The nurse asked me to leave the room, then asked my 10yo a horrifying question

“Uh, I may have opened a can of worms…” the nurse later told Robin.

A mum is horrified after taking her 10-year-old daughter was interrogated with “inappropriate” questions after being bitten by a cat. 

Robin O’Malley, a model and co-host of The Outlaws Radio Show, recounted the horrifying moment she had to take her 10yo daughter to the hospital after a nasty cat bite. 

When the Ohio woman got her daughter to see a nurse, she figured the next step would be treating the 10yo's wounds. 

Want to join the family? Sign up to our Kidspot newsletter for more stories like this. 

Robin was "livid" when she heard the question the nurses asked her 10yo daughter. Picture: realrobinO/Twitter, realrobinomalley/Instagram

Mum accuses nurses of “ruining” 10yo’s “innocence” with one question

Instead, the nurses asked Robin to “leave the room for a moment so they could ask my daughter some questions,” she explained in the radio clip.

At first, Robin figured the nurses would ask her daughter “normal questions that they ask anybody.”

RELATED: 'It’s not inappropriate': My 7yo still uses a dummy for a very good reason

Some of the questions related to “feeling safe at home” and possibilities of self-harm, all of which didn’t bother Robin or her 10yo daughter. 

They were not the questions the nurses reportedly asked. 

According to Robin, her daughter is a “very innocent” 10yo, who “doesn’t try to act older than her age.”

Introducing our new podcast: Mum Club! Listen and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts so you never miss an episode.

However, it didn’t stop the nurses from asking the “inappropriate” line of questions. 

“So these nurses asked my 10-year-old daughter if [she is] having sex?” Robin recounted. “Does she drink and smoke?”

When her daughter returned from the doctor’s office, one of the nurses approached the Ohio mum.

“I may have opened a can of worms,” the nurse told Robin. 

The woman was taken aback, asking the nurse what she meant. 

“Uh, I asked [Robin’s daughter] if she’s having sex,” the nurse responded. “And she was very confused [about] what I asked her, so now, she’s kind of curious.”

According to Robin, the moment her 10yo daughter walked out of the doctor’s office, she immediately asked: “Mummy, what’s sex?” 

That was when Robin saw red, becoming “very livid.” 

“I'm very, very, very upset because my innocent 10-year-old child, who I fought so hard to protect her innocence from this already crazy world, just for these nurses to ruin her innocence in a split second when all we did was go to the hospital for a cat bite,” she said. 

RELATED: Mum arrested after son's bully sips "doctored drink"

The nurse told Robin she may "have opened a can of worms." Picture: realrobinO/Twitter

"Unfortunately, these questions are NOT inappropriate"

In response to the viral clip, many were shocked medical staff demanded Robin leave the room to ask such questions about her daughter.

In Australia, children who are not considered mature minors are typically required to be accompanied by a parent or guardian when seeing a medical practitioner. 

However, some medical staff may request the adult to leave the room and ask questions, particularly if they wish to rule out any signs of abuse at home.

One woman recounted a similar story while growing up in Melbourne, per Daily Mail. 

“My mum was asked to leave the room when I went to hospital with a broken collarbone because I had been in the week before with another injury,” she said. 

“They wanted to ask me how I got the Injuries and whether everything was okay at home. However, this would have been the time for a hurt and abused child to speak up.”

She added that while she “get why they ask”, requesting such information from a 10yo about a cat bite was “a bit odd.” 

“They typically do have to ask those questions,” another agreed. “But for them to ask her at that age is really weird.” 

However, a medical professional offered their two cents and argued that the questions weren’t inappropriate at all. 

“Substance abuse at that age is not unheard of and is actually not unusual depending on a lot of factors,” they said. 

“Unfortunately, these questions are NOT inappropriate if you are trying to give the best care possible.”

"I support the nurse and the approved medical guidelines she is following," said another. "Children must be protected and saved. If someone’s prudish feelings are offended, too bad!" 

Originally published as The nurse asked me to leave the room, then asked my 10yo a horrifying question