being discriminated against in clinicals

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Power to all my brothers!!

I feel out of place a lot of times during class/clinicals. I am 6-3, 245lb, tattoos all over, ex-military. I look like a biker not a nurse. The other guys in my class are nothing like me, and does it ever show. I hope that there are more guys like me in nursing school so we can show everybody that this is not a profession just for ladies. I constantly feel that I have to be extra careful when caring for patients esp. younger female patients and elderly ladies. And that everybody in the hospital is watching me.Waiting for me to hurt somebody or do something wrong. My CI has put me in her cross sites and makes every day hell. With the hopes of getting me to quit, right! I have been through basic training and air assault school and can survive anything!!! I have been told to lay low, and to kiss her butt. Now, just how am I suppose to do that? I have been insulted, told that I will fail, even excused from clinicals in front of everybody. And all I do is show up the next day waiting for what she has in store for me. I get all A's and B's with exceptional remarks on my last evals, even rated above average. The only problem I have is when I ask for help she thinks I am threatening her, and gets very defensive. Whatever, I will pass. Anybody getting the same problems? Because I feel like I am the only guy in nursing school getting this treatment.

The meaner they get the nicer I get. Nothing will get me to come down to there level. I worked to hard to get in and I'm damn sure not going to let anyone push me out. When they come down on you you just have to take the wind out of their sails and neutralize the situation. Serious kill them with kindness works almost every time.

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I felt really uncomfortable with med-surg nursing (I'm not a big guy, but I'm a guy). I shadowed a day in the ER and it was awesome. Much more equal environment gender wise. In psych and in ER I think males are valued at least equally with women.

I would consider making some changes in your appearance. I understand that it's your personality, but it's also a profession. Can you cover up your tattoos a bit? Clean shaven? Think of how much money you have invested in school and prereqs and time, and think about whether a change like that might help you relieve some people's misconceptions about you. Just a thought.

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Specializes in Nurse Aide in ICU and a LTC facility.

I'm the only guy in a class of 20, all female instructors. I was in the Army reserves (never active duty) and was a supervisor at a Tyson processing plant for years so nursing school was an adjustment to say the least. I've never worked with or around women at all and suddenly I'm the only guy in the room. I think a lot of it is just learning to communicate. Due to my background I'm very blunt and to the point and it seems like women usually mistake this for rudeness...I don't have NEARLY the problems now that I did when I first started. And as far as appearance goes, yeah clean cut is the way to go. I noticed a definite difference in people's attitudes towards me just by softening up the way I communicated and maintaining a clean cut look.

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I think a lot of it is just learning to communicate. Due to my background I'm very blunt and to the point and it seems like women usually mistake this for rudeness..

Yeah, that's a huge gender difference. Women aren't direct at all, especially with touchy subjects. Along these lines, they also never forget anything. If you have an argument with another guy, when it's over, it's over. With a woman, she'll bring it up months or years later.

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Specializes in Hospice.

:chair:I have been in nursing for 30 years, 20 which was in the military and also passed Excelsior college Clinicals last month. I have never felt as if I was discriminated against because I was a male. I have had clients husbands request that a female be assigned to their wife, and each time it was a hispanic family. I do not know if that was cultural or by chance, but either way I felt it was their choice not a form of discrimination towards me.

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Specializes in Nurse Aide in ICU and a LTC facility.

I've never felt discriminated against by patients...although i do get a laugh when I'm asked if I'm the doc or training to be one and then get that puzzled look when I say I'm a nurse. Which I don't get at all because I see alot of female docs and there are quite a few guy RN's walking the floors at the local hospitals. I really don't feel like I've ever been discriminated against, I just had to adjust to an enviroment that's a reverse of what I'm used to. And yes Izzy, that thing you said about women NEVER forgetting an argument is dead on accurate. LOL, I thought it was just my ex wife but no, it's pretty much females in general. That part really does make me miss working with guys. If I had an issue with another supervisor, or vice versa, at Tyson we just stepped into the engine room and yelled it out. When we stepped back out on the production line problem was over. A fellow student of mine came to class with a new hair do and asked me what I thought abnout it. I told her it looked fine but the old one looked better...she still brings that up 6 months later LOL....

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Specializes in Rehab, LTC.

Hey man nursing school is like boot camp in a way , once the DI or CI starts picking at you they seldom let up, the best news is like boot camp nursing school will come to an end. My advice would be to keep a journal daily of any special treatments others receive or instances of where you have been specifically targeted. Include times dates any witnesses and events leading up to the event. Also if possible cover the tats while in clinicals, CI think they are the guardians of the gates and have the power to decide who enters and who is turned away. Nursing schools sucks to begin with but I remember I have had Marine Corp Captains in my face over a blanket not being folded like the corp ( I was a Navy Corpsman) so these petty witches will not get the best of me and they won't you either unless you let them. Hopefully they will find some one else to play with, stay cool and remember you have been thru worse

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Remember, in "the New Age" women are pitted against men. Why, because young females are taught

males have cheated females for years....

Remember Freud was right..

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That is so true. Women will go on about something forever. With guys, they might yell, but once that happens, it is done and over.

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This post is a few months old. I wonder how he is doing now??..

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I am a 52 year old male who is having some trouble adjusting to nursing school. I thought i had prepared for all the obstacles of sexual security and group social interaction, but although it's only two months in to the program i feel so left out of the "mix". There are two males and 22 females of various ages and backgrounds. The other male in class is so opposite of me, we have nothing in common and he fits with the girls like a glove. While most of the girls are polite, i seldom get invites to study groups and when they are required to include me in class activity groups i feel very ignored. I know i am different, older, quiet natured, straight but i am always polite and try to socialize with fellow students but with little luck. I am making very good grades so that is not a issue. I am concerned that if this is an issue already, what is the real working world going to be like, i feel like a minority for the first time in my life. Any input or advice from you guys in similar situation would be nice.

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You know that old saying, "If you can't beat em,' join em.?' What I would do is find some or at least one that you think you might get along with and try to join their group. Just make it subtle. I truly believe it would be in your best interest because I think it would be difficult to go through the whole program without having someone to lean on. I am in a class with 24, 3 of which are men. We are all married and "normal." Although the one guy is pretty quiet. I am outgoing so I don't have that problem. My problem is that one girl who has gravitated towards me, her fiance' has made comments to her about being jealous.

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