Any jobs that male nurses are "not allowed" to do?

[skihan]

Hello all!

A prospective male nurse here.

I am currently working in the early childhood education field, which is another field that is dominated by women in the work force.

Being a man in a childhood education field, there were certain things that women could do that I could not do, such as toileting a female child, when my female co-workers would freely work with both female and male children. I have also been turned down a student support position for being a man (specifically mentioned by the parent) since the client was a 13 year old girl, when I see women working with teenaged boys all the time as a student support.

I personally do not care whether I am working with male or female children in my education job, but I felt that if women could freely work with both male and female children, when I can only mainly work with male children, it gives me a disadvantage in terms of progressing in this field. This is one of the reasons I wanted to get out of childhood education field.

So I want to ask the male nurses: are there any jobs that you are not allowed to do? And do you feel that it gives you a disadvantage in progressing in the nursing field?

[adventure_rn, MSN, NP]

I've heard that men might face challenges in OB due to the personal preferences of some laboring women (though it can be done). However, we love having guys in Peds and NICU, if that floats your boat.

The only skills-related challenge I can think of is that you could need a second observer in the room when placing urinary catheters depending on policy (it's kind of nice to have a second set of hands in there, anyway). Otherwise, you should be golden.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

OB is probably the only unit that it may be difficult to get into, although there are men who have worked many years in OB. I have had no issues with getting hired into NICU and families could care less that I am male, all they care about is getting their baby healthy and go home.

[NurseCard, ADN]

OB is just about the only field/unit that I have ever known for men to

have a hard time being able to work. In fact the hospital where I started

my career, had a rule prohibiting male nurses or aides from working

that unit. If I remember correctly anyway.

[jsigg728]

That moment when you want to go into L&D and possibly pursue midwifery afterwards, but your a male...

[DnvrOutdoorsRN, BSN, APRN, CRNA]

Typically speaking, no. However I always think about my patients, their privacy and include them as drivers of their care when Im able to. If a patient requests a female to help them toilet, etc then I dont take offense to that and help.

[BassCatchingNurse]

So I want to ask the male nurses: are there any jobs that you are not allowed to do? And do you feel that it gives you a disadvantage in progressing in the nursing field?

No, I do not think there are any jobs that I am not allowed to do. Yes, there are jobs that I would never want to do, such as L&D, but even in nursing school during clinicals the nurses were inviting me to work there after graduation!!

No, I do not feel disadvantaged in progressing. I choose my destiny. I carry myself as a professional. I understand that men are the main perpetrators of molestation/rape. I understand that some women have suffered at the hands of men. Therefore, I do not take it personally. It's about their experience not mine. However, I have done way more ekg's and foleys on women than I've had requests for a female nurse. Now, I did work in a very small ER one night that consisted of 3 male nurses (1 triage, 2 in the back) and a male doctor....The patient requested a woman. Again, no judgment towards her..it was HER choice...males or another hospital.

The nursing field is huge...I'm sure you will find that there is a place for you where ever you go...even as a male.

[the_murse_factor]

Under the laws enforced by EEOC, it is illegal to discriminate against someone (applicant or employee) because of that person's race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age (40 or older), disability or genetic information. It is also illegal to retaliate against a person because he or she complained about discrimination, filed a charge of discrimination, or participated in an employment discrimination investigation or lawsuit.

Therefore "technically" a place of employment cannot deny you from doing a job just because you are a male, however they are most likely not going to tell you you didn't get the job because you are a male.

[wyosamRN]

That moment when you want to go into L&D and possibly pursue midwifery afterwards, but your a male...

We put the attitude and limitations on ourselves. Do male OB/GYN doctors struggle to find work? yes, there are times we have to add a level of protection by having another person in the room, and some patients may make requests due to personal preference (just as some women will seek out a female OB/GYN). Its only weird if we make it weird.

[MathewB]

I don't think officially there are any jobs that we can't do. However, I think there are several jobs that you almost never find men in. For example, a Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner.

There are other instances where you man not be welcome as a male. When I was in the ER, I was not allowed to know the street address of the "battered women's shelter." When I went up to Women's Health department to put in an IV, I sure got the stink eye from a lot of patients and even a few staff.

But hey! Nobody said life is fair. It's best to do the best you can, and let negativity roll away. We're men after all: Complaining doesn't become us.

[PMFB-RN, RN]

No. There are no jobs men are nor allowed to do in nursing. That said I never seen them hired into L&D, nor have I ever known of a man who WANTED to work in L&D.

I've been a PICU (pediatric intensive care) nurse. A few times we had young female patients request a female nurse and when they did we did our best to accommodate them. But patient assignments were not made taking the RN's gender into account.

Don't worry, not only do men in nursing make more money on average that women, there are no bars to promotion simply because you are male.

[DannyBoy8, RN]

There are other instances where you man not be welcome as a male. When I was in the ER, I was not allowed to know the street address of the "battered women's shelter." When I went up to Women's Health department to put in an IV, I sure got the stink eye from a lot of patients and even a few staff.

Interesting. I know men who are involved with these shelters in a variety of roles. For example, one who is involved with the kiddos and child care programs at the facilities. A responsible, respectful, and engaging male figure is an important thing the boys need to see.

Also, plenty of highly respected men work in OB nursing and as midwives.