Nursing Isn't our place?

Most probably David is that you ran across a couple burned out nurses. It happens. Nursing can be a tough field, but it is also rewarding. But pal, thank God, there are more nurses who do care, do have a great attitude, and welcome men into the field. So, do not be discouraged. I always say, "If you don't like what you do, get out. Do us all a favor." Those nurses you ran in to just haven't heard the message.

Hang in there.

Dont let a few bad nurses ruin your opinion, let a few good men change it, cause some of the best nurses I know happen to be opposite gender of me

Many nurses discourage people from going into nursing, and you getting her fired (do you really have that kind of power or did you just get her assignment changed from not seeing your grandmother anymore?) certainly didn't help to change her attitude a bit. Don't be so proud of that, she was only venting her real life nursing experience. You could have picked her brain a little bit and found out some of the realities about nursing instead of shooting her down. You could have asked her "so why do you continue with nursing, what are the positives and benefits".

I've never once heard that nursing wasn't a man's place, but have heard of that being said to others. So if it's a widely held concept, at least I haven't heard it.

You're going to be hearing a lot of negatives about nursing. Just read this board for instance. But keep your eye on your goal and follow your heart. Good luck to you.

Hello,
Don't let anyone discourage you from doing what you like. I worked with 2 male nurses in particular at my last job who were WONDERFUL nurses. They were both quick to lend a hand and great with pt care. Come to think of it, I miss both of them! On that unit we were team players and would trade procedures if the pt seemed uncomfortable-meaning the male nurses would start Foleys on males and vice versa if the pt was uncomfortable. Some little old lady patients just couldn't handle any man seeing them naked. I applaud your choice to be a nurse. Best of Luck in your career.

I'm sorry that you had that experience. In the ICU, we have 6 males that work. I never EVEN think that they work in a predominantly female field. I think men belong in nursing and the old hags that think they don't should realize that times have changed!! Don't let a burnt out old hag tell ya different! Keep going in getting your RN. If I listened to my OB/GYN instructor who told me "You don't take enough time with your patients, you're almost TOO efficient," I wouldn't be where I am. Needless to say, it's not OBs. IN nursing , everyone has an opinion- take everything with a grain of salt!

Of the three professions I've dabbled in, I've always had someone or the other tell me that:

1. The profession sucked
2. I wasn't cut out for it
3. The job just wasn't "my type"

or any other excuse.

Realise that they are what they are: excuses.

David,

Simply remeber that ultimately it is your life and your career. If nursing is truly what you want to do, then don't worry about the negative things people say to you. Trust me here, I was 18 when I started my ADN program, and when my high school classmates found out my career choice...well let's just say what they told me is inappropriate for the boards.

The only person you can worry about pleasing and making happy is you. Look luck with your future school and career.

No matter what one chooses to do in life, there will always be people who doubt, disagree, or mock someone for their choice to follow their dreams. You have two choices, to let them tell you what you should and shouldn't do with your life, or follow your heart, and pursue your dreams of being a nurse. If it is was you truly want, do it, bro! In every profession, there is negative people, and they are positive people...so, choose who you listen to. However, it is true that the people who are negative may be just voicing their oppinions (good point, Tweety - I did not think until I read your reply) and telling you their frustrations they deal with in nursing. Or they may be burnt out, or just rude people...but I choose to always give people the benifit of the doubt.

You know, this reminds me of a quote I read a few years ago:

"Don't mock a person' dreams. Sometimes, it's all they have".

Or something along those lines....

This is true. The ER I'm precepting in right now, there's a couple people I'm positive are burned-out - or at the very least... really negative!

Here's an example:

Nurse: "So, you really want to do nursing?"
Me: "Yes"
Nurse: "Are you sure? You'll be sorry. This ****ing job sucks. It's terrible! You should reconsider"
Me: "Well, considering the fact that I just wrote my final exams two days ago, I think I'm a little late "
Nurse: "Well, you'll see. Don't say I didn't warn you!"


I'm certainly NOT going to say that this Nurse (or her kind) are talking out of their behinds - heck, they've been in nursing longer than I've been on Earth! I'm not going to demean or dismiss their experiences. I'd like to say that they were just having a bad day - but they've said this over a few days.

In anycase, I think I should be thankful for their input ---- for it shows me that I ought to avoid becoming one of them.

I freely admit to being more of a "skeptic" than an "optimist". I do admit to being an "idealist" --- tempered somewhat by being a "realist".


But I DO know that I'm not really fond of "negetivity" when it comes to the work place. Oh sure! I'm B***h and moan and complain as the next person - but it's mostly a coping mechanism. My whining is more sarcastic (and catered) towards humour than anything else. I get the job done - and I do a darn good job at it too - but I try to limit my "comments" as much as I can. IMHO, if you really, really, really aren't happy with our job, you ought to quit and find a different place/job.