I am a full time level II (RN) student with 3 classes and 1 clinical left in this program. I believe the nursing program is biased towards men and just not sure what, if anything I should do.
Last semester the males had some unfair biases placed on them in my opinion. One student had a critical incident report written up on him in clinical. He left the clinical site on time, before the instructor could serve him the papers. Then she investigated the incident, and found it to be false. She had told him, that had she found him, she would have suspended him. That night after talking to the witnesses, she found it to be false.
Another incident involves a husband and wife. We had to do Medspub on line. We were graded on participation and not our score. The husband and wife took this program at the same time, side by side, yet the wife received a higher score for doing the same work.
Another male student was singled out on his last clinical week, and was the only student that had to turn in work. He also received a critical incident report for not knowing the mechanism of action for a drug, yet the other 9 people in his clinical group could not answer the question. He was singled out.
Another male student placed a post on our on line page, stating his displeasure with our class. He was venting, as others had posted before him. I replied to his post in agreement. A female also replied to this post. All our post were removed. When I placed another post in this forum asking who violated our student rights and constitutional rights. The instructor removed the forum completely. Later placing it back up, minus our posts. She admitted removing the posts. The next class day I was removed from class by this instructor, and received a verbal reprimand from the instructor. The other male student, was sent to the nursing office. The female was never talked to. In our student handbook it states students have the right to free speech, etc.
The above is just a sample of what is going on. There is a lot more. What do I do if anything. I have been told that 2 former male students from last year have filed a lawsuit.
Since the school does not employ male nursing instructors, I have thought of contacting the president of the college. I am seriously thinking of leaving this program.
I am placing this here first to get your view on this. We as nurses are asked to be patient advocates. But who looks after us? It is my opinion that I need to bring this to the schools attention. If they will not listen, then where do I go?
It is not my intention to defame or slander this school, only to right the wrongs that have been placed on us.
Thank you all for the replies. While I have sat back and pondered as to what to do, others have come forward and talked with the President. I'm not sure if I have placed a target on my back, but believe I should stick with my brothers. I have emailed the President and sent him a certified letter. I respect the replies that say I should suck it up, however, I do not think I would like the person I see in the mirror.
I have invested too much in this, and do not want this to continue with my class or future classes.
Dabuggy
I belive it was not the right choice..Many people face discrimination everyday such as minorities.....Speaking about it or prostesting will not change anything...It continues...Just my two cents..
What it all boils down to is if you are comfortable with the decision you have made. Obviously, you are . Good for you. What others feel is of little importance as each person is an individual and must make their own decisions based on their individual values and ethics.
That being said, discrimination is very difficult to prove as sometimes it is nothing more than a matter of perception. While there is obviously something happening that is making you uncomfortable, there is a possibility that what you are experiencing may not be defined as discriminatory by the President.
I hope you will keep us informed as to the eventual outcome, and more importantly, I hope you will continue on a road to success in your career choice!
I belive it was not the right choice..Many people face discrimination everyday such as minorities.....Speaking about it or prostesting will not change anything...It continues...Just my two cents..
At least he's doing something about it, instead of just rolling over and accepting it. Those steps, however small, could lead to a change. The only way to know is to try, and by not doing anything you're saying that it's acceptable.
Bravo for standing up for yourself. I wish more people would do so and not be so cowardly.
At least he's doing something about it, instead of just rolling over and accepting it. Those steps, however small, could lead to a change. The only way to know is to try, and by not doing anything you're saying that it's acceptable.
Bravo for standing up for yourself. I wish more people would do so and not be so cowardly.
~Kevin
The reason why I say let it go because in the future there is going to be discrimination through out his career..And every time there is, will he go to the CEO or just move on? I would choose move on to another job while you would say complain and see if there is a change..He has only one semester left and that is a very short time..
I was in my first year of nursing school, the second year nursing supervisor came up to me in the middle of the Hospital cafeteria and eventually started yelling at me about a "5 o'clock shadow" I had, yet there was another male student with a full beard at her own table. At this time I had no idea who this lady was, never seen her in my life. She was threatening me with a write up if I didn't have my face clean shaven the next day. I didn't smart off or bite back because I didn't know who this lady was OR what the rules were. Luckily my clinical instructor was sitting with me and went to bat for me saying the second year supervisor was rude and that we all (my fellow nursing students as well) were taken back by the event.
The second year supervisor called my nursing supervisor (first year) and told her I had been smarting off and that she wanted action taken (like i said the my clinical instructor rebutted this statement, THANK GOD). So I went to student services and talked to them, they told me if she had a history of this and I made a complaint she could lose her job. Later, two or three ( I can't remember exactly) nursing instructors came up to me and asked me not to file a complaint against the instructor, to please allow them to handle it. I told them I wanted it documented, I have documented it for myself just in case this happens again I can show a pattern. I let them handle it.
I went on through nursing school with no more problems from this lady, when I got to second year nursing she was there the whole time and never gave me an ounce of problem other than a smart remark every now and then (who cares about that).
The short answer, I think reporting such discriminations is a good thing, BUT you have to choose your battles wisely. If I hadn't had such good leverage in my situation she could have made my nursing school a living hell and failed me.
Choose wisely, ask your peers what their opinions are and make a decision and stand firm in that decision.
I am a full time level II (RN) student with 3 classes and 1 clinical left in this program. I believe the nursing program is biased towards men and just not sure what, if anything I should do.
Last semester the males had some unfair biases placed on them in my opinion. One student had a critical incident report written up on him in clinical. He left the clinical site on time, before the instructor could serve him the papers. Then she investigated the incident, and found it to be false. She had told him, that had she found him, she would have suspended him. That night after talking to the witnesses, she found it to be false.
Another incident involves a husband and wife. We had to do Medspub on line. We were graded on participation and not our score. The husband and wife took this program at the same time, side by side, yet the wife received a higher score for doing the same work.
Another male student was singled out on his last clinical week, and was the only student that had to turn in work. He also received a critical incident report for not knowing the mechanism of action for a drug, yet the other 9 people in his clinical group could not answer the question. He was singled out.
Another male student placed a post on our on line page, stating his displeasure with our class. He was venting, as others had posted before him. I replied to his post in agreement. A female also replied to this post. All our post were removed. When I placed another post in this forum asking who violated our student rights and constitutional rights. The instructor removed the forum completely. Later placing it back up, minus our posts. She admitted removing the posts. The next class day I was removed from class by this instructor, and received a verbal reprimand from the instructor. The other male student, was sent to the nursing office. The female was never talked to. In our student handbook it states students have the right to free speech, etc.
The above is just a sample of what is going on. There is a lot more. What do I do if anything. I have been told that 2 former male students from last year have filed a lawsuit.
Since the school does not employ male nursing instructors, I have thought of contacting the president of the college. I am seriously thinking of leaving this program.
I am placing this here first to get your view on this. We as nurses are asked to be patient advocates. But who looks after us? It is my opinion that I need to bring this to the schools attention. If they will not listen, then where do I go?
It is not my intention to defame or slander this school, only to right the wrongs that have been placed on us.
Thank you
Dabuggy
Well first I have to say this. When I went to nursing schol.. The head of my program threatned to kick me out of school because I worked a full time job and a part time job and went to lpn school full time needless to say ... i made it. we started with a class of 36. four of the 36 from the original class actually graduated on time. i felt discriminated against.
i finished second in my class. but i was determined and you seem so to. you have made it this far. do not let anyone and their biases or opinions affect you and what you are achieving. i hate to say this..but i read in another reply to be seen and not heard. i hate to say it but that person was correct . i realized in nursing school that the instructors had something that i was trying to get. they could not keep me from getting it but they could lengthen the process or make it difficult by failing you by one point..lol
...but i feel that it is wise for you to be humble. do not try to form a rally of the men against the nursing instructor because it is a losing battle..just worry about you.
and being that I do have experience as a staffing coodinator at a nursing staffing agency, and i might get bashed for this statement ...but guess what IN THE NURSING FIELD..MEN ARE PAID MORE THAN FEMALE NURSES AND YOU ARE MORE LIKELY TO GET PROMOTED OVER FEMALE NURSES.....maybe thats why your instructor has her panties in a bunch. but don;t let her win ...do not give her the pleasure to be able to kick you out of the program based on inappropiate conduct. do what you have to do and get out. there is a shortage out here and the patients need you and fellow nurses need you(damn these high patient to nurse ratios)
Ally
Keep Ya HEAD up ..AND your mouth shut !!!once you get your certificate of completion for the RN program go back and let her know how you feel(if it still bothers you)
my husband has been blatantly discriminated against in the last 2 weeks of the Nursing program that took 3 years for him to get "accepted" into he was
told he was unsafe (after hours and hours of patient care) and that he needed to leave the hospital, they flunked him and he is not graduating with his class.This program has no male instructors and certainley not many students over 50 years old,he is 54 and the oldest man ever to be "allowed"" into this program.So now thay want him to re-do the last clinical term and apply "to be accepted"" in Spring 2009.....its total BS even his female class mates cannot believe this has happend.He has requested his file and there is absolutley nothing about him being unsafe or any other real problems, there are things missing from the file, his mid-term where he was applauded for his progress and the last 3 weeks of clinicals which are either pass or no pass, no pass not being allowed to continue and ALL his clinicals has been passes, his academics being all above a 3.5......so now he feels as if he has been cut off at the knees and not sure what course of action to take. This is a small town with one hospital ,one nursing program so does he hire some big guns to fight it or comply with their "action plan" and hope to get "accepted" again,(yeah right)....this is so unfair!!!!any words of wisdom will be welcomed!!!
Specializes in Urology, Nephology, Internal Medicine.
He needs to fight this thing. I now that discrimination against males exist, so if he has all his documentation to prove it I would say fight it. He can also request from the state board of nursing an internal review. That should get things riled up.
Interesting thread, since I'm a guy starting a nursing program in the fall. To bridge my THREE YEARS on the waiting list, I decided to take a one-year certificate Medical Assistant program at the onset of the waiting period. I'm doing a mid-life career change and I thought the waiting time could be better spent getting some basic medical experience than treading water in my former dead-end career.
I experienced double-barreled discrimination from the program director. 1) She was biased against students who had plans to eventually go on to a nursing career. She apparently thinks everyone who completes the program should have to want to be a career medical assistant, and 2) I was made aware that the only other males who had entered the program never made it all the way through. The seahag of a director wasn't very subtle, lol!
I nipped it in the bud very early on, in the first week of class. When she learned of my plans to go into nursing, she called me out in front of the whole class...gave me the "this is not a stepping stone to nursing" speech, that if I didn't want to make a career of being a medical assistant I had no right to be taking a seat in the program, etc...
I replied, in an equally public manner in front of the class that after having a successful 16 year professional career I was in no need of career advice, and that my tuition dollars were being spent to pay her salary to teach me to be the best medical assistant, PERIOD. I said that since I hadn't had to sign a sacred oath to only ever be a medical assistant for the rest of my life, her job was to educate me and leave the career planning to me.
Miracles of miracles, she never mentioned it again. Oh, I could tell it was bubbling just below the surface, along with her obvious contempt for me as a male in "her program." To her surprise, I had the highest grade in our class of 20, and I scored in the 98th percentile on the CMA exam.
My take is that people feel free to treat others this way because nobody ever challenges them on it. I say BS! It's one thing if I have done something wrong, something stupid...cuss me out and call me stupid. But don't EVER treat me like a piece of garbage just because it makes you feel good for some perverse reason, and you think you can get away with it. If I'm in situations where I feel I'm being discriminated against in this fashion I document, document, document and have the facts on my side before I open my mouth, but I've rarely had my rebuttals to such boorish behavior challenged.
Nursing school should be interesting if this stuff abounds!
I had four males in my nursing class and three graduated. They were treated like kings. The instructors loved them as did all the female students. They were great and didn't face even an ounce of discrimination even in the OB/GYN rotation. wink The nurses treated them like any other student just as they should and the patients were very receptive. Only one woman said no and she had a history of abuse which she made sure to tell the male nursing student so he would understand why he was being dismissed.
Dunno?
54 Posts
I belive it was not the right choice..Many people face discrimination everyday such as minorities.....Speaking about it or prostesting will not change anything...It continues...Just my two cents..