Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

I am in my last semester GRADUATION IN 30 DAYS.. WOOHOOO (um okay.. with that being said.. heheheh)... we have 5 men in our nursing class... and you know what.. I would take them as a nurse before I would let some of the women in my class take care of me.

There was an article written about our class.. (cause we have the most men ever going back to school.. these men were in a previous life before nursing school, a cop, a fireman, a land broker, a paramedic and a computer programmer)...

One of our Male Members... Loui... made a statement and it was printed in the paper... we still laugh about it:

"Real men aren't afraid to wear Pink Scrubs!"

I think for people who are in our profession, or students thereof who do not support men coming into this wonderful profession... just really do not have the spirit of nursing... it doesn't matter the color of the person nor the gender... a helping hand in a time of need is grasped without looking between the legs!

(im gettin of my soap box now)

YOU GO GUYS!!!! YOUR"E AWESOME!!!!!

HUGS
Rae

Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

The two times I have been inpatient I specifically requested a male nurse. I wouldn't do that if I was an inpatient in my own hospital, but when I don't work with the guys after my discharge I request men. However I didn't have to disrobe for any of them or anything similar. I do it for a couple of reasons, the main one being that rarely does any female request a male nurse.

If we can prefer male doctors, what's the big deal about requesting a male nurse? My last male nurse was the best in the business. If I was really going through a rough medical issue and I needed someone with absolutely the best skills... I'd request him again in a heartbeat.

As I wrote on another thread, I also don't make for the best of patients. If he can go home at night without wanting to cut his wrists after taking care of me for that shift, the man deserves metal.

If we female nurses don't set some standards, who will?

Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

I have encountered no patient issues yet.

The only time my "maleness" has been any issue was early in nursing school a few of the women, a few times perhaps, would start talking "girl talk" ie periods, cramps, sex life at home, how bad men are, that type of stuff, and then look at me and say "maybe you dont want to hear this" and I just shrugged and said "well if a little discussion on (whatever the subject) bothers me, then I should find somewhere else to spend my time than nursing school!"

Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

Originally Posted by Raevyn

I am in my last semester GRADUATION IN 30 DAYS.. WOOHOOO (um okay.. with that being said.. heheheh)... we have 5 men in our nursing class... and you know what.. I would take them as a nurse before I would let some of the women in my class take care of me.

There was an article written about our class.. (cause we have the most men ever going back to school.. these men were in a previous life before nursing school, a cop, a fireman, a land broker, a paramedic and a computer programmer)...

One of our Male Members... Loui... made a statement and it was printed in the paper... we still laugh about it:

"Real men aren't afraid to wear Pink Scrubs!"

I think for people who are in our profession, or students thereof who do not support men coming into this wonderful profession... just really do not have the spirit of nursing... it doesn't matter the color of the person nor the gender... a helping hand in a time of need is grasped without looking between the legs!

(im gettin of my soap box now)

YOU GO GUYS!!!! YOUR"E AWESOME!!!!!

HUGS
Rae

Thank you

But I dont and wont wear Pink Scrubs or pink anything else for that matter

Just not a pink kind of guy I guess

Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

Originally Posted by Balder

I have encountered no patient issues yet.

The only time my "maleness" has been any issue was early in nursing school a few of the women, a few times perhaps, would start talking "girl talk" ie periods, cramps, sex life at home, how bad men are, that type of stuff, and then look at me and say "maybe you dont want to hear this" and I just shrugged and said "well if a little discussion on (whatever the subject) bothers me, then I should find somewhere else to spend my time than nursing school!"

I usually tell them, "That's okay, I'm a nurse, I know about this stuff..."

A fair number of the nurses on my unit are guys, and some of our conversations are probably not appropriate for mixed company. Things like which CNA I wouldn't mind giving me a bed bath, or whether the charge nurse is exhibiting PMS symptoms. Typically, I don't think these conversations are overheard by anyone likely to be offended by them, so I have to wonder why some women have trouble showing similar discretion.
To a certain extent, I think there is sometimes a little testing going on--they're evaluating our ability to be "one of the girls." A guy who screams and faints over menstruation probably is in the wrong field, and plenty of gender-neutral nurse talk is not for the faint-hearted. I was talking to an aide one day who said she had been having abdominal pain for a couple of days, and before I even thought about it I asked this pretty girl, half my age, how long it had been since her last BM. Haven't yet tried that as an opening line at the local pub, but it is kind of amazing how different a world nursing can be.
I do think some of these discussions can be helpful, in a way. Getting a little desensitized in casual discourse may make it easier to approach such matters in a clinical setting. You can't do a thorough history on a woman of childbearing age without addressing reproductive issues, so getting used to it is probably not a bad idea.

Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

Welcome to the wonderfull world of nursing

Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

Originally Posted by Tweety

My insurance is at my own hospital so if I'm a patient there, I will raise a stink if a female coworker wants to put a foley in me or give me a bath, sorry, it's going to be a male coworker or my bladder explodes and I stink. LOL

Tweety, did you think this one through? If your bladder pops then you need a foley AND a bath!

:hatparty: :hatparty: :hatparty:

Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

Originally Posted by nursemike

Tom, I hope you were kidding. If you seriously don't like having a male nurse, shame on you. If you seriously like having a female nurse more than you ought to, shame on you. Unless you're having altered mental status, of course.

Personally, I very much prefer not to need any nurse.

I think I might need to eat my words to Tom, a little. On further thought, I must admit that even for something as asexual as having vital signs taken, I find something rather soothing in being touched by a female, and something a little uncomfortable in being touched by a male. But I certainly wouldn't decline a male nurse over it. In fact, I'm not all that crazy about being touched by anyone I don't know, and for something as personal as a Foley or an enema, I'm not sure which gender would be more unpleasant.

Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

Originally Posted by nursemike

I think I might need to eat my words to Tom, a little. On further thought, I must admit that even for something as asexual as having vital signs taken, I find something rather soothing in being touched by a female, and something a little uncomfortable in being touched by a male. But I certainly wouldn't decline a male nurse over it. In fact, I'm not all that crazy about being touched by anyone I don't know, and for something as personal as a Foley or an enema, I'm not sure which gender would be more unpleasant.

Good post!

Re: attitudes of male and female patients towards male nursing students

I have never needed a foley or an enema, but I dont think I want that kind of personal service from a coworker (male or female) better to have someone I never met and let them keep that professional distance.

BTW I have always picked a female NP for my primary care whenever allowed by my health plan. at about 14 my doc (old gruff male) went on 1 yr leave, requesting that we stay with his NP's till his return. he never came back and those NP's where so great i stayed with them for many years. within a yr they knew me better than that old goat ever did, I have since had 2 other NP's who always got to know ME right away. it was obvious the two docs (even the knew young guy) i had later never even had a clue who I was, even after multiple appts.

as mater of fact the doc I have now is the first Male MD i have ever had that I am actually comfortable with and who actually knows ME. and he works in a clinic that targets the migrant population, but I have noticed a completly different level of care from this staff than at any of the high strung money hungry clinics around. plus I can practice my spanish when I go there.