Who examines nurses, female doctors?

Just thinking out loud here: Have always wondered if nurses get examined by one of the male doctors they work for at their practice? For that matter, do female doctors spread their legs in front of one their male colleagues at the office where they work? They're all professionals, but to an outsider it might seem a little awkward, which makes me wonder if these women opt to go elsewhere for this intimate examination. Anyone know anything about this?

I am not a nurse or a doctor. I was a phlebotomist and an ER administrator in my past. I did not go to doctors I worked with, however I did pass out at work once while working in the ER and wound up getting examined, intimately, by the attending. Turns out my (ex)husband had given me chlamydia which turned into PID. So not only did I have the 'joy' of having to spread for a doctor I worked with, I had the additional joy of him learning I had an STI.

I used to date an ER nurse. One day, I asked her if she'd ever go to her own hospital if she needed care, just to get a sense of how much she trusted her colleagues. Her answer was an immediate, firm "absolutely not." She told me, "I see people naked all day, but I would never want my coworkers to see me naked." She was so serious about it she said she'd actively avoid her own ER unless she was unconscious.

I am not a nurse or a doctor. I was a phlebotomist and an ER administrator in my past. I did not go to doctors I worked with, however I did pass out at work once while working in the ER and wound up getting examined, intimately, by the attending. Turns out my (ex)husband had given me chlamydia which turned into PID. So not only did I have the 'joy' of having to spread for a doctor I worked with, I had the additional joy of him learning I had an STI.

Would you mind sharing details of this intimate examination? Completely nude or just from the waist down? Fingers inserted into your vagina? Speculum, too? Am I right to assume the "attending" was a young physician?

My wife used to work in healthcare (administration) for a large group of doctors. She did not want to use any of those doctors if it involved anything intimate or of a sensitive nature. Her gyno (which she used as her PCP) was with another medical group. However, she also said if she ever had anything serious, of any nature, she wouldn't hesitate to go to her group, because she knew who to trust and rely on. In fact, when she had a lump in her breast that needed removed, she used a surgeon that she worked very closely with. She said that was very weird, but glad she chose him.

All of my doctors were from my wife's group. In fact most other employees from her administration went to that group of doctors. They offered a substantial discount for keeping it "in house". It was extremely weird going to one of her work or social events and talking to doctors or staff who had seen me naked or had a finger up my butt. But to be honest, I kind of enjoyed that embarrassment and thought process.

I also know that many of the doctors went to their colleagues for exams and healthcare. Two female doctors my wife was good friends with, each cared for each other. That way they "kept it even". I was always turned on thinking about that.

@cm110365 this was a while ago and I was pretty sick. I think I had on a gown. I know they did an EKG so I was probably topless at some point. The exam itself was a basic pelvic looking for pain and a swab for a culture. The doctor was older than me but not that much. I didn’t like this particular doctor very much which made the whole experience that much worse.

I also know that many of the doctors went to their colleagues for exams and healthcare. Two female doctors my wife was good friends with, each cared for each other. That way they "kept it even". I was always turned on thinking about that.

LOL! That's an interesting and humorous way to put it. Kind of like "I'll show you mine if you show me yours."

Female friends of mine that work in the medical fields where getting an intimate exam from a co-worker is possible, mostly say that they've had doctors "in the practice" examine them off/on over the years, but they usually will see one that works primarily in another location than they do. They all see exams as medical, but, it's still the idea of seeing this person every day that they like separation from. It's not even a male doc / female doc thing, it's just a privacy thing.

Male RN here. It seems female personnel go to their own separate doc's. I'd prefer to see one of the ER doc's I work with to get straight up information and cut through the "It's our policy..." medical bullshit.

I would assume that nurses go to whatever doctor they feel comfortable with but it is generally not acceptable to be employees and patients at the same location unless its very rural or its agreed upon by the medical director.

I would assume that nurses go to whatever doctor they feel comfortable with but it is generally not acceptable to be employees and patients at the same location unless its very rural or its agreed upon by the medical director.

No idea if this is true or not, but I’ve known nurses and other medical staff who have been treated by drs in their immedicate clinic or practice. Whether it’s an orthopedic, neurological, cancer or whatever…even gynecological. Any patient, whether staff or not, should be able to chose a doctor they trust and have confidence in, whether they work with them or not. There may be some HIPPA regulations about how staff patients access their medical records, other than that I don’t see it inappropriate.

Maybe some real docs or nurses could comment on policies regarding this.

Very interesting subject actually

here in germany it is sort of an unwritten "Law" that nurses or in doctors offices we call them "MFA" s are not examined or treated by the Doctor they work for/at.

The reason is obvious, your Boss doesn't need to know everything about you or use certain things in a power situation against you.

So they look for a doctor themselves and it is like with every other person, some refer male, some prefer female doctors. Of course, it you just cut yourself a little and the doctor you work for just takes a look at it, disinfects it with spray and puts a plaster on, thats something else, or if you work in a Hospital in the ER and something really happens, of course they would use the Doctor who is on duty

I'm a retired physician who practiced internal medicine for 30 years. I went to colleagues i trusted by first hand knowledge or by reputation for my care, and a good number of them came to me. Yes...I had annual exams from a colleague and that included a prostate exam. I can't say I was thrilled about it but we were both professionals so it wasn't awful either. It was the same when I examined colleagues who came to me. I don't recall any of them were female offhand though.

Having worked at in an HMO, it was surely possible to see a staff doctor. I elected to go elsewhere but all efforts were professional; privacy was maintained including access to the medical record where staff were concerned. Violation of patient confidentiality was not tolerated.

That is a broad question; yet, it is a fact that even healthcare professionals sometimes have minor health issues requiring a consultation.

As for doctors, it is widely acknowledged that we rarely seek the opinion of a colleague from our own practice—following the same principle that prevents us from being objective when treating our own family members.

When a genuine need arises, the tendency is either to see a stranger or to turn to a former classmate from medical school (someone who is, of course, familiar with your anatomy, having shared those infamous hospital staff room parties).

However, I can attest that I have performed gynecological examinations on female staff members from my own department.

Perhaps due to practical reasons or appointment scheduling constraints, some felt no embarrassment about asking for a consultation—often at the end of the workday.

If they trusted me, why refuse to perform an annual check-up or alleviate a concern through a breast or abdominal exam?

Naturally, confidentiality remains paramount; there is absolutely no question of disclosing that a particular colleague has a genital infection or wishes to have an IUD fitted.

I must even admit that these examinations were very rarely billed or submitted for reimbursement through the health insurance system.

I was never in a large practice setting so I cannot speak to that, but it does strike me as a bit odd that there would be rigid rules in place for nurse A to see doctor B for any given situation. HIPAA is about consent, not about what doctor you are seeing for what purpose and where so I just don't see the trust or confidentiality issue arising. If nurse A does not wish to see doctor B then she simply does not give consent to be treated by same. I'm not sure why but this just sounds like a correction in search of a problem.

I asked one friend - oncologist - if she would (or does) see a doctor in the hospital she works at. And if it is accurate that women physicians tend to see someone not at their own facility. Her answer was a "It depends". For her, she does see a woman gynecologist at her hospital. In fact, she changed her gynecologists shortly after she started working because 1. It was much more convenient and 2. her current gynecologist has a very good reputation and 3. she can potentially bypass long waiting times by seeing someoen in her hospital. However, one thing she said was noteworthy - "I would not see the current gynecologist if I were reporting to her in the chain of command. Because we are peers, I am seeing her." She wasn't sure but that is probably the reason the nurses see doctors in other hospitals because they can get rotated and might have to work with their own doctor.

She didn't think HIPAA violation would happen at either place, so that was not a concern. It is not as if you run into your doctor and they'll ask you in the corridor how your infection is healing.

I dated a nurse years ago , she told me that she visited her gynecologist , that worked at her hospital . She was telling me about her pap smear , she told me that she asked her gynecologist , how his mother was doing , while he was doing her pap smear .He answered my nurse girlfriend that his mother had died and was wiping away a tear from his eyes during her pap smear.