Female vs. male nurses

[andrewmiller1]

I am in a nursing program and have heard from many people that have been in the hospital that if the patient had male nurses they were great. I am going to be a male nurse soon and was wondering who makes for better nurses, males or females? Or do you think that it comes down to the person and not the gender?

[elkpark]

Or do you think that it comes down to the person and not the gender?

That. I've known good and poor nurses of both "flavors." I haven't seen a particular trend one way or the other, in >25 years of nursing.

[EJBNeuroRN]

First of all, congrats on finishing your nursing program!

Second, I think it comes down to the person and not the gender. I do not think that in ANY profession one gender is better than the other. Different people excel in different areas. I don't think it is fair to make blanket statements about one gender being better than the other at a specific job.

As far as "hearing from many people" that "male nurses were great" could have to do with the increase in males into the nursing profession and more people receiving care from male nurses. Maybe people these people have never been taken care of by a male nurse and are simply saying "hey, I had a male nurse during my hospital, LTC, or TCU stay and he was great"

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

all the guys i know who are nurses hate it when they are called "male nurses." mostly they smile and say, "i take care of females too," or something like that.

pride in being a nurse knows no gender.

[Tuesday17]

The best nurse is a person who has emotional intelligence, good skills and who cares and provides excellent patient care and safety. Not a gender. :-) Just like you Drew!

[ericaej]

My aunt has been a nurse for almost 40 years and she is one of the best! :) That said, if she were a male, she'd still be one of the best. The person, not their gender, is what is important. I think people probably are surprised when they have a male nurse. Men are often viewed as not as capable of providing care (unfortunate but true) as women. I don't agree with this at all. My Dad took care of me when I was little just as well as my mother. However, the stereotype exists so people may make comments based upon the nurses gender because of it. That is my thought anyway. :)