Female vs male patients

[qaz99]

Does anyone else 'prefer' male patients to female patients?

When I get assigned a room of elderly female patients, I know I'm in for a heavy shift. Compared to the males, they moan/are pedantic over little things, take twice as long to do everything, seem to be more susceptible to delirium/suffer the symptoms of dementia more than males (obviously not their fault). But can also be cranky and refuse care.

Whereas with elderly males, in my experience, they're easy going, allow you to do observations without a fuss etc, still have some sense of humour despite their alzheimers/dementia diagnosis, talk to me in a respectful way. And I can relate to them easier as at 90yrs old, they can still hold an interesting conversation, and even throw in funny one liners. But the 65yr old female will either be extremely difficult to interact with or nitpick.

Hope I don't sound bitter or anything. I'm not saying I dislike or hate caring for these patients, obviously they're in pain or really ill which affects how they interact. Just find it interesting how easy going elderly male patients can be compared to the females.

[Farawyn]

" But the 65yr old female will either be extremely difficult to interact with or nitpick. "

Wow, just wow. I truly hope your patients are not picking up those vibes. Or are they....and that is what's making them so "difficult"?

I "love" most of my patients, male and female.

I don't think there is anything wrong with saying my favorite group has always been an older, male, cardiac war vet. There have been some stinkers in that group as well.

My least favorite group? Men my age.

Or within 10 years either way.

Yet, my most favorite patient of all time was a man my age with kidney failure.

I don't see what the big deal is.

We do all bring something of our own to the table. After 20 plus years I've learned how to play it. I'm sure most of us have.

They shove it down our throats. It's called Customer Service.

[onedayitllbeme]

No preference , I just usually prefer not to have middle age . I like over 65 the best

[RNperdiem, RN]

In ICU, I don't see much of a difference or have a preference. The men do have a higher rate of alcohol withdrawal and that can be tiring, otherwise, I am happy to take any assigned patient.

[MPKH, BSN, RN]

I've had rude, nitpicking and entitled patients of either gender in various age group, and I've had pleasant, humourous and easy going of either gender in various age group.

It is the patient's individual personality that dictates how they interact with others....also, if you are giving off the vibe that you don't like your female patients, they will pick that up and react to it.

Heck if you don't like me based on your pre conceived notions regarding people of my gender and age...and I pick up that vibe? Guess how I'll act.

[NotAllWhoWandeRN, ASN, RN]

In ICU, I don't see much of a difference or have a preference. The men do have a higher rate of alcohol withdrawal and that can be tiring, otherwise, I am happy to take any assigned patient.

Male, 30s, nausea & vomiting. "Probably another ETOH withdrawal," I grumbled to myself, then berated myself for being prejudiced. But WAS another ETOH withdrawal. A fellow who told me he hadn't had a drink in a week despite a blood alcohol of 0.4 (not .04, 0.4) last night in the ED. His priority was IV narcs for his abdominal pain.

As with every either/or post, dividing men/women is a rather odd generalization, but I'll say, as someone else did, that the ones who have truly frightened and angered me are the men who grab, make sexually degrading comments, and threaten (or commit) violence. I'll take a hundred LOLs who drop their pills before one filthy dude who comments on my shape.

[James W.]

I much rather be subjected to straight up comments..

& deal with the issue then & there,

than be given false assurances followed by malicious complaints behind my back..

I'd say that while patients of any sex may well do this,

the ratio aint close to 50-50..

& as a nurse who has been deemed an "attractive" male,

I can state that some women do seem to feel free to make comments,

( & touch/grab/grasp too..), in an improper manner..

[Maevish, ASN, RN]

Does anyone else 'prefer' male patients to female patients?

When I get assigned a room of elderly female patients, I know I'm in for a heavy shift. Compared to the males, they moan/are pedantic over little things, take twice as long to do everything, seem to be more susceptible to delirium/suffer the symptoms of dementia more than males (obviously not their fault). But can also be cranky and refuse care.

Whereas with elderly males, in my experience, they're easy going, allow you to do observations without a fuss etc, still have some sense of humour despite their alzheimers/dementia diagnosis, talk to me in a respectful way. And I can relate to them easier as at 90yrs old, they can still hold an interesting conversation, and even throw in funny one liners. But the 65yr old female will either be extremely difficult to interact with or nitpick.

Hope I don't sound bitter or anything. I'm not saying I dislike or hate caring for these patients, obviously they're in pain or really ill which affects how they interact. Just find it interesting how easy going elderly male patients can be compared to the females.

I never thought about it, but you're right! Except when I've worked in post partum, women in general tend to be more needy and (for lack of a better word) obnoxious with the "little stuff". Men can definitely be that way as well, but even a teenage boy handles things better than grown women, in my experience. It doesn't mean I "don't like" one or the other, as someone previously said, it's just something that I have also noticed over the years.

If I have a needy, complaining, rude patient it's more likely to be a female of a certain age rather than a male.

The problem with the women, too, is that those tendencies they have toward the nitpicking and never being happy with anything you do does NOT improve with dementia, etc:sarcastic: My grandma was like that before Alzheimer's and is not better now, she just forgets more often...

I wonder if there's any scientific research that's been done on this because it does seem legitimate to me... Maybe someday...

xo

[Neurotic Student]

In the acute medical, no I haven't noticed much difference. In acute psych though, I will be in high acuity unit all-male pts any day over all-female pts. Males there are less likely to hit females, but if male pts hit anyone, they are going for the kill. The female pts hit to mostly get back at you and they do a lot of biting, scratching, hair-pulling, spitting, kicking. They like to cry, scream, and yell.

[Aliareza, BSN]

I like men better because post-op, they can use the urinal and even if they can't it's not so bad to help them briefly stand at bedside to use it then sit them back down. Might end up having to bladder scan and straight cath them, but that's not so bad.

Women, on the other hand, usually want to get up and use the bathroom, and have less upper body strength with which to help maneuver themselves. It makes them "heavier" patients who take more time in general.

Just to be clear, though, nobody likes the bedpan. Men simply have a better option via the urinal, whereas ladies don't. And for some reason, we hardly ever get any old guys falling and busting a hip, whereas we constantly have at least a few elderly females with broken hips and pubic ramus fractures. I'm guessing it's osteoporosis and weaker bones at play.

[sammiesmom]

My experience has been the opposite: many of the elderly male patients have been 'difficult' to take care of, either physically or mentally for me.

I cannot recall an elderly female patient who has attempted to touch my breast area, grab me around the neck or openly use racial slurs to refer to me. All these things have been done to me or said to me by older 'gentlemen.'

Very interesting. May have to do with gender of the nurse too!

[bathrobemom, LPN]

I hate it when my interruptions get interrupted, so I've never noticed or cared if it was more often by women or men and why. After some thought, the men can be as big of a pain as the women. I can recall people of both genders that were hard to deal with. I remember one particular day when I had; a male yelling in the hallway, a female yelling in the hallway, all the equipment was in the hallway because the hairdresser was there, CNAs were bringing residents to the hairdresser, therapy people were walking people in the hallway, the wheelchair roamers were clustered at the nurse's station, pharmacy was dropping off meds, someone from activities asking for headphones, administrator was wondering why I wasn't leaving narcotics out to magically fly over the 10 people in my way to get to the phone...gender had nothing to do with that mess!

My female pill dropper is doing much better overall after a med change and is now a pill champ whereas I still have a male pill dropper that takes forever with his pills even when I help him.

I'm not seeing a connection between gender and likability. I love listening to any resident's life story -they're all interesting to me.

[Horseshoe, BSN, RN]

I hate it when my interruptions get interrupted, so I've never noticed or cared if it was more often by women or men and why.

Huh?!?