Experience with Discrimination???

[Frank RN]

Hello all,

Just wanted to know if anyone has experienced discrimination as male nurses or in clinical? For the most part, I can say most if not all of my patients during clinical have been very kind and welcoming to have a male student nurse caring for them. However, I remember during my maternity rotation, me and my friend (we were the only two males out of 8 students) were told in the very beginning of clinical that we could drop off our stuff in the maternity nurses locker room and that it was "unisex."

All the nurses there did not seem to mind (they were all female) and would come and go while we were there with our bags. No one was changing there and most people went to the bathroom to change, but I remember in the middle of the semester, a female nurse came up to me and my friend and say "Excuse me, but are you two women?" And we answered "no (obviously we are men)" and she said "This changing room is for women only. Who is your clinical teacher? I need to report you."

So apparently she spoke to my professor and thank goodness my professor took our side and told us not to worry about that nurse who was floated to the maternity unit. My professor also reported that nurse to the nursing manager. I always remember that moment and pinch myself for not standing up to myself against that rude nurse but I probably would have gotten in trouble.

[delawaremalenurse]

so....how is this discrimination? It sounds like a misunderstanding to me...

[pedro2012]

so....how is this discrimination? It sounds like a misunderstanding to me...

yup, its not discrimination. Just plain stupidity of that nurse.

[stefonee356]

She probably just didn't realize that it was unisex. Not discrimination.

[Frank RN]

Asking two male students if they're women (we had buzzcuts and no signs of breasts I don't think) and kicking them out of a unisex changing room sounds like discrimination to me.

[veggie530]

so....how is this discrimination? It sounds like a misunderstanding to me...

It isn't a misunderstanding when someone walks up to you and asks "are you women?" when you obviously are not women. Very demeaning and condescending (albeit not necessarily discriminatory). But, she was mistreating these two students based on the fact that they were male, yeah?

[bradleystacks]

It is discrimination but on a lighter side. It is not that serious. All they need is to talk and clarify things up.