I don't want a male nurse! - Caption Contest Winner

[Brian]

As nurses, we get a lot of requests. What is the most frequent request in your place of work?

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[mind_body_soul RN]

I should add that other than for womens' health matters, I don't mind having a male nurse. In my experience, they have been gentler with injections and phlebotomy on me than female nurses.

[Alex Egan, LPN, EMT-B]

Was this supposed to be funny?

[Career2_BSN, BSN]

The best nurse I ever had was male...and a student nurse. He was a former police officer. I was in the ER for what they thought was appendicitis but what turned out to be a twisted ovary that caused the fallopian tube to rupture. I was 10 weeks pregnant at the time. The doc had NO bedside manner at all and clearly didn't want to be on shift any more than I wanted to be his patient.

I arrived just before shift change. The nurse going off shift, female, gave me 2mg (I think it was mg, not CC, forgive me if my measurement is off since I haven't yet entered NS. I remember the number) of morphine for pain. She checked on me a few minutes later to see how I was doing. I told her I wasn't aware she had given me anything (she administered it in the IV which was over my head and I had my eyes closed most of the time while I focused on breathing through the pain. She gave me 2 more mg of morphine and when she checked on me again to see how I was doing, I accused her of giving me saline. Yea.....not a pleasant patient... my bad. So, she gave me 4 more. Now I'm up to 8mg and finally, the pain is gone.

Now shift change.

That $%^&^ doc starts pushing on my side and asks me if it hurts more when he pushes or when he lets go. All I knew is I was fine before he touched me and now, according to Mom, I'm white as a sheet and can barely breathe again. Two days later, when I saw my OB, she explained that he was checking for appendicitis. Anyway, this male nursing student, read my chart, saw that I needed a dose of 8 before I felt any relief and told me he wasn't going to mess around with anything less, he was going to give me 8. I could have kissed him right then and there!

Long story short, I got up to 40 when he decided I had had enough morphine and he would switch me to Dilotted (sp?) if I needed any more. He laughed at me and said he couldn't believe I was coherent. He explained that people can come in there with a femur break and 8 knocks them out. I had had 40 and was still lucid. That amazed him.

While in the ER, I overheard him dealing with a drunk outside my room. Police had arrested him and due to his intoxication, had to have him checked out before taking him to jail. The guy was getting belligerant and female nurses were trying to get him to sit down and behave. My nurse was calm and firm as he addressed the drunk and he got the man to sit down and shut up. I didn't hear a peep out of him the rest of the time I was there.

I am all for male nurses and I have encouraged all three of my sons to consider it as a career. So far, none of them are interested, but they're young....they may come around. :)

[Poochiewoochie]

The best Gyno I've ever has was a male. I had bleeding for 7 weeks after I went off the pill and my female provider at the time just laughed at it-said if it were any consolation my period would eventually end. The male gynecologist I was referred to was a little taken back when I told him what she said and said, but why suffer if you don't have to. I had a Novasure endometrium ablation and never had any problems since.

[al586]

The best nurse I ever had was male. I no longer care about the sex of a nurse, only their abilities.

[Guest343211]

I am all for being sensitive on one hand, but OTOH, I feel like, "Hey be very, very grateful when you get good, competent, and compassionate healthcare, regardless of gender. . .or race. . .etc.

You need treatment. . .excellent, competent, caring treatment. . .seriously, that IS the main thing.

Culture things are there, but for some folks, it's not about this. Somehow they have let a person's reproductive organs dictate what is or isn't for them. Kind of sad when you think about it. I'm an equal opportunity practitioner as well as patient. :)

[amygarside]

The gender does not really matter as long as they take good care of you. A nurse is a nurse, they are sworn to help and care for patients it goes beyond the gender, race and culture.

[anotherone, BSN, RN]

I look forward to see how lawsuits towards the employers about gender discrimination will be dealt with . Gender is protected as is race............. I can understand why some people might prefer same gender nurses/dra for peri care, urologists, ob/gyn drs etc but the same people who do not want a make nurse when in for a thyroidectomy had a male ent dr. hmm

in some areas in the country your choices are very limited since providers are limited to begin with .

[biys75]

I'm a male student nurse and have on many occasions been denied the opportunity to care for my assigned patients. At first I thought it was because I'm a student, but time after time it's simply because I'm a male. At first I found this insulting and discouraging, but it happens so often that I've become accustom to it now. I understand it's a personal choice for the patient and often tied to cultural beliefs, which I'm perfectly ok with. Perhaps in the future things will change, only time will tell! :)

[jawharah, ADN, BSN, RN]

Requesting same-sex caretaker/doctor is not always as simple as personal preference. For a lot of people, it's cultural/religious. For those who said patients should be grateful for compassionate care, why should I have to choose between compassion and my beliefs? Can't I get both? No offense to male nurses, as there are males who would also request only male caregivers. As healthcare workers, is the comfort of our patients not important? Especially now that hospitals are being reimbursed based on patient satisfaction. Yes, if it's an emergency, I can understand and would gladly take whoever is available (I have done it before). But if it's a matter of convenience, I'm sorry but I'd kindly ask to be accommodated.

[natnat122]

This caption (that I won) was meant to emphasize the saying, "there is alot of truth in a joke". I felt it was important to open up the dialogue about discriminatory selection of nurses whether it be based on race, gender, age, or even cosmetic appearance. I think sometimes it's difficult to take a hardline position on the subject simply because while people do have the right to have preferences and may deem a particular nurse as more suitable or comfortable to their tastes and/or situation (which is important), we have seen these "preferences" lead to racial discrimination and employment disparities. I guess sometimes the question can be not only what is best for the patient to feel more comfortable and that his/her needs are being satisfied but also that the nurses on a collective level are being protected as well. I think somewhere down the line, maybe a mutual beneficial relationship can be created where people's cultures can be respected and nurses of all genders and races can care for all patients. Thanks to all who voted for my caption!

[justashooter]

the lack of status identification in nursing uniforms seen recently has left our clients confused about the roles we occupy. with everyone in spongebob scrubs it is now impossible to tell who is an RN and who is an NA. if our patients saw us in uniforms that indicated position occupied they might be less concerned with gender and have more respect for status.