by rn/writer Staff

Updated Jun 17, 2009 at 03:17 AM by rn/writer

In another thread discussing whether there is a more "gender neutral" title than nurse, many of the respondents said they were fine with the word nurse but disliked being referred to as "male nurses." One member pointed out that we have a "male nursing" forum and suggested that we change it to "men in nursing."

What say you all?

(No, we will not be considering "fluffy love bunnies" or "hemi-powered, semi-automatic, laser-guided health missles," even though these and several others brought smiles to many faces.)

Re: What do you think of this suggestion?

Its all semantics... lets stop sniveling about what were are called and just do our jobs as nurses. You guys can be such girls at times.

Re: What do you think of this suggestion?

I'm female, but in case my opinion matters, I agree it would be a good idea to change the title of the forum, if only as part of an effort to stamp out use of the miserable, distasteful term "male nurse." Nurses are nurses -- the gender isn't important.

I worked years ago with a "nurse who happened to male" who, when asked, "Oh, are you a male nurse?" used to reply v. pleasantly, "No, I take care of females, too." I always liked that response.

Re: What do you think of this suggestion?

Originally Posted by Sapper41

Its all semantics... lets stop sniveling about what were are called and just do our jobs as nurses. You guys can be such girls at times.

LOL!!!!! I have been wanting to say something like this for such a long time. There have, IMHO, been so many posters that were so whinny and dramatic I had to wonder whether they stood up or sat down to ........... Sorry, it was getting to the point that most posts here were just lame. Just pull up your pants and get to work and stop worrying what you are called.

Re: What do you think of this suggestion?

"There have, IMHO, been so many posters that were so whinny and dramatic I had to wonder whether they stood up or sat down to ........."

I hadn't seen the other thread; but you guys are cracking me up!!!

Re: What do you think of this suggestion?

So, do we leave the title "Male Nursing Forum," which some say perpetuates the stereotypical view that nursing is a female occupation and males are the exception? Or do we switch to "Men in Nursing Forum?"

Now I'm wondering if we should have taken "hemi-powered, semi-automatic, laser-guided health missles" off the table.

Re: What do you think of this suggestion?

I like the idea of changing it to "Men in Nursing." And so does my DH, also an RN.

Re: What do you think of this suggestion?

...I've been called 'Doctor Nurse' a few times. Also been asked if when I finish my nursing, I'll be off to medical school to complete my training...

It doesn't matter what we decide to call ourselves, the public will always get it muddled up...

...but "laser-guided health missile"...maybe I can get a badge with that on...that would rock...

Re: What do you think of this suggestion?

Originally Posted by rn/writer

So, do we leave the title "Male Nursing Forum," which some say perpetuates the stereotypical view that nursing is a female occupation and males are the exception? Or do we switch to "Men in Nursing Forum?"

Now I'm wondering if we should have taken "hemi-powered, semi-automatic, laser-guided health missles" off the table.

Naaaah....leave it as is. Makes no difference to me.

Re: What do you think of this suggestion?

I'd be in favor of a forum name-change, but I wouldn't lose any sleep over it staying the same either.

I've been really involved this past year networking with men in nursing around California and co-founding a new chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing in the Bay Area. It's made me a lot more aware of some of the issues with the term "male nurse", and I've found that "men in nursing" seems to be the preferred nomenclature within these organizations and in much of the literature about men in nursing by male nurses.

Now there, see, I just said it myself, "male nurse." Hey, that's okay. Sometimes it's awkward to say it any other way when we need to specify that that the nurse we're talking about is a man. I just find the term "male nurse" distasteful when it's used automatically and unnecessarily.

Also, I'm a big advocate for taking measures to increase the recruitment and retention of men in the nursing profession. We're a huge and mostly untapped resource to help fill the nursing shortage. I think the term "male nurse" sometimes poses an obstacle to that because it implies that we're an anomaly and it's somehow abnormal for a man to choose this profession. Let's talk about the stereotypes too, like that "male nurses" are all failed doctor-wannabes. These images, like the "battleaxe" and "naughty nurse" are barriers to our profession being respected as much as it is trusted.

I believe "male nurse" can be used in very appropriate and positive ways, but... sometimes it just carries too much baggage. That's enough for me to feel like we shouldn't self-identify with the term on this public forum when there are other terms that don't so readily connote with these negative ideas.

On a personal note, I feel like "men in nursing" better reflects my own take on things, that being: I'm a man, and I'm a nurse, not a man-nurse. I look forward to the day that we can all just be "nurses."

My two cents.