Reccomend a gender neutral title to replace "Nurse"!

Nurses General Nursing

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Other professional titles such as mailman or stewardess have been replaced with gender neutral titles like postal worker and flight attendant, and as someone put it before on the forums here the term nurse implies an act that by definition requires having mammaries! what would you reccomend as a gender neutral replacement title?

Other professional titles such as mailman or stewardess have been replaced with gender neutral titles like postal worker and flight attendant, and as someone put it before on the forums here the term nurse implies an act that by definition requires having mammaries! what would you reccomend as a gender neutral replacement title?

The term nurse is gender neutral title- we don't call female nurses nursettes, or nurse-woman. Nurse and doctor are both gender neutral titles- just like teacher, professor, plumber, and so on. They're all gender neutral.

Some may claim the term "nurse" is gender neutral, but the profession isn't. As one earlier poster said, you can use what ever

name you want, but the vast majority of "nurses" are women, as are cna's, medical assistants, medical techs., medical

receptionists, etc. Projections suggest that in the not too distant future, females may outnumber males as doctors, too. Words are only words. Reality is reality. The term "nurse" will actually take on a gender neutral status when the profession actually becomes gender neutral. Changing names to make oneself feel better, to "create" a reality that doesn't exist, is what George Orwell would call double speak.

Call me crazy, but I didn't dream about being a Medical Management Technologist, a Registered Medical Management Facilitator, or even a hemi powered semi automatic laser guided health missile (as much as I like the name)

I dreamt, worked, studied, cried, and bled to become a Nurse and ***** I'm proud of my title.

Just my :twocents:

Please, The title "Nurse" is obviously no more gender neutral than the title "Sister" that is used in some European countries. I understand well the pride that female nurses have in the title "Nurse", but don't you think that all the male dominated fields that have changed their titles in the last 30 years have felt the same sense of pride and attachment to their titles?

My main point that I would like you to consider is the impact of the title "Nurse" on recruitment of men into this field. Words do have a certain kind of power. Right now the power of the title Nurse is similar to the boys club - "no girls allowed" sign above the club house door. Yes, I am a big strong "hetro-sexual male" and it makes me feel very uncomfortable, and to a degree unwelcome in the nursing field.

So when you circle the wagons of tradition to defend your position on the title "Nurse" consider what it really is you are trying to keep out.

Specializes in ER.

The term "Mailman" had the word man in it. Same with "fireman" and "policeman". I can see why those needed to be changed. As for nurses, the name in itself is gender neutral. The word may be associated with females but that can change. Doctor used to be associated with males. It still is for the most part but I don't think we should change the title. People's perceptions will change over time as more women gain the title. My own personal reason for dreaming of a title change is because I don't particularly like the perception people have that nurses only take temperatures and give bed baths. But like I said before, over time this will change. The more people become educated about our jobs the more they will lose those misconceptions. It is our job to be educated, professional, and diverse in order to promote the changes we want to see.

*edited to add: the men I went to school with are proud to be called "nurse" :) Although they do sometimes like to wear a shirt that says "Murse" on it for fun!

I am not saying a man cannot be proud to be a "nurse". It is a very honorable profession, worthy of much greater respect that it has been given. But I would love to hear from a male nurse that actually likes the title. I have been asking around and I haven't found one yet. Men, if you are out there please respond...

Specializes in LTC.

And why did we drudge this topic up fromthe grave of 2009? It is ridiculous. You want to change Doctor into something more gender neutral too??? *rolleyes*

How do you like "Beast of Burden"?

i am not saying a man cannot be proud to be a "nurse". it is a very honorable profession, worthy of much greater respect that it has been given. but i would love to hear from a male nurse that actually likes the title. i have been asking around and i haven't found one yet. men, if you are out there please respond...

okay, so you went to the trouble to resurrect a 3 year old thread but couldn't be bothered to read the 4th post in it?

i guess that i fail to see how the title "nurse" is in any way "gender-specific", at least in regard to how it's used today... yes, i'm aware of the origins of the word, and the history of nursing, and all of that. i think we've progressed quite a ways beyond that however. i'm a guy, studying to be a nurse, and i can't wait to proudly wear that title. nothing wrong with it at all.

btw - i'm not really a big fan of "gender neutral language" myself.... in many cases it sounds contrived, stilted, and a bit odd.

as peter griffin would say, "der ya go." ;)

Specializes in LTC.

HAHAHAAAA. ehem.

I am not saying a man cannot be proud to be a "nurse". It is a very honorable profession, worthy of much greater respect that it has been given. But I would love to hear from a male nurse that actually likes the title. I have been asking around and I haven't found one yet. Men, if you are out there please respond...

My father was an RN back in the 1930s. He later went to medical school and spent many years practicing medicine, but was always proud of having been a nurse and did not hesitate to tell people that. He considered the title a "badge of honor." I'm always amused by the men who have recently come to (or thought about) nursing who seem to assume that this is a new issue and of course men have a problem with being called nurse.

I've been in nursing close to 30 years now, and have worked with men-who-happen-to-be-nurses throughout my career -- young, old, new, seasoned, different ethnic/cultural backgrounds, you name it. The only place I've ever encountered any males expressing discomfort with the title "nurse" is on this site.

Human blame dump sounds appropriate to me - it's even gender neutral! :devil:

Also, I'm a male nurse that likes being a 'nurse.' Not Murse, or whatever other cutesy degrading thing people think is cute/funny, but nurse is fine.

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