This is a continuation of a former question....I have a BS in Finance...
Do you guys notice the following...??
Discrimination towards males in Nursing School or on the job, a tendency to view the male nurse as handy forklift?? Also, age discrimination especially as it relates to older men in nursing, (40's) (in other words, we are only in it either because we had to pick something due to economy etc., or we erroneously assume we will get into mgmt quicker than our female counterparts..) just the opposite I sure..
BIG QUESTION...I have a back that is fine as long as I don't use it much...!!! (pretty sure this is the kiss of death for nursing) I usually have to be careful with it....the thought of being off-center moving a heavy patient etc., makes my lower back flinch just sitting here..., doesn't take too much to make it tighten up, then it's downhill from there....re-injuring is a given if I have to keep doing whatever it was that injured it first...
I am in great shape muscularly and cardio-wise, etc., but the back needs loving care...THIS is what scares me more than a male-hating bitter divorcee transferring her unresolved anger on me....I've worked in healthcare arenas, primarily female, and you learn not to take the male bashing too seriously...just don't get too comfortable and return the love...
AND, whats your take on the VISA nursing importation issues...do you see this eating up demand over the next decades..this seems very disheartening...Admittedly, you need a heart to be an effective nurse, but also have to be pragmatic about your finances etc.,
Is it really just a matter of remaining positive, nose to grindstone, the workplace is always driven by gender and political issues....or is there a female groupthink, be it corrected politically but still harbored, that will make life more difficult for the male in this profession....I hear they are either harassed or cuddled depending on certain obvious attributes...!!
Actually, they really want men in nursing so it always seemed to me that the men were favored in nursing school. There did seem to be some attitude of "we are so grateful to have you here." Actually one of the male students I went to school with often admitted as much and laughed about it. I was glad that he could see it, but sometimes it is hard to see things like these when you are the one favored, so I don't fault some men for not seeing it. And, I am sure it is not true all the time. It seemed that they did not have to work as hard to get noticed. I also think men are represented in management out of proportion to their actual numbers in the field. This may be because men may desire this career path more, I don't know.
It may be true that they get called on to do more than their share of heavy lifting, but women do an awfully lot too.
The male nurses I have worked with have all been competent and caring individuals.
Thanks Tweety for not dismissing some women's view of men in nursing!
I've heard of this, and I certainly can't dismiss it just because I haven't heard of it. We have a female CEO and a female Chief of Staff and only recently a male VP of nursing hired from the outside. But management and power is overwhelmingly female where I work.
It definately wasn't the case in my nursing school. There were only two of us, and I felt we had to prove ourselves to the females by working doubly hard because we stood out. I felt constantly under a microscope. No favoritism whatsoever in that school. And I constantly heard "you can't have it so bad because you're not a woman and don't have kids to go home to and take care of". :rotfl:
I work on a unit that has only been open 3-4 years, so we all remember the first male nurse we hired. A couple of aides have told me they didn't think much of male nurses, based on him. I can see their point, though I've occassionally seen women who were no better. (He wasn't a bad person, but not very suited for nursing. If you don't know going in that it's hard work, you're going to be rudely surprised!)
The second male hired is still with us, and the gals weren't too sure about him, at first. He cares, but doesn't show it in quite the same way as many females do, and he has a crude sense of humor at times. Everyone recognized his technical skill at once, but it took awhile to perceive his caring.
Since then, we've added several more males, mostly recent grads. All of them are good nurses, and one really stands out as a leader. One of the newest had people wondering, a little, during his orientation, but he seems quite able, now that he's getting some confidence.
The consensus seems to be that guys are different, but can be just as good. I don't entirely agree--the differences between genders, apart from the obvious physical ones, are subtle, and not as important as the differences between individuals, regardless of gender. I will concede I've never seen a male nurse crying over a patient going bad, but I know from personnal experience that you can hurt pretty bad without crying. At any rate, nursing is a pretty practical field, and what you do is a lot more important than how you look or even act.
By the by, our floor just hired one more prospective nurse, yesterday. Short, fat, middle-aged guy with thinning hair, full of good intentions but almost totally clueless, as far as I can tell. I pity the souls who have to orient this twit. But they assure me I'll be okay.
Wow, you have a lot of anger, we have 2 male nurses on our unit and one of them is 60, we do not USE them for lifting purposes nor do they receive an assignment "heavier" than anyone else..they do seem to receive better treatment from our management as both were able to take time off during hunting season and no one on the same shift can get vacation at the same time..I have not heard complaints on working with the female nurses, it mainly comes from attitudes of some patients.
I really, really have to go get ready for work, but a quick note: As a UAP, I often get called upon to lift, transfer pts to chair, and restrain combative patients. I'm sure I will as a nurse, too. I don't feel used--it's just that one of my strengths is physical strength. Other nurses can get a good blood return on a zucchini, and they get called for the really tough IV sticks. I think that's how a team works--we lend our respective strengths to cover our respective weaknesses.
There will always be some who want to take unfair advantage. That's why "No." was invented.
Wow, you have a lot of anger, we have 2 male nurses on our unit and one of them is 60, we do not USE them for lifting purposes nor do they receive an assignment "heavier" than anyone else..they do seem to receive better treatment from our management as both were able to take time off during hunting season and no one on the same shift can get vacation at the same time..I have not heard complaints on working with the female nurses, it mainly comes from attitudes of some patients.
Me? or the last post...? How about this, what if you have a lousy back....flat out lousy...? The kind where you have to bend with your knees constantly, you can't bend over from the waist, you stoop with your knees....kind of back??? And its wierd, I am very muscular and fit, 6'1", 195, look younger than I am....everyone else's opinion, not mine..and nobody ever believes it...waaaaaaaa!!! I'm afraid if there is constant leaning forward, leaning over beds, (duh), anything that puts me off balance, ends up aggravating my lower back....THIS SCARES ME, and once aggravated, I have to cease all insults for a month...doesn't sound like they will accomodate me, and if I lie about it coming in.....I'm screwed too.....I guess, or I'm wondering if I can compensate enough with body mechanics and stomach strengthening to offset the weakness, and lack of flexibility, and or increase flexibility...I don't have anything organically wrong except for "dehydrated lower disks...." those lower vertebrae are very tightly packed WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK, ITS EITHER NURSING OR TEACHING....BECAUSE I CAN'T STAND ANOTHER TWENTY YEARS OF ACCOUNTING!!!!! :-)))
Specializes in Gerontological, cardiac, med-surg, peds.
Me? or the last post...? How about this, what if you have a lousy back....flat out lousy...? The kind where you have to bend with your knees constantly, you can't bend over from the waist, you stoop with your knees....kind of back??? And its wierd, I am very muscular and fit, 6'1", 195, look younger than I am....everyone else's opinion, not mine..and nobody ever believes it...waaaaaaaa!!! I'm afraid if there is constant leaning forward, leaning over beds, (duh), anything that puts me off balance, ends up aggravating my lower back....THIS SCARES ME, and once aggravated, I have to cease all insults for a month...doesn't sound like they will accomodate me, and if I lie about it coming in.....I'm screwed too.....I guess, or I'm wondering if I can compensate enough with body mechanics and stomach strengthening to offset the weakness, and lack of flexibility, and or increase flexibility...I don't have anything organically wrong except for "dehydrated lower disks...." those lower vertebrae are very tightly packed WHAT DO YOU GUYS THINK, ITS EITHER NURSING OR TEACHING....BECAUSE I CAN'T STAND ANOTHER TWENTY YEARS OF ACCOUNTING!!!!! :-)))
Thanks, I don't mean to sound so manic...
Bill
Have you considered being evaluated by a physical therapist or even a reputable chiropractor? Sometimes there are strengthening exercises that can be done that can work wonders with a bad back.
Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
Please listen: if your back is that bad, bedside nursing is OUT of the question. While you don't want "women using you to do their lifting", it will go two ways. No one will want to have to compensate for your bad back, either. We all have to pull our own weight in hospital or LTC nursing; I said that in this thread before and it's true.
Plan to be a teacher, then....although they spend a LOT of time on their feet. Can you do that? Or plan to do non-bedside nursing, like research or utilization review. It's simple as that. If you can't cure the problem w/your back, it does not make sense to go into a line of work where your back is used all through an 8 or 12 hour (or more) shift to work. We do SERIOUS lifting, all of us! Patients are NOT getting lighter, but HEAVIER, and it's nothing to have them weigh more than 250-300 lb! What more can we say???? Think really carefully before you decide to enter nursing, at least bedside nursing. I wish you luck.
as others have already noted, if you plan on being a floor nurse, there is absolutely no escaping wear and tear on your body; namely your back, knees,m hips, shoulders....
after yrs of floor nursing, your body is worn, strained, abused and tired.
NO escaping it, man or woman.
so if you're concerned about the toll it will take on your back, then may i suggest to consider other avenues of nursing that are not as physical.
I do have co-workers who have back trouble. One of their solutions is to call me (as a UAP, part of my job is to help with stuff like that). Good body mechanics can go a long way in preventing injury, and getting used to using them in routine situations may help ingrain them. Still, when a pt decides he's not in the mood to breathe, just now, it's hard to remember these things. I'm afraid I have to agree with SmilingBlueEyes--bedside nursing may be out. Other types of nursing might still be open, and, certainly, learning to use your supporting muscles and good mechanics is something you need in everyday life.
Would a lifting belt help? I wear suspenders under my scrub top to keep my pants up (see the thread on weight gain and nursing school!).
I run into patients in the 250-300 kilogram range, from time to time. We get 'er done, but not by brute strength.
The brain is always one of the most important lifting organs.
I work with a nurse who is 4' 6" tall. I suppose you could say she pulls her weight, but I've had meals that weigh more than she does. She contributes to the team in the ways she can, and we accomodate her physical limitation as best we can. But it certainly wasn't easy, finding a fit.
Her first few months must have been pretty discouraging.
One of the qualities that has served her well is a tendancy to grumble and complain a lot. Sad to say, but it is how we recognize one of our own.
I do have co-workers who have back trouble. One of their solutions is to call me (as a UAP, part of my job is to help with stuff like that). Good body mechanics can go a long way in preventing injury, and getting used to using them in routine situations may help ingrain them. Still, when a pt decides he's not in the mood to breathe, just now, it's hard to remember these things. I'm afraid I have to agree with SmilingBlueEyes--bedside nursing may be out. Other types of nursing might still be open, and, certainly, learning to use your supporting muscles and good mechanics is something you need in everyday life.
Would a lifting belt help? I wear suspenders under my scrub top to keep my pants up (see the thread on weight gain and nursing school!).
I run into patients in the 250-300 kilogram range, from time to time. We get 'er done, but not by brute strength.
The brain is always one of the most important lifting organs.
I work with a nurse who is 4' 6" tall. I suppose you could say she pulls her weight, but I've had meals that weigh more than she does. She contributes to the team in the ways she can, and we accomodate her physical limitation as best we can. But it certainly wasn't easy, finding a fit.
Her first few months must have been pretty discouraging.
One of the qualities that has served her well is a tendancy to grumble and complain a lot. Sad to say, but it is how we recognize one of our own.
I gotta say, you guys are unbelievable with your concern for what is sizing up to a whining poster....me!!!! So its not impossible to enter the Nursing prof. even with some limitations......I might of told me by now to forget it...but I find it, and have found there is a TRUE generalization with this profession , in that you all really try to offer help....thats how I've been my whole life....I am a nutritional nut....health nut etc., read all the chemistry behind most products...not just the labels, but the biochemical/metabolic details etc...whether a drug is fat bound, or liver metabolized, or water soluble.. and have always been sought out for advise on vitamins, foods etc...on an amateur level....but I have always been excited to share or help...
So finally, after debating it all through College, and deciding not to go into Nursing...twenty years later, I'm gonna give it a huge shot...
seghull
6 Posts
Bill,
The University of Washington has a master of science in nursing that it offers, and you do not have to be an RN to take it. It is for doing research.
Sue