What's something you never expected as a male nurse?

[Darth Practicus]

Haven't seen a new post in this subforum in months, so I thought I would kick off a new wave of discussion to help spur ideas for a presentation I have planned next month geared towards men in healthcare. What's something you never expected to run into as a male nurse? Can be something positive, negative, but preferably surprising.

Cheers,

Darth Practicus, FNP

[That Guy, BSN, RN, EMT-B]

How much of a big deal people STILL make of being a male nurse.

Its nurse. Thats it.

[RNrhythm, BSN, RN]

Do we all look alike? I am surprised when a patient (not mine) or their family mistakes me for their male nurse, even though my colleague and I will be dramatically different in age, shape, and ethnicity.

[RNrhythm, BSN, RN]

When I entered healthcare, I definitely did not expect to get hit on by so many elderly ladies.

I am a male RN that gets hit on by elderly men. It must be my vibe, but dementia dudes dig me.

[barcode120x, RN, NP]

Do we all look alike? I am surprised when a patient (not mine) or their family mistakes me for their male nurse, even though my colleague and I will be dramatically different in age, shape, and ethnicity.

Happens to coworkers and I often as well. Then again, it probably doesn't help that we're all Asian. But I guess all Asians look alike too?

[dRummiN_KS]

I didn't expect how differently patients act when a male nurse is taking care of then rather than a female. There was one instance where 2 of female nurses were trying to keep a patient from jumping out bed with verbal communication and educational reinforcement. Patient was elderly with psyche issues. So they call me in to help and the patient instantly calmed down.

On a not so serious note, I didn't realize how many women enjoy watching HGTV! It always on in the breakroom even after I change it to ESPN. Days of watching ESPN during lunch have finally come to a close.

[gcupid]

Never expected

1. how much women love each other face to face but hate each other behind one another's back.

2. The acceptance of bullying.

3. lack of communication between doctors & nurses.

4. to be held responsible for everything whether it falls underneath nursing jurisdiction or not.

5. Low pay (When taking into consideration full job role responsibility, stress, skills, knowledge, etc.)

6. to be held to a higher accountability than all the other disciplines

7. patients/family can get away with things in a hospital that in other buildings would guarantee jail time or at least get kicked out.

8.to be worked this hard and see women in their 60's or pregnant women doing the same job without aborting/dieing

9. telling the docs what to order

10. to be yelled & fussed & cursed out so many times for things that are outside of my control!

11. to be stabbed in the back by so many political cut throat psychopaths

12. to grow to love what I do because its not boring & it actually mattters

13. to feel the best part of nursing is flexibility in scheduling

[Section8UpX68WM6, CNA, LVN, EMT-B]

On 5/8/2017 at 4:10 AM, barcode120x said:

I never expected to cry with and for my patient. Prior to that patient, I hadn't cried in years. I'm a pretty chill dude that chillaxes every day, but that patient really touched my heart and mind. Haven't cried since then too.

Man, when I worked for this hospital in San Francisco as a nurses aide back in the late 90s, I cried a few times in the restroom in the NOC shift. Probably was getting burnt out and didn't even know it. You see a lot in the hospital in the form of death and suffering year after year. Plus NOC can be lonely and depressing as F. Back in those days, nurses aides did a lot including participating in code events or rapid responses. We did blood sugar checks, ekgs, foley insertions, blood draws, IV machine troubleshooting, QC on crash carts and defibulators, and retrieving blood and meds downstairs, and etc etc. The RNs had it good with us around along with the LVNs as help.

[GBC_Student, BSN, RN]

I never expected the amount of casual sexism that comes my way as a man in nursing. Nursing teachers, students, preceptors, managers, floor nurses. It's never ending. When I first started as a nursing student I was astounded by the ridiculous things that came out of seemingly educated women. Now I understand just how ignorant some people can be and it doesn't bother me to nearly the same extent.

[IEDave, ASN, CNA, LVN]

True dat. Being "one of the girls" was, and still is, a real eye opener. In some ways I find it utterly fascinating to sit down and just listen to the conversations, because prior to being a nurse a lot of the topics were "hush-hush". As a nurse...um, yeah. Doesn't particularly bother me, 'cause at the end of the day I don't have to go home to any of it, being single. Staying out of it at work, still very much a work in progress.

- Dave

[Lynker, LPN]

Haven't worked as a nurse yet, but I got hit on a lot as a CNA. Butt pinched, called sexy, all of it. lol. Loved my crazy residents.

I also got a lot of good remarks when I told patient families I was finishing up nursing school soon. "Wow, a male going into nursing! Amazing!" was a common phrase I heard. ?

[Tron8622]

To have female colleagues think that Im one of them . In terms of joining their mean girl clique or the clique attempting to mean girl me . I always keep it professional and hold them to professionalism . Coming from a family that contains lawyers , a politician, and a judge I better follow the law . I always like the look on the female bullies face once I treaten them and the hospital with a lawsuit and my only witness being the pt . lol God why are nurses mean to each other . I feel that when U have problems with the male nurses or doctors I feel if you talk to them with confidence and ask what their issues are that usually comes to terms . A come to jesus meeting as we put ot in the south .

[Orca, ADN, ASN, RN]

On 5/6/2017 at 6:43 PM, azhiker96 said:

I never expected to need to take a short emotion break after a high stress situation. Had a patient who developed a post thyroidectomy hemorrhage. She was losing her airway due to compression when I was able to get the surgeon there after multiple calls. He decompressed her neck in PACU and took her back to the OR. I had to spend a few minutes alone before I could continue my shift.

That is just smart. On the mental health unit where I was a charge nurse, we routinely took a break as a group and processed events and critiqued our own performance when we had an incident on the unit (whether it led to restraints or not, but especially when it did).