Nursing tougher for guys than girls

Nurses Men

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Specializes in Emergency Department.

I'm one of about 8 guys in a class of 43. Generally speaking, I haven't felt that it was tougher for us guys vs the girls so far. What's interesting is that while guys are a relatively small percentage of Nurses overall, the floor I'm on this semester is about 50% male/female. Of all the nurses that I've been around, I've only EVER had one that was even CLOSE to acting like guys didn't belong in nursing. Even then, I'd have been hard-pressed to even show that she felt that way.

It's more likely in your own head as to why it seems harder for you vs your female classmates. And yes, women communicate differently than men. If you pay attention, you'll get a crash course in learning to effectively communicate with them.

Specializes in Critical Care, Education.
I wasn't trying to say men are smarter than women. This is my first time being in a female dominated enviorment, that's all.

Ahh - little grasshopper, you are experiencing enlightenment. There are only two professions that are 'female dominant' (nursing and teaching). If nothing else, this should increase your understanding of the experience of women in just about any other profession. It takes courage to overcome stereotypes.

The minority viewpoint is always different than that of the dominant group because your frame of reference is different. But that does not mean that those of us in the dominant group can ever denigrate your perceptions & tell you that you are not feeling what you feel.

Specializes in ICU.

I honestly don't think it has anything to do with gender, I think it has to do with everyone being so competitive no one likes to discuss a bad grade. I'm female and I don't like to admit to anyone when I get a bad grade. I feel like everyone is judging me. Like no one can understand why you would fail one exam during the semester. I kinda get the feeling that people look down upon me because I'm not in the nursing library 24/7. There is a group of girls that are in there all of the time and I joined them once and they gossiped so much and complained about how awful the instructor was, I chose not to go back. They acted so superior all the time because they would talk about how much they studied and if you didn't study as much as them, then you sucked. I am not in the "in" crowd but that's ok, I wasn't in high school either.:laugh:

Specializes in Med Surg.
Is it me or does nursing school seem harder for guys than girls? Im a 21 year old guy and it seems like women are more motivated than guys. I say this because as a guy, it feels embarrassing to get a bad grade when the women around you do better. What do you guys think?

I think your entire line of thinking is absolute hogwash.

Your post infers that you feel bad that girls are outperforming you; if guys performed better than you, you would not feel so bad.

Nursing school is not more difficult for either gender. I graduated with a 4.0 and every step of the way I tried to help everyone around me, girls or guys, do as well as they could. If that was "better" than me, then they got a high five, not resentment or moping.

Nursing pursuit

301 Posts

Lol my post is getting so much attention. Must be a sensitive topic.

nekozuki, LPN

356 Posts

Specializes in Pediatrics.

No worries, I'm not offended by your honest opinion. Gender can absolutely play a role in learning, and there have been many studies that suggest that certain methods of teaching/learning might work better on the whole for gender or the other. Numerous studies highlight the edge women have in language processing, and considering the frighteningly subtle phrasings in nclex-styled questions, I imagine it might present a little more of a challenge for someone (regardless of gender) who was more skilled in other areas. Perhaps it is why there has been some success in the area of same sex classrooms, where the most effective methods can be utilized and tailored to how people learn. Perpetuating gender stereotypes isn't helpful, but neither is pretending some differences don't exist.

I will say though, I didn't read your post as being embarrassed because a lowly subspecies outperformed you (it took reading the replies to gather that). Perhaps I'm guilty of stereotyping too, because I just pictured a boy on a playground wanting to impress girls and coming up short. No worries, we've all got a bit of work to do on the way we perceive gender ;)

blackvans1234

375 Posts

I just did 180 Kaplan Nclex questions

And 62 Saunders Nclex questions.

I drove to my school in a honda civic in the snow, just to get out of the house to study.

It has everything to do with desire, and nothing to do with gender.

sjalv

897 Posts

Specializes in CVICU.

I am a male and I don't consider gender at all when it comes to my performance in nursing school. It has everything to do with how motivated a person is.

My original post was a bit harsh so I edited it. But, include me in the group of people who immediately read into your post as being a bit presumptuous and sexist.

Specializes in Med Surg.
Lol my post is getting so much attention. Must be a sensitive topic.

Might wanna stop posting about smart girls hurting your feewings before chuckling about sensitivity.

Nursing pursuit

301 Posts

I wasn't trying to make this a big deal, just trying to see what people thought...and its already gone too far.

seconddegreebsn

311 Posts

Can I believe the women in your program did better on an exam than you? With that attitude, I sure can. In my program, I consistently see men picked first time and time again (for scholarships, for opportunities, for answering questions, for clinical opportunites) because the faculty is bending over backwards to be welcoming of men into nursing. And after graduation, look forward to the "glass escalator" effect. - men working as professional nurses make more money and are given promotions more quickly than women. So...sorry dude. Study harder.

Krzysztof

224 Posts

I wasn't trying to make this a big deal, just trying to see what people thought...and its already gone too far.
Ha! Check out some other threads around here. You haven't seen "too far." ;)
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