- If you were assigned this birthing couple, or this birthing person, what would your reaction/feelings be? Why?
I think I would be much more concerned about making sure not to use inappropriate language rather than anything related to the anatomy or physiology. Even small things, like the wife Caitlyn referred to herself as queer, and I would have assumed she identified as straight because she was married to a man. I thought that sexuality had more to do with gender identity than sex. I think I would struggle to reaffirm Ari’s gender identity while still being mindful of and respectful to his body.
2. What are some methods of promoting inclusivity in the healthcare setting? How can we, as nurses, help our patient feel more comfortable during a vulnerable time?
When I worked as a medical assistant, I gave a TDAP to a pregnant man. The patient had to come to us because his OBGYN couldn’t take insurance payments from males. The patient came to us because our nurse manager was a friend of his and was able to reassure him and provide care in a respectful manner.
We could promote inclusivity by removing systemic barriers to care like what gender can receive services from a certain provider. As nurses, we can use standardized, gender affirming language with all our providers. At the same time, we should also be sure to take efforts to know our patients individually and learn their unique situations.
3. Think back to the Pediatrics e-Portfolio assignment. How might using female-specific language in nursing report impact the delivery of care? How might it impact the patient’s comfort in using healthcare services, both short-term and long-term?
I could imagine that using female specific language in care could create barriers for some of our most vulnerable patients. I can imagine that for patients to feel denied of their gender identity could make them hesitant to access care in the future for both big and small issues. I think it would be a big source of mistrust and possible dehumanization. I think that it can almost because habitual to use that sort of language, and we can tell ourselves that if presented with the situation we’d do differently, but we can’t guarantee that. We should make it a point to always use inclusive language, it might be an unnoticeable change for 95% of our patients, but could be a world of difference for those who it matters most.
