Do women find male nurses attractive?

Nurses Men

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Hi

So I'm a young, single, heterosexual male nurse, and I'm well aware that I'm somewhat of a minority, as most nurses are female, and the ones that aren't, are often gay (yes, I know that is just a silly stereotype, and there's nothing wrong with being gay, but that's beside my point).

Thing is, I'm not even remotely feminine- I have a beard, I listen to heavy metal, I climb mountains, I work out, etcetera. But I get paranoid that most people probably perceive me as a little "girly" or "possibly homosexual", when I talk about being a nurse. I feel especially insecure about my masculinity when I'm walking home wearing my uniform past some heavy set dudes doing roadworks or construction or something "manly". Sometimes, I've even lied about studying nursing at uni- I've sometimes said I'm studying engineering, to seem more masculine.

I'm not ashamed of being a nurse- I'm damn proud! But I feel a little insecure due to the silly non-masculine stereotypes associated with my career choice. I'm also single and looking for a girlfriend, but I sense that women might think I'm gay, or unmanly, due to my profession. Maybe I'm just being paranoid.

Anyway, my main question is- ladies, do you find male nurses attractive? Do you like the idea of a man taking care of you? Or does it seem unmanly and unattractive?

Regards - Sykadia

Specializes in Critical care.

^^^These replies are a part of why men "bottle it up" folks.

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Specializes in Psychiatry.

Personal experience- a lot of male nurses I've met have been gay, and it's well-known as a stereotype

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I married a male nurse. It was lust at first site... so I could tell he was not gay ;)

Male nurses are like all nurses, educated, intelligent, and hard working.... that is attractive.

By the way, lying is NOT attractive. Best of luck in your search.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
^^^These replies are a part of why men "bottle it up" folks.

As, perhaps, they should. Any post by a nurse that proclaims, in advance, his maleness, I view as in need of education (kindly answer) or a take-down as to the insignificance of his male-ness (honest, viewed-as-brutal answer). As has been stated by PP, gender enters into my interaction with my peers NEVER. OP's un-documented declaration that most male nurses are gay deserves the honest answer.

And his request to hear from female nurses as to whether they "like" their care as given by male nurses is beyond inappropriate, bordering on obscene.

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Personal experience- a lot of male nurses I've met have been gay, and it's well-known as a stereotype

Care to define a lot? I have been a nurse for 35 years, in many different settings.. I met one gay nurse.

A stereotype is an unfair belief. Unfortunate it is well known.

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Specializes in Med/Surg, Ortho, ASC.
Personal experience- a lot of male nurses I've met have been gay, and it's well-known as a stereotype

Again, "well-known" according to whom?

I have worked with exactly 9 male nurses in my career. One was gay. Does 1/9 a stereotype make?

More importantly, why are you so worried about "appearing" to be gay?

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Specializes in ED, psych.
Personal experience- a lot of male nurses I've met have been gay, and it's well-known as a stereotype

Congrats -- You're contributing to that stereotype! You're furthering men's nursing everywhere.

I'm curious as to where these boatloads of gay male nurses are. Is there a secret gay male nurse code that only male nurses are privy too? Is that why I can't detect them?

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In school, out of 65 people in my class, there were 8-10 guys. Only 1 was gay...but we also had 2 lesbians, so not sure how that fits into your equation. Do they cancel each other out?

On my old unit, there were at least 15-18 male RNs -- and only 1 or 2 are gay. On the flip side there were a couple of lesbians there as well.

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Specializes in Critical Care.

You're a straight manly-man you say? Definitely not gay? Maybe add that in a few more times, I wasn't quite sure ^.^

You seem to be projecting your own insecurities onto your job here, friend-o. Leaving aside the whole "most male nurses are surely feminine and/or gay" thing (which: how charmingly regressive) why do you even care about how your patients and coworkers perceive your sexual orientation? When, pray tell, would that even enter into your day-to-day work life?? If you were truly comfortable in the knowledge of who you are in your personal life you probably wouldn't be stressing about what random people at work think.

Anyway, my main question is- ladies, do you find male nurses attractive? Do you like the idea of a man taking care of you? Or does it seem unmanly and unattractive?

Let's leave off the assumption that women going to a hospital for work or as a patient also must be on the lookout for a date, because eww. As a straight cis-gender female I'm attracted to men in general, yes. Am I sizing up each male nurse I encounter as a sexual object? Uhh no. No I don't, because like many adults I keep that part of my life separate from my professional life. If I found out a man I was attracted to was an RN, would I be like "oh noes, he suddenly appears effeminate and therefore probably gay!!!" No. No. Are you kidding me with this?

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Specializes in Psychiatry, Community, Nurse Manager, hospice.

Being a male nurse is sexy.

Male nurses are up there with firemen in sex appeal, IMO.

But when men are insecure about their masculinity, it's a turn off. So do try to knock that off.

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ster·e·o·type

ˈsterēəˌtīp/

noun

  • 1.
    a widely held but fixed and oversimplified image or idea of a particular type of person or thing.

The take home message here is this: just because it's a stereotype doesn't mean it's true/accepted/okay. Women are stereotyped as being weak, yet they grow and push tiny human beings out of their bodies and that feat is called "routine." Men are stereotyped as being tough and strong, yet there are some men who are far more tender and gentle than women when it comes to care at the bedside or of children or the elderly or of animals.

Yes, male nurses being gay is a stereotype. Female nurses as sultry sirens sashaying around talking sexily about sponge baths and/or "out to marry a doctor." Both of those stereotypes need to die a quiet death, don't you agree?

As for your conundrum with the opposite sex, have a little faith in yourself. The right woman will love you for you, meaning what's on the inside. What's on the inside makes the person on the outside that much more attractive to the right person. :inlove:

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You're being paranoid.

Also, a straight male nurse with just a tad of a feminine side is actually my type. I like the bubbly extroverted types. They're fun, and they aren't afraid of their masculinity, so they don't cram the idea of masculinity all into a dark, tiny box. Because of this, they are confident in themselves and THAT is what I find sexy. Intelligence and confidence are sexy. I couldn't care less about a beard or someone's taste in music if they radiate insecurity. I've dated two male nurses who fit into your "gay" description. They are definitely NOT gay I can tell you that much.

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