Hollywood's Portrayal of Male Nurses?

Nursing Students Male Students Nursing Q/A

I need some feedback for my class about the portrayal of male nurses in movies and television shows. Comments would greatly be appreciated on whether it is positive or negative portrayal.

36 Answers

On Scrubs, Dr. Elliot Reid dates a male nurse on accident thinking he was a doctor. She calls him a murse, freaks out and almost ends it. They also make fun of his last name being "Flowers" at some point... She later gets over it and they're together for a while. He's not feminine in the least -he bosses Elliot around - which she eventually dumps him for. The portrayal of Nurse Flowers isn't bad, it also seems to make fun of Elliot for being worried about him being a male nurse.

I think it's a fairly positive portrayal - it points out the stereotype (girly scrubs, "murse," last name "Flowers") but it also challenges it (him being so manly and controlling).

All I have to say is rent the movie Meet the Parents.

It's all about a male nurse and how he is portrayed.

Meet the parents LOL reminds me of Gaylord Focker

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

I would like to see a television program which features a normal male nurse: not necessarily gay, most likely a dad, committed to his profession, caring, efficient and a leader, etc.

Still waiting...

Specializes in icu/er ccrn.

Here is the majority of typecasting for the man nurse.

#1 Gay

#2 Wanna be doctor, just doing nursing till I get into med school and

#3 Some high strung know it all thats always pushing the limits

Never do they portray the guy as a quiet proffesional that is just trying to get through the shift doing the best he can with what he has just like everyother nurse in the place. Nothing more and certainly nothing less.

Who wants to watch anyone - man or women - who is "quiet professional that is just trying to get through the shift doing the best he can"? Film characters are suppose to be interesting to a broad population, and "normal" people are not. I would love for my classmates to have all their dialogue written by Tarantino, instead of the endless stream of mundane chick-chat.

I do agree with your 3 generalizations of male nurses tho.

Specializes in icu/er ccrn.

just wait till you are approached by a pts family member or visitor and asked are most male nurses gay like they are on tv. screw that tv stuff, all its done for me is allow people to think #1 that i could be gay or #2 i couldnt make it in med school..you know just like on tv.

Specializes in LDRP.

I feel passionately about this subject! I am a female starting nursing school soon and I am SO utterly annoyed with how Hollywood portrays male nurses. I have yet to see a male nurse role in a movie or on TV that is cast in a positive light and not constantly degraded and insulted. I know of the gay male nurse stereotype, but most of what I've seen is that the male nurse either could never make it as a doctor or is "using nursing to get through med school" - seriously?!?! I am personally very happy to see more men going into nursing and I sincerely hope that there aren't men holding back for fear of the stereotypes circulating and being perpetuated by these awful TV shows.

To all the male nursing students and nurses out there: I give you mad props! :yeah: ...especially those of you who are older and who probably grew up during a time when these stereotypes were accepted as common knowledge. Though it's probably inevitable, I hope with all my heart that you don't have to deal with people (whether it's patients, patients' families, or your own friends or family) who are apparently still living in a 1950s world where doctors are men and nurses are women.

MORE POWER TO YOU! Thanks for letting me vent! :bugeyes:

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.

Nurse Steiner on Hawthorne seems okay.

Specializes in CNA, Nursing Student.

I remember years ago, watching Friends where there was a male nurse in one of the delivery scenes where one of them asked him if he felt girly for being a male nurse, and he said something to the effect of "Didn't feel so girly when I was nursing deployed in the gulf" Made me smile when I saw that.

Specializes in LDRP.
I remember years ago, watching Friends where there was a male nurse in one of the delivery scenes where one of them asked him if he felt girly for being a male nurse, and he said something to the effect of "Didn't feel so girly when I was nursing deployed in the gulf" Made me smile when I saw that.

...but I think in that same episode, sometime around when he says that, he adds that he's working as a nurse just to put himself through med school. Cuz a guy can't be "just" a nurse, he has to at least be on his way to becoming a doctor! :icon_roll

Specializes in LDRP.
Nurse Steiner on Hawthorne seems okay.

I only watched some of the first season of Hawthorne, so I don't know if his character has evolved since then, but in every episode I watched, he was either getting slack from a patient for being a male nurse, or he was lamenting over the fact that he did poorly on the MCAT or couldn't get into med school, whichever it was. I never saw him portrayed as a positive role model that other male nurses would want to emulate.

Yeah, I know it's television and not to be taken seriously, but I would just like to see the role of a male nurse presented in a non-stereotypical way :)

+ Add a Comment