of scan and most importantly you won't (or shouldn't be) treated negatively if you say no or express a preference. In my experience often there is more than one room going and patients are just switched between lists. There might be a wait but it would be very rare that a patient would be sent away completely (I haven't seen it happen)

As I always try to teach - the patient is in control of the scan and they need to be comfortable as it makes for a better scan all round for everyone

Good on you. Guess what? I was sexually assaulted by a male doctor in the course of my intimate care. How lucky you never experienced anything untoward.

I'm having a scan next week and have said I prefer a female. I have never had a male for that sort of thing before anyway. If I don't feel comfortable and it's a man, I'll only consent to trans abdominal, not trans vaginal.

I have had one appointment with a male gynaecologist and he was extremely unprofessional. I could tell he was turned on. It was revolting. Among other inappropriate comments, he compared the tightness of my vagina to his other patients. If I ever need to see a gynaecologist again, I will request a woman. I am certain that it is a specialism that attracts perverts. It rather obviously would be when you think about it.

I'm sorry to say that I didn't complain about him as I was young and wanted to move on from the experience as rapidly as possible.

@ThisKeenPinkSnail sorry that happened to you. A previous colleague of mine was involved in a horrific case locally whereby the GP was filming intimate examinations of women on his watch. Even if there were a chaperone present, they would have been completely unaware.

Whilst it’s a relatively rare occurrence for a male medical professional to do such awful things, it happens frequently enough for me to not want a man carrying out an intimate procedure on me.

Yes, I’ve had all kinds of genital, urinary and anal related procedures. Some done by men and some done by women. It doesn’t bother me.

The issue on this thread is that some women don’t want to be seen by men and are therefore insisting that no woman does, and that any woman who doesn’t mind being seen by a man is dismissing their concerns.

Yes, there should be a choice (there is) but it is up to the individual to make their wishes known, it is not for the NHS to spend huge amounts of time and money ensuring that no woman is ever treated by a man even if that aren’t bothered either way.

“and are therefore insisting that no woman does” nobody has said this.
Some are dismissing concerns while ignoring the fact that a female chaperone is present for these procedures, for a reason.

The chaperone makes no difference as regards the discomfort of a man you don’t know in your intimate area.

No.

Exactly.

If you’re well enough to turn down an appointment then maybe you don’t need the appointment?

After pulling a baby out of my vagina with forceps a man had to manually detach my placenta 😱 his hand was in my uterus. It was horrendous although I can say that the fact he was a man was of no concern to me at all 🤷‍♀️

There is already the opportunity for women to request a female practitioner. It’s unfortunate that it didn’t occur to the OP that she might have got a man doing this procedure but she’ll know next time she can request a woman. Perhaps it needs to be better publicised that any procedure could be done by a man so that people who have a preference for a woman can request one.

Most procedures are not emergencies so the vast majority of people are well enough to postpone their appointments. It doesn’t mean they are not needed.

What woefully misinformed nonsense. It’s nothing to do with EDI, the number of women across all specialisms has increased, so there are actually fewer men in Obs and Gynae than in the past. I’m in hospital now, on a gynae ward, and the doctor I’ve just seen is a young man. My own consultant is a woman, as are almost all the nursing staff.

Sonography is not gynaecology. But since you ask. Why wouldn’t a man be just as interested in the unusual combination of medicine and surgery gynae offers? Or the incredible opportunity to save and deliver new life in obs? Seems very important to me that men are interested in women’s health rather than the more traditionally exciting areas like ortho and cardiology. If only men outside of this specialism gave a shit about our health maybe we’d be better off.

Any case of sexual assault is disgusting and terrifying but keep a sense of proportion - it’s less than 1.5% of medical staff who are accused (using your figures). You’re more at risk in a bar, or a taxi, or at the gym or even at work.

Not emergencies yet. Nobody is having an ultrasound for no reason.

Of course not, but to say if you are happy to wait a few days to have one they you don’t need it is clearly ridiculous.

I feel like I had a very different experience during my transvaginal ultrasound than anyone on here, the sonographer barely glanced at my bits (a second maybe to check the wand was going in the right place!), then they just looked at the screen. I was covered and it did not feel intimate at all, compared for example to a smear test where they’re really looking in there or a manual exam where their fingers are in there. Anyway, that’s beside the point, I think there were signs there saying you could request the sex of your sonographer there. I was the only woman in the waiting room.

Do you think if you refuse the appointment on arrival that you’ll get a new one in a few days? Possibly very different where I live but you’d be looking at a month or so.

None of us can possibly know what the delay would be. My point is that you can’t possibly assert that anyone who is willing to do delay a procedure does not require the appointment. I have annual MRI’s - they are for monitoring purposes and I’ve had them for years. Fortunately they have come back clear for years too. Delaying that procedure (even for a couple of months) would make no difference to me because of the nature of what they are looking for.

I’ve had many transvaginal scans, a hysteriscopy and then IVF. Most were done by males, especially once I got to ivf. Never thought about requesting a female because I wanted the treatment so badly. I just wanted it do be done timely and professionally, which it was. I think if you have a significant trauma past it can be difficult but that’s an exception, I don’t think having a preference is enough of a reason. I don’t think the NHS has the capacity to do that.

Each to their own. 🤷‍♀️

Yes, which is why making generalised statements is clearly not always going to be accurate. I have no issue with male staff btw, I couldn’t care less.