I hate it when the male nurses on my unit...

Nurses General Nursing

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I hate when the male nurses on my unit refuse to work with female patients b/c they are a "man" and "the patient won't be comfortable working with a man." If the patient isn't comfortable, I'm pretty sure that she will say so! They keep doing this, and I want to say so badly, "Are you sure it's not you that's uncomfortable? I mean, you did know that you would be working with women, too, when you went to nursing school?" And every night, the charge nurse ends up assigning all the male patients with the male nurses, and sometimes they end up with less patients b/c there aren't enough male patients for the male nurses to have the same amount of patients as everyone else. This is rediculous:banghead:. Okay....I'm done:yawn:. Whew...Carry on!

Specializes in Onco, palliative care, PCU, HH, hospice.

I have no problem lifting pts, taking the combative pts, etc. however in return if I'm providing personal care for a female, a female staff member gets to be there with me, so generally where I work everything evens out. Some may see that as paranoia, I see it as common sense.

I think the pt assignments by gender is simply absurd... I hope you and any other co-workers that have a problem with this policy have a nice long chat with the manager because making assignments based on that is inappropriate.

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Specializes in LTC/SNF, Psychiatric, Pharmaceutical.

I have never had a lighter patient load due to being male. In fact, when I worked LTC, both as nurse and aide, I was overwhelmingly stuck with the heaviest, most combative, and highest-acuity residents... of both sexes. It was my experience that the females got the minimal-care nice old guys, while I got the super-heavy or super-combative women. My assignments were made not according to gender, but according to how likely I was to take a good butt-kicking.

I never shirked personal care. I was taught in CNA class to provide it for patients of both sexes. I utilized chaperones appropriately, but on the other hand, my female residents accepted my care willingly, even preferentially in many cases.

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Anything involving personal care with a female = another female present in the room with me while it's accomplished. I'm not giving some sue-hungry person the opportunity to play that game.

good luck with that

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This seems absurd to me. On the occasions where a patient specifically requests to not have a male nurse, a female nurse is assigned. That is the exception, not the rule, so it's never an issue that the male nurses have fewer patients or heavier patients because of it. Workloads are divided by the numbers BUT pt weight (acuity) is factored in when the assignments are made.

I rather resent the suggestion (or outright statements) that some have made on this thread, that because they are male, they automatically get the Beast of Burden assignments. Maybe I resent it because it so emphatically does NOT happen on my unit. The few male nurses on my unit work days and evenings and are available for the same "can you give me a boost?" requests that anyone else is, but not overbearingly so. I can't count the times I've been asked BY a male nurse to assist with moving/boosting a patient!

On nights, zero male nurses. Unless we get an occasional float, but none on our unit. No male aides on ANY of the shifts. So who does the hauling around of heavy patients? The women, of course....they're the ones THERE.

If any of you fellas feel put upon by being asked to move patients a disproportionate amount of the time, SAY something. Remind whomever that your muscles get tired like everyone else, whatever works. But it's really unfair to those of us who DON'T look at you like pack mules to assume that we think it's ok to skew the assignment that way.

By the way, I've taken care of that little old lady who doesn't want the big male nurse, and she isn't exactly a treat, in my experience! She's used to being catered to in more ways than one, be assured! ;)

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I hate when the male nurses on my unit refuse to work with female patients b/c they are a "man" and "the patient won't be comfortable working with a man." If the patient isn't comfortable, I'm pretty sure that she will say so! They keep doing this, and I want to say so badly, "Are you sure it's not you that's uncomfortable? I mean, you did know that you would be working with women, too, when you went to nursing school?" And every night, the charge nurse ends up assigning all the male patients with the male nurses, and sometimes they end up with less patients b/c there aren't enough male patients for the male nurses to have the same amount of patients as everyone else. This is rediculous:banghead:. Okay....I'm done:yawn:. Whew...Carry on!

ok but on the flip side of your argument - what about the nights when there are more male patients than female patients. this means that the guys have more work than the girls. it ain't the end of the world - take a chill pill.

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I've never heard of such a thing. Yes, if a pt request it, but it's rarely happens.

Me either.

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Specializes in Med-Tele, Internal Med PCU.

I think the rule is common sense. With 99% of female patients I it's never been an issue. But one night I had a 35 y/o one night vs. the 50+ y/o of most others on my cardiac ward. At any rate, from the time I walked in to the room I could sense that "something wasn't right", I asked my preceptor to stand by the door and left the door open to do my assessment.

She proceded to initiate a conversation that was on the edge of acceptable and was filled with sexual overtones. I kept about the task at hand, ignoring the overtones, auscultating heart and bowel sounds through the gown. Later she complained to my preceptor that she was fine with a male Dr. but not a male nurse. The preceptor was also the lead and asked what I thought, I said "the hard part was over" for the rest of the night her care SHOULD only consist of passing meds. And I asked to be kept on as her nurse. The preceptor agreed, and told the pt that staffing wouldn't allow for the switch, though she or another female was outside the room (door open) whenever I went into the room.

Guys w/ female pts are an easier target, because society has its prejudices and preconceived notions. But at the same time, I am a professional and should be respected as such, that means caring for any and all pts that come through the door, period ... black, white, yellow, or green, male, female, or transgender.

The thing that has suprised me most is that more older women (>60) are very accepting, one would think that their stereotypes would be more hard to overcome (yeah, my stereotype of sterotyping).

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Specializes in NICU.

I like the male nurses on my unit. They are down to earth, no-nonsense and helpful. Especially for technical difficulty issues. I guess they've already moved past the insecurity issues if they are in the nicu though!!!

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I hate it when the female nurses on my unit think I am better at lifting and turning just because I am male.....

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ok but on the flip side of your argument - what about the nights when there are more male patients than female patients. this means that the guys have more work than the girls. it ain't the end of the world - take a chill pill.

I doubt that it happens in reverse.

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Specializes in CVICU, Burns, Trauma, BMT, Infection control.

Jeez! I take my pt assignment and take care of whomever I'm assigned. I ask for help pulling someone up because it takes TWO people. I ask whomever I see first. Women get hit on by males ALL THE TIME. You tell them that they are being inappropriate and if they continue you talk to charge about switching with someone. Honestly if males are going to make a stink about taking care of females because they might get sued they maybe we need to limit the amount of men working on these units.

I have never worked with a man who refused an asignment based on gender,this must be something new and it is unacceptable.

Generally the people I work with talk to one another and work with one another as a team and don't complain when they are appropraitely asked to help.

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Specializes in Nurse Practitioner-Emergency Room.

As a male nurse, I can say that we should do our part to take care of whatever patients we are assigned. On the other hand, I work in an emergency department. Often time, cath UA's are ordered for teenage girls, ladies in their 20s, etc. Often, these patients feel more comfortable having a lady cath them. Also, with the way people want to sue all the time, even if they do allow me to do it, I will take a female nurse, tech, etc. with me so that I will have a female witness present. I can't understand why they'll let a male doc do their pelvic, but want a female nurse to cath them, but unfortunately that's the way things are. I gladly cath any and all males that come into the ED when I'm there though, so I return the favor for my coworkers. It's often give and take while working in a fast paced ER. When I don't cath a female, it's not for my lack of work ethic, it's because of patient preference.

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