Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

I did my training in the early 90s. Some instructors were pro-male, some were blatantly anti-male but most were simply pro-nurse. Some texts referred to the nurse as 'she', none referred to nurses as 'he' and some used gender-neutral terms. So what did this all mean to me? First, it was clear that I was entering a profession in transition with regard to its gender make-up. Second, I knew that being thin-skinned about this was going to get me nowhere.

So school is behind me and I'm in the 'real' world of working nurses. What sort of discrimination have I run into? Honestly, not much from my female peers. They have been generally friendly, supportive and welcoming. Most of the physicians have treated me with professional respect. (Actually, there are times that being a male RN has improved my position among the physician staff). My greatest detractors have been a few patients and the non-medical public. Some patients have said "Why did you only want to be a nurse?", "Are you working your way up to your MD?" and a few comments about my sexuality. Most of these comments come from my elderly patients who are from a time where my role was unheard of. I also get similar comments from some of my less educated patients. The biggest discriminatory slam that I have encountered? When I tried to leave nursing a couple of years ago to pursue a career in manufacturing. Guys, sit through a couple of interviews in a male dominated profession and see what years of nursing can do for you. I learned that I was 'too soft' and could never handle the stresses of the manufacturing world. Makes the few derogatory comments that I endured in the hospital seem trivial.

With regard to some patients not being overly receptive to the male RN (ie in the L&D or OB specialties), I won't improve the situation by bullying my way into it. My best move is to politely excuse myself and slip in a bit of education in the process. This will improve over time. The key to ending any discrimination is to educate. I can react angrily and defensively to those who make these comments or I can be proud of my chosen profession and convey that pride through my interaction with the detractor. I have a choice in how I leave the encounter, do I slam the door or leave the person with a positive view of the male RN? Seems simple to me.
Thanks

Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

Don't worry those people will die out in the next 20 years

Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

Originally Posted by cptshawn

I learned that I was 'too soft' and could never handle the stresses of the manufacturing world.

Well, sure, that makes sense, doesn't it? When I was in the contracting business, I had quite a bit of stress. Making payroll. Getting a job under roof before the rain came. Getting a job, period. Help that resented it if I made a profit. Customers that resented it if I made a profit. Figuring out how to do decent work with an inadequate budget. Scrambling around on houses that are two storeys high in front, and five storeys high in back. Never having enough money, and spending too much of what I had on equipment. Etc, etc, etc...

Last night had a pt who was 13-14 on the Glasgow Coma Scale suddenly drop to 9-10, in a matter of seconds. One moment confused and combative, next moment barely responds to painful stimuli. (She was back to baseline in an hour. Never did hear what happened. I suppose I'd have heard something if the CT was bad. Partial seizure, maybe?)

I've seen some grossly incompetent contractors put people's lives at risk. Undercooked hamburgers at McDonald's can kill. I've also seen really smart doctors and nurses doing everything they can for a patient who dies, and no one ever knows for sure why, or they know exactly why and still can't do a thing about it. Saw a man who had totalled a semi and came out of it with a broken ankle throw a PE, turn blue, and die in a matter of minutes.

It's sure good we have such a soft job.

Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

Excellent posts!

Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

New here, and jumping in kinda late, BUT... In my 5 years of nursing, I have yet to see any blatant discrimination in the workplace. Culturally, some female patients will refuse certain types of care from me, but honestly, even that has been rare. As for the work environment, I almost get the feeling that being a male nurse has some advantages - some RN Managers are actively looking for men to work on their units. It does not bother me in the slightest to be in the minority at work, and I've always been treated fairly.

Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

I'm a first year student in a two year RN program and I've experienced not so much outright discrimination but definitely gender attitude from other female nurses. Thankfully my instructor was male and an awesome nurse so they really didn't have much room to push that attitude. I think a lot of women feel threatened by male nurses or absolutely love to work with them. It's a well known fact that most male nurses make very good nurses. I think the old female nurses are the worst, very stuck in their routines and old way of doing things. This crabby old nurse wouldn't let me put in a female catheter the other day, grabbed a female nursing student instead.

Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

Originally Posted by BBingRN79

I'm a first year student in a two year RN program and I've experienced not so much outright discrimination but definitely gender attitude from other female nurses. Thankfully my instructor was male and an awesome nurse so they really didn't have much room to push that attitude. I think a lot of women feel threatened by male nurses or absolutely love to work with them. It's a well known fact that most male nurses make very good nurses. I think the old female nurses are the worst, very stuck in their routines and old way of doing things. This crabby old nurse wouldn't let me put in a female catheter the other day, grabbed a female nursing student instead.

I understand what you're saying but I've run into a number of "stuck in their old ways and routines" men as well.
IMHO, they are simply less visible, because there just weren't as many men in nursing years ago as there are today, but they can get just as set in their ways with no room for change or improvement just as anyone can.
You just haven't run into them yet, but you will.
Your instructor is most likely one of your first encounters with a male in nursing and has set a good example for you, so as a very impressionable student, that tends give you a positive image of men in nursing.

Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

At first, I responded no to experiencing any gender based discrimination. But then, I remembered the award winning preceptor I didn't get along with or the super-critical DON, who went out of her way to tell me SHE didn't hire me but tried to fill the staff with people she worked with before. Others along the line, who have taken an almost irrational dislike to me come to mind as I reconsider the question.
Now, as then, I pass them off as bad experiences. I am so lucky to have found a home in nursing. As miserable as these individuals might make my situation at any given time, they generally are exceptions. Where their antipathy was too much, I left and have been fortunate to be in a place where my gender and my different approach to life are welcome.

For what it is worth, I think the biggest discrimination in Nursing is how previous education such as Bachelor's or even a Master's degree counts for nothing unless it is in Nursing. So, what is the difference between someone with a BA who gets an ADN and the BSN?

Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

My husband is a nurse in the Critical Care unit of our local community hospital. He has never had a patient reject his services or even mention his gender. We live in the rural south where change highly resisted.

In fact, he has told me on many occasions that the doctors treat him better than the female nurses. They take the time to explain things and treat him more like a peer than they do the women. He has often told me that he feels like being a male nurse is an advantage, not a detriment.

Just my 2 cents.

Adri

Re: Discrimination Against Men in Nursing

Originally Posted by Doubledee

For what it is worth, I think the biggest discrimination in Nursing is how previous education such as Bachelor's or even a Master's degree counts for nothing unless it is in Nursing. So, what is the difference between someone with a BA who gets an ADN and the BSN?

In administration's mind, the BA provided for no additional education related to nursing jobs.
I understand where you are coming from, my co-worker has her ADN and a bachelor's in health care administration. My employer refuses to compensate her for her BA because it's not in nursing so she gets paid the same as us ADN's.

On the other hand, as a BSN student, I don't think that it would be right for someone like you with a BA to be considered the same as me with a BSN.
If that were the case, I'd drop nursing and pick a liberal arts major for my bachelors if the recognition and compensation were the same regardless of what major your bachelors degree was in.