# Question about nudity in hospitals



## jean1234

Hi all I have a question is it compulsory to be naked during a medical checkup in the hospital? I was starting a new job in Germany and so had to do a routine health check. The nurse asked me to disrobe completely for the medical examination. I was only allowed to put on my clothes after the whole checkup was over. The female nurse was present throughout. That was the only thing that made me feel not violated. The whole 30 minutes felt very humiliating to me. I have asked some of my colleagues but unfortunately they also went to the same hospital/clinic.
Is this the norm? I wasn't warned about it. I would have requested for a female physician.


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## ALKB

jean1234 said:


> Hi all I have a question is it compulsory to be naked during a medical checkup in the hospital? I was starting a new job in Germany and so had to do a routine health check. The nurse asked me to disrobe completely for the medical examination. I was only allowed to put on my clothes after the whole checkup was over. The female nurse was present throughout. That was the only thing that made me feel not violated. The whole 30 minutes felt very humiliating to me. I have asked some of my colleagues but unfortunately they also went to the same hospital/clinic.
> Is this the norm? I wasn't warned about it. I would have requested for a female physician.


Very strange.

What kind of check up was that?

A routine check up at a hospital is strange in the first place, as hospitals are either for emergency treatment or for when something is seriously wrong and your GP or another specialist refers you for further testing and possibly admission.

On another note, it is much more common to disrobe (partially) than it is in the UK for instance (which sometimes makes me uneasy - if the doctor doesn't take a good look, how much good is the diagnosis??). 

I never had to take off absolutely everything, though and as soon as whatever needed to be done was done, I was told to put my clothes back on.


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## swissdingdongboy

Hello yes this is common also here in Switzerland. When I have checkups (broken jaw, deep cut in foot or relocated disc in my spine) I had to undress me also complete, the first two times I guess cause they gave me a green jacket during all the bleeding so it was more easy to change. but even if they change my clothes there was man/women around - I believe to help me if I get dizzy and might fall .

so don't take this TO SERIOUS (humiliating) is the wrong word. in Europe we SPEAK if we do not feel comfortable. we do not shut our mouths.


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## jean1234

Actually I am not sure if it is a hospital. The hospital or clinic is a 2 storey building. In the small town I am working in there is only one medical facility I can visit. Most people here usually go to the nearest city Frankfurt if they want to go to one of those big hospitals or even to go shopping. I think the clinic has only 1 or 2 doctors. It's quite a small place, but had facilities like X ray room. Actually I visited the doctor previously as well, 4 months before I started my job. I had developed a skin rash at my back at that time. 
I had to do the health check later because I took a permanent position at my company there. It was funny because the doctor did not ask me to disrobe when I had the rashes problem but I had to be naked during the employment health check. 
Maybe I should take the courage to ask my male colleagues if they experienced the same thing.


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## swissdingdongboy

jean1234 said:


> Maybe I should take the courage to ask my male colleagues if they experienced the same thing.


:confused2: its 2015 and people act like this, naked people on every commercial but ... :doh:


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## ALKB

jean1234 said:


> Actually I am not sure if it is a hospital. The hospital or clinic is a 2 storey building. In the small town I am working in there is only one medical facility I can visit. Most people here usually go to the nearest city Frankfurt if they want to go to one of those big hospitals or even to go shopping. I think the clinic has only 1 or 2 doctors. It's quite a small place, but had facilities like X ray room. Actually I visited the doctor previously as well, 4 months before I started my job. I had developed a skin rash at my back at that time.
> I had to do the health check later because I took a permanent position at my company there. It was funny because the doctor did not ask me to disrobe when I had the rashes problem but I had to be naked during the employment health check.
> Maybe I should take the courage to ask my male colleagues if they experienced the same thing.


Well, definitely not a hospital. More like a well-equipped GP or small health centre. If you don't like them, just use a different GP in Frankfurt or anywhere else that's easy to readh.

Anyway, it's a bit difficult to guess at why the doctor thought this was needed.

In this situation I would have asked after the obvious visual physical exam was done "Can I get dressed now?"

And if the answer was no, I'd have asked why exactly it was necessary to stay naked. 

Remember, you can always ask questions - Is this really necessary? Can I keep my underwear on? 

You can also at any point of time voice that you are uncomfortable with any procedure!


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## beppi

The only time I was naked in front of a doctor was during my military enlistment check-up 30 years ago, so what you encountered is certainly not common.
But then again, Europeans in general are less sqeamish about nudity than most other countries, so don't take it too seriously. (In some cities, most notably Munich, nude sunbathing is the norm in inner-city parks!)
In any case, welcome to Germany from Singapore (where I lived 12 years and my wife is from)!


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## jean1234

For the record, I am not squeamish about nudity, though I do feel embarrassed if I am the only one naked among clothed people. I have even been to the thermal spas, not once but three times. I always go with my close friends, for some reason I do not feel like going alone. Overall I had very good experience at the therme, people are polite and nice.

About my experience, I am more worried about discrimination, since a am a foreigner. It was the nurse that asked me to disrobe. I would not say she was rude, but kind of cold like in a military way. She was the only nurse working and rushed me through all the procedures. After undressing she immediately made me do the X-ray, then rushed me into the next room to measure my weight and height, then take my blood sample. I asked her if I could dress up but she said the doctor needed to examine me first. She then proceeded to help me fIll up my forms since I could not do it at the reception since I couldn't write German. She sounded impatient and irritated throughout.

I had to wait in that small room which was beside the GP office for several minutes because there was already another patient in there. I was afraid the patient had to suddenly come in there to do a blood test or whatever. When it was time to see the doctor I actually felt relieved despite my state. He was friendly polite and warm and remembered me from my previous visit. He checked my skin condition, blood pressure, breathing, heartbeat, backbone (he noted I had scoliosis, which I treated as a child). He made me walk in a straight line without my shoes to check my femur alignment. It made sense to be naked so I was ok. Only when the doctor started chit chatting with me about my job, my country, etc that I turned to feeling embaradded again.

Well I guessed I am just being paranoid.

Sorry if I offended anybody here, especially swissdingdongboy. I am aware there are cultural differences. I just wanted to make sure. It was hard to describe everything in a few words. I look forward to going back to Germany after my Chinese New Year holidays.


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## beppi

jean1234 said:


> Sorry if I offended anybody here, especially swissdingdongboy.


Don't worry, somebody with an awkward user name like that commenting on this topic deserves to be offended - and the rest of us wasn't.
Happy CNY and Gong Xi Fa Cai!


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## swissdingdongboy

jean1234 said:


> Well I guessed I am just being paranoid.
> 
> Sorry if I offended anybody here, especially swissdingdongboy. I am aware there are cultural differences. I just wanted to make sure. It was hard to describe everything in a few words. I look forward to going back to Germany after my Chinese New Year holidays.


wow I am astonishing  - you even apologize for me  you are, the most polite person I ever met. happy new year -chapeau


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## I Want to be Aussie

Jean, 

Are you in Mainz


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## expatgal

beppi said:


> Don't worry, somebody with an awkward user name like that commenting on this topic deserves to be offended - and the rest of us wasn't.
> Happy CNY and Gong Xi Fa Cai!



I tried saying outloud the name "swissdingdongbot" three times
I still can't pick myself off the floor from laughing.


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## jean1234

expatgal said:


> I tried saying outloud the name "swissdingdongbot" three times
> I still can't pick myself off the floor from laughing.


Oh! So it's actually Swiss ding DONG boy!
LOL I didn't catch the meaning earlier. Wasn't familiar with that slang 

I actually had a friend in school who named her cat that. It has no meaning in Chinese though. BTW it was a female cat


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## jean1234

I Want to be Aussie said:


> Jean,
> 
> Are you in Mainz


No the place I stayed in is only about one quarter the size of Mainz. It is not really near Mainz.


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## jean1234

beppi said:


> Don't worry, somebody with an awkward user name like that commenting on this topic deserves to be offended - and the rest of us wasn't.
> Happy CNY and Gong Xi Fa Cai!


Danke!


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## swissdingdongboy

.
.it is a thai Slang "dingdong" BUT *i made at least four of you laught *
.
.


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## beppi

swissdingdongboy said:


> it is a thai Slang "dingdong" BUT *i made at least four of you laught *


You mean, the same as "gila" in Bahasa?
(They called me Bule Gila when I was living in Indonesia!)
Sorry, I thought it was an anatomic reference ...


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## gawa

Jean1234, I was born in Germany and lived there 40+ years. I've also visited saunas and Thermen and was very comfortable to be naked, but I would feel the same embarassement in your situation! Never experienced anything like that back home - but haven't had to do medicals for jobs there either. 

I'm in New Zealand now and have visited a gynocologist - I was sort of amused how they left the room when they made me undress from the middle down and left me a small blanket to cover myself on the chair... Why cover when they have to lift it anyway to do what they have to do? 
I hope you've forgotten the whole thing by now...
DingDong,
gone...


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