Would You Prefer a Male Nurse?

What really bothers me is that patients seem to care so much about male nurses however male doctors can do anything to them ? Why are male nurses viewed as perverts????

Yes, I would. And did. My daughter's doctors are female, except her neurologist, who does not provide initimate care.

Also, to clarify - I said that I wouldn't care who helped her if it were an emergency, but surely a patient's comfort should be taken into consideration, especially when they are minors?

Nursing student - for me, it isn't a matter of male nurses being "perverts", but rather my daughter being modest.

Thanks for clarifying and I totally understand it better now. See I learn something every day here. Thanks !

I think I've sort of asked this already but didn't really get much in response. What about situations where the staff is almost entirely male. Is the facility required to hire more female nurses? Isn't illegal to hire based on gender? What about race if patients in an area are more comfortable with white nurses can facilities hire only white nurses? What about advanced practice if the culture of an area is patriarchal and patients don't trust in the competency of female nurse practioners should the facility hire only males? I think a deeper examination of the concepts of racism and sexism would produce a discussion that addresses some really important issues. There was a time when almost all doctors were male and females were not accepted, should that have been continued in the interest of patient preference?

I feel the same way.. it depends on the situation. If I had to have my penis and scrotum handled or assisted to the restroom, I'd much rather have a male nurse. For general care, though, I wouldn't mind a female.

I know, I know, it shouldn't matter since nurses are supposed to be professionals, but yeah.

As for doctors... for some reason I don't care if it is a male or female.

I would assume the opposite for me, it just doesn't feel right to be handled by a male nurse in any situation.

Wow ImMrBill3, that is a rather loaded post. but your questions are valid. It will just take a while to answer them. I am an attorney though my specialty is not employment law. I am also a female in her 60’s that faced a great deal of discrimination years ago when I transitioned from RN to physician. As I mentioned in other posts I was usually the only women in my med school classes. In order to keep this post readable I will create brief answers after each of your questions. Here it goes!


What about situations where the staff is almost entirely male. Is the facility required to hire more female nurses?
That depends on why the staff is almost entirely male. If it is because management systematically excluded female applicants based on their gender, the facility may have a very big problem under Federal & State laws, rules and regulations. If a gender ratio like you suggest existed it could leave the facility open to lawsuits and/or government sanctions if they were not careful. The reason being that only about 5% of nurses are male. If the situation were reversed it most likely would not raise alarms because 95% of nurses are female.

Isn't illegal to hire based on gender?
It is illegal to disqualify or terminate on the basis of gender in almost all instances. Even a private/religious facility has to be careful if they accept any form of government funds (Medicare, grants, etc.). Most government contracts have rather strict anti-discrimination clauses in them.

What about race if patients in an area are more comfortable with white nurses can facilities hire only white nurses?
The facility would have to be extremely careful with such a hiring policy. It could open them up to lawsuits by applicants and possible breach of agreement issues with government agencies they may receive funds from. They could also be fined and may possibly lose accreditation(s). Any non-white nurses that worked at the facility would have a much stronger case if they sued claiming they worked in a ‘racial hostile environment’ and/or were denied promotion based on race. All in all very bad scenarios to say the least!

What about advanced practice if the culture of an area is patriarchal and patients don't trust in the competency of female nurse practioners should the facility hire only males?
Oh, as in what happened to yours truly, dnp2004 years ago?! There were several times I was denied employment for the same reason you just list. Another time I was fired for refusing to perform circumcisions. I had no choice but to exercise my legal training and sued. In all cases, it was a very expensive lesson for these facilities. So to answer your question ImMrBill3, facilities should be extremely careful when using ‘patient comfort’ claims when deciding who to employ. Their heart maybe in the right place but they might be unknowingly violating the laws. My legal battles were years ago so hopefully someone reading this knows current employment law regarding any ‘patient choice’ exemption/waiver(s) that maybe in place.

I think a deeper examination of the concepts of racism and sexism would produce a discussion that addresses some really important issues.
I totally agree with you. Though you will find many people are very uncomfortable discussing such issues with regards to medicine. Especially if the issues are; male nurse discrimination, opposite gender peri-care, intimate exam chaperones, male modesty, patient choice, etc. Many times the posts become emotional charged and quite personal. Nevertheless the subject matter is very important as more and more males get in to nursing. The reason I am so interested in the subject is because I had the same issues being a female years ago. I learned the hard way you have to fight for fairness.

There was a time when almost all doctors were male and females were not accepted, should that have been continued in the interest of patient preference?
No it shouldn’t have been because it was very discriminatory. Though I think I understand where you are coming from. With regards to gender, the whole ‘patient preference’ issue is much more of a medical industry issue than a patient one. When female physicians like me were not accepted in medicine I would always hear that patients, especially male, did not prefer a female physician. That was patently false.

I am willing to bet male nurses on www.allnurses.com find over 99.99% of female patients are quite comfortable with their care, even intimate care. Several males on this forum say they have had gender reassignment requests less than 5 times in their whole multi-year careers. So that would be better than 99.99% actually! I feel as a male nurse you may receive more apprehension from other healthcare providers than patients. It was like that for me as a women in a ‘man’s field. Though things are rapidly improving as more and more men are accepted in to nursing.

Oh, now to answer your unwritten questions. No, I never had a provider preference (M/F) as long as they were respectful, knowledgeable, proficient and had good bedside manner.

I hope my brief answers helped. Ha,Ha,Ha

I had a patient in my OB rotation Friday night (and I helped deliver her baby!). She was more comfortable talking with me than the female physicians/nurses, but I think she may have picked up on the fact that I and the med student were both gay. When I was introduced she seemed completely fine with a male being there, but when she heard my voice she kinda perked up and was more personable (until the contractions kicked in full force, then not so much). The med student was reeeeeeeeeeally gay, but I think she was annoyed with him at first because he was so chipper and she was on pit and dizzy from nubain. But after delivery she was ecstatic and I even helped dad learn how to bottle feed

My experience has been that women in general don't care about having a male nurse. I had one patient's mother in law try and get rid of me but the patient didn't care.

I have noticed this. In a few clinical rotations the few women that would "throw me out" was actually an overbearing family member, not the actual patient. I've encountered one or two females that have requested a female nursing student to help the "real" nurse, but out of the some 50 patients I've cared for so far, most of them women, none of them seemed bothered by my gender. They were more concerned with the fact that I had my stethoscope turned "off" and my lack of figuring it out, until I actually looked at my stethoscope. :-P

With that said, like most others here, when you're sick I don't think you are focusing too much on trivial matters of "social rules." You just want someone who is competent, compassionate and dedicated to their duties.

I can't think of perhaps a few (maybe 2 or 3 times) that I have ever been refused to provide care by a patient. I'm not offended by it in the least, I know that its usually not personal, its just a person's preferences. I know that I have my preferences as a patient and if it was a non-emergency then I would like to see my preferences at least considered if not catered to (just as any female patient in my situation would have their preferences catered to.) I think one thing people need to keep in mind is that just as female patients can be modest (as one user put it) and they would like a female to provide intimate care, male patients can be just as modest and they deserve to have a male provide intimate care if that is their wish (as long as its reasonably possible.) I know that when providing care to my patients, male or female if there is any sign they are uncomfortable with something (especially pericare) I will offer to allow a female coworker to assist them (most of the time they say that its not necessary.) We just have to remember its about the patient and not about us, there are countless number of reasons why a patient has a certain preference in a heath care provider and its not our place to judge but to do our best to accommodate their needs and make their experience the best it possibly can be.

!Chris