Male Nurses.

atownsendrn · May 28, 2003

I don't have the answer to any of your questions. But I can tell you that one hospital in the Metro Atlanta area is doing a male nurse calendar to "celebrate" the male nurses in its facility. No thongs please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

GAstudent · May 28, 2003

I HAVE BEEN TOLD THE SAME THING AND DISAGREE WITH IT. WHAT IF YOU WAS UP FOR A JOB IN THE ER .AND YOU WAS UP AGAINST A FEMALE. IF A MAN IS A NURSE AND SO IS A WOMAN THEN WHO EVER IS BETTER QUALIFIED SHOULD GET THE JOB. WHAT IF THE WOMAN WAS 30 AND BEEN AN ER NURSE FOR 10 YEARS WITH GREAT REF AND SHE IS WORKING ON HER MSN AND DID A WONDERFUL JOB IN ER BEFOR BEING OVER THE ER AND MAKING THE SATISFACTORY RATINGS GO UP. YET THE MAN NURSE HAS HIM ADN AND BEEN A NURSE FOR 5 YEARS AND NEVER A PROMOTION AND THE REFERNECES WAS OK. WHAT IF THE MAN GOT THE JOB AND YOU THE MAN KNEW THE OTHER LADY..WOULD YOU FEEL BAD. AND YOU ARE GETTING PAID TIME PLUS A HALF OF WHAT THEY WOULD HAVE OFFERED THE WOMAN.

Beetlejuice · May 28, 2003

I became an RN 17 years ago. In the eyes of a physician, I think men generally start at a notch above females as far as respect and professional treatment. How you perform as a nurse after that "introduction" will further define the working relationship. Get smart on your patient population and their disease processes. Do you ask educated questions? Do you act like a subordinate or a partner? In the eyes of another nurse, you start at par with the females and must prove yourself. Nurses tend to be more objective with other nurses regardless of sex. Being a man in a female dominated profession is not as bad as being a woman in a male dominated profession. Your qualifications, more than your sex, will determine what type of jobs you receive.

fergus51 · May 28, 2003

I think male nurses are still considered a novelty. Whether you'll easily find jobs is up for debate, but you will certainly be more memorable than most of the female applicants thanks to your gender.

mark_LD_RN · May 28, 2003

no it will not bring you extra pay or better job or faster advancement! those are just myths.

but it will bring diffuculties with it depending on the area you choose to practice. but thankfully that is getting much better. pm me if you want to talk or have questions

debbyed · May 28, 2003

Pay is usually based on ability and experience not sex. Positions are usually filled the same way. Areas in which being a male "may" help might be in corrections nursing.

Men are welcome in our ER, but we have never hired one person over another because of sex. Heck if you are qualified you got the job in this day and age.

robred · May 28, 2003

I agree with Mark_LD_RN. Nurses who are male do not see faster advancement or better pay. After 8 yrs on the job at three different institutions, I can't say that I've encountered any problems and generally have good working relationships with my partners and physicians. I have had a rare client who is uncomfortable with me as as 'their' nurse (female clients). That has been far the exception than the rule. Good Luck!

colleen10 · May 28, 2003

I just wanted to add that there was a story on "The Today Show" yesterday about how female dominated fields (Nursing, Child Care, Pre-School Education, etc.) are now attracting more men due to the poor economy and that most female dom. professions are more stable in poor economic times. I don't remember the specific numbers of increases etc. but if you went to the Today Show website you will probably find them.

I can't speculate on whether men make more money, etc. in nursing but I do agree with BeetleJuice in that men probably get more respect initially. I think that is true of just about any career field, unfortunately.

They also speculated that the salaries in these professions may rise as more men enter these fields.

Quickbeam, BSN, RN · May 28, 2003

My nursing school class was 30% male. All of them went into OR nursing. They were all excellent nurses and I'm sure have gone far.

When I took my current consulting role, they had to delay my hire for 2 months because EEOC said they had to try and fill the job with a male RN! They couldn't find anyone with my credentials so I got the job. But it did make me smile.

SmilingBluEyes · May 28, 2003

As far as PAY goes, it's NOT TRUE where I work. The union sees to that, thankfully. It's about HOW you do the job---your professionalism that will make you shine, not the gender you may be. I don't care whether the nurse caring for me or mine is male/female, what color, religious (or lack) preference they hold---none of that matters as long as he/she is compassionate, professional and competent. I wish we could get over gender issues in this country already. It is really old hat.

roxannekkb · May 28, 2003

The number of men in nursing has not risen significantly by any means. They represent 5-7% of the nursing workforce, depending on whose stats you look at. In a recent study out of U Penn, Julie Sochalski, RN, PhD, found that 7.5 percent of new male nurses left the profession within four years of graduating from nursing school, compared to 4.1 percent of new female nurses. That's double the rate! So it seems, at least from her data, that men tend to be unhappier in nursing, and at the rate they're leaving, it's unlikely that their numbers are going to rise anytime soon.

Also, men are disproportiately represented in positions of management in nursing, consider how few there are in the profession. Whether they get promoted faster, or they just tend to go back to school, or they are just more aggressive in moving up the ladder--is hard to say.:kiss