What's special about male nurses?

zenman · Nov 18, 2006

Please lets not allow ourselves to buy into these stereotypes! I assure you that I can make blatant lies about my coworkers behind their backs and still act like the victim's best friend just like any female can!
Oh and how is everyone today

Hormone check :rotfl:

tgb3rn · Nov 18, 2006

Hormone check :rotfl:

LOL, was thinking the same thing!!!:rotfl:

Now watch everyone get mad over you saying that.

Indy, LPN, LVN · Nov 18, 2006

I really don't want to call male nurses "murses" because that's too close to the way I pronounce "MRSA."

nursemike, ASN, RN · Nov 18, 2006

I work on a unit with a nice mix of men and women of different ages and experience levels, and we're all special, but I don't think I'd say any of us is more special than the others. A number of threads in the male forum deal with issues you may expect to face. Guys do sometimes get called on to assist with lifts and sometimes with combative patients, but not every male is better equipped for these tasks than every female. You may need a female to assist with some duties on modest female patients, but you may also be asked to assist with bashful males.

If I were looking for another job, I think I would prefer one where I wasn't the only guy. It's sophomoric and unprofessional, but it's nice to have someone around to discuss what the new GN might look like, naked, and other important guy stuff. But I'd look first for a group that works well together. One can always discuss "guy stuff" with friends away from work, after all.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2006

I think it's sad that so many people work with so many backstabbers, like the person above who has come across 20 male backstabbers. That's obscene.

One coworker, one time, "backstabbed" me by going to the manager with some very mistaken presumptions. The person was way off base and caused a minor stink because the manger at first believed this instigator. Maybe in a round about way they thought they were being helpful to the unit. The sex of the person is not important.

Other than that, I haven't been backstabbed and I don't see much of it going on, male or female. Guess I'm lucky that way.

Nothing special about males, and nurses are in demand period........male and female.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Nov 18, 2006

I really don't want to call male nurses "murses" because that's too close to the way I pronounce "MRSA."

:rotfl: :rotfl: :rotfl:

RNOTODAY, BSN, RN · Nov 19, 2006

I like that male nurses are in demand, because, it enforces the idea that nursing is NOT specifically a female job..... it really isnt, if you think about it. It is highly skilled, involves assertiveness, critical thinking... etc. Why should that be a "women only" job? I think that many years ago, it was a female profession, because, the role was that of "caregiver"... now pts are sicker, and technology has changed the scope of practice of a nurse. We simply are required to do more, and know more than years ago. Healthcare is a different animal now. I actually hate the term "male nurse" . We dont say "female doctor", do we?

banditrn · Nov 19, 2006

Hi everyone,
I'm pre-nursing, and everyone keeps talking to me about how male nurses are in demand and what an asset it's going to be for me. I get that men rarely enter the profession, but I don't see why there is all this buzz or what people think men can do differently. If anyone would care to share their perspectives on this I'd appreciate, cuz I'm not seeing it!

Nothing. They are no better or no worse. They just 'are'.:) Most everyone I've worked with has been fine - liked some more than others, but that's the same with the gals.

At my last hospital job, had a new male nurse who was just a bit lazy - so he started asking us to take all his female patients to the bathroom for him - their privacy, ya know. I told him that would be fine with me, but then HE had to take all my MALE patients to the BR. Well, he didn't see it that way, so I told him to start doing his own work, and to stop trying to push it off on the rest of us - and we got along fine after that!

grace90, LPN, LVN · Nov 19, 2006

One night when I floated to the tele floor, the tele tech was male, and on his break he came out to the desk. The female nurses proceeded to make a bunch of reverse-sexist jokes and sexual comments. I didn't think this was real cool, and I kind of guessed he may have been uncomfortable with it. After all, if a female was around a bunch of guys who were doing that, she'd be REAL ticked off and uncomfortable and cried sexual harassment. Seems like double standards.

tgb3rn · Nov 19, 2006

One night when I floated to the tele floor, the tele tech was male, and on his break he came out to the desk. The female nurses proceeded to make a bunch of reverse-sexist jokes and sexual comments. I didn't think this was real cool, and I kind of guessed he may have been uncomfortable with it. After all, if a female was around a bunch of guys who were doing that, she'd be REAL ticked off and uncomfortable and cried sexual harassment. Seems like double standards.

Speaking as the only male nurse EVER to work at my Hospital, it is a double standard. Most men do not take offense to this sort of behavior in any way shape or form, myself included. In todays P.C. sociaty it is all walking a thin line. You must know the person you are talking to and the people around that are able to hear it as well. Prior to getting into this field I was a welder, a mechanic, consrtuction worker, did 4 years in the ARMY, and several other male dominated professions. I can now say that the sterotype of consrtuction workers whistling and gawking at ladies may have some truth to it, but when there is a group of women together they behave in much the same way--in my experience. I feel everyone should just lighten the he** up. As to the sterotype of men being the workhorse or stronger as another reason to have them around---it is almost always a true statement so what the heck is wrong with saying it?

(DISCLAIMER:) )This is only my feelings and opinion on the matter and is not mean't to offend anyone, This may be the new and improved PC America but I am entitled to my opinion just the same.

Tom

nursemike, ASN, RN · Nov 19, 2006

I don't imagine anyone would look upon the statement that men are usually physically stronger as a sexist stereotype. It's a simple fact of anatomy that men tend to be larger than women, and pound-for-pound more muscular. Nor, I think, does our society look upon physical strength as a moral virtue--it's handy to have, but doesn't make you a better person.

The statement that men are easier to work with could well be sexist, and I personally don't find it especially true. The men I work with in nursing are mostly great, and so are the women. A few of both genders have some disagreeable traits, but even they are pretty decent folks, taken on the whole.

I do, however, place more importance on the phrase "in my experience" than others may, in that I'm willing to interpret it as a statement about the person making the statement, rather than those described.

In my experience, I've known several women who related better to men than to other women. Some women just don't seem able to form close friendships with other women, but get along fabulously with guys. And speaking as a guy, such gals are often a lot of fun to be around. But I do think that sort of nature is a disadvantage. Same sex friendships in general are an important part of a well-rounded social life, and many women, including many "girly-girls" (as opposed to tomboys--I'm not discussing sexual orientation, here, even though some of my favorite women do happen to be gay) are very much worth knowing.

It is, of course, sexist to generalize the qualities of some women to all women, and, I think, especially unfortunate when those qualities are of a negative nature. It isn't strictly fair to assert that all women are nurturing, but it seems especially egregious to say that all women, or even most women, are backstabbers. In my experience, a good many women are nurturing and supportive, though I wouldn't venture to estimate a percentage.

royr · Nov 19, 2006

As a male the most frequently commented on aspect of my performance in nursing has been the fact that I have a different perspective and aproach to our pt's. issues than my female counter parts on the nursing team. Many times I have been asked to assist with situations where "Everything" has been tried to get a desired outcome, and the solution was simply another set of eyes looking at the problem from a different perspective. The fact that men and woman aproach life's chalenges differently can only serve to make a health care team stronger by giving it a wider resource base from which to draw. I feel this is why male nurses should be sought out. If your desire is to have heavy objects repositioned, they make Hoyer lifts for that job and anyone can operate them with training. It should be all about the pt's and their needs - everything else is just background noise.