How to insert a urinary catheter (male)
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In Making Synapses you practice it on the patient.
Same principles as in women, with a longer urethra and the foreskin to remember.
Step by step
Check the need and prepare
Order, identity, explanation, privacy. [1]
Sterile field
Kit, sterile gloves, drape. [1]
Clean
Retract the foreskin, clean from the opening outward. [1]
Lubricate
Generous lubricant, or anesthetic gel into the urethra if ordered. [1]
Insert
Hold the penis up at about 90 degrees, insert until urine flows, then advance to the hub. [1]
Balloon
Inflate only after urine flows. [1]
Replace the foreskin and secure
Always pull the foreskin back down to prevent swelling. [1]
Common errors
- Forgetting to replace the foreskin.
- Forcing against resistance.
- Inflating before urine flows.
Practice it in Making Synapses
In Making Synapses you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
Making Synapses cases that train this skill
- Catheter-associated urinary tract infection
- Bleeding after prostatectomy
- Septic shock
- Orthostatic hypotension
- Benign prostatic hyperplasia
- Prostatitis
9 Making Synapses cases train this skill: open the case library
Sources
- Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College) (CC BY 4.0)
- OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference)
Steps adapted from Open RN, Nursing Skills 2e (Chippewa Valley Technical College), licensed under CC BY 4.0. Facts and steps also follow OpenStax, Clinical Nursing Skills (reference). Making Synapses is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.