Male vs. Female Nurses

Nurses General Nursing

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Does anyone have any particular opinions on whether a male or female does a better job of nursing? If so, what makes the difference, either way.

Just a thought,....sociatal pressure on males.... to be the breadwinner, to lead, a family, a church, may make them aim for the top. I do know a lot of males start out at the bedside, but have goals that will take them into management, or another specialty that pays better. We all know that as it stands, there is not adaquate compensation to support a family in comfort with bedside nursing. Those that do stay, must truly be the people that love doing bedside nursing and are treasures to work with. There are also females that are putting in their required years at the bedside before moving to another, better paying job.

Specializes in Geriatrics, LTC.

There is no such thing as a "male nurse" or a "female nurse"....there are just nurses. Gender makes no difference. The reason men seem to get into the nursing programs is because they are trying to get more men into nursing. Nursing has always had this stigma of being a "female" job. Men can be gentle and caring and perfect to be nurses, but unfortunately the stigma and the fact that there is a negativity pushed on men to not be caring and sensitive has drove men out of the nursing field. When in all actuality.....gender should not matter what so ever.....what makes a great nurse is someone who cares, someone who understands, someone who can be a friend when you need one most, someone who is there in your darkest hours, someone who holds your hand while you feel no one else cares or knows about you. A nurse is your father, mother, sister, brother, aunt, uncle...all those important people that you need around you. So you see a nurse is just a human, not a gender.

Specializes in OB, M/S, ICU, Neurosciences.

Greer 128:

Very nicely said! :D

I've known good and bad of both genders of nurses.

Agree with Kewl that men are a gender minority in nursing. Also have to say it's still a man's world out there.... guys get treated differently......in many, many cases, IME.

Specializes in ED staff.

I've worked with good and bad both sexes. Some nights when I work its all women working and sometimes there are a couple of guys working, doesn't seem to make any difference unless we need to restrain someone or move someone that is gargantuan. I think most guys call in less than women do, if a child is sick it's usually Mom that stays at home to care for them. So maybe from a statistical viewpoint they are hired more often because they look as if they are better employees. I don't care what sex I work with or even if I worked with a eunuch, I don't care what color you are, what religion you are as long as you know what the hell you're doing or if you don't, you ask for help before you screw something up. :)

Specializes in Telemetry.

One of the previous persons posting blamed the complaining on women---which underlies the main problem with the nursing profession: it is female dominated, and thus any complaints or issues raised tend to be laughed off by the world as "just a bunch of whiny women."

I found this on another nursing web forum. The discussion was started by a man who thought that only women complained about the atrocities in the nursing field. His point was that male nurses don't complain because there is nothing to complain about. Nursing is a job; do it and get over it. This particular quote was from a male nurse who was defending the complaining that was occuring on the site and I think it creates an accurate view of what I've seen in my 6 years in hospitals.

Male nurses have an advantage in the fact that they often make a better salary (it might be by a few cents or a dollar but they do make more than women). Doctors tend to be men and thus have more respect for a male nurse (unless he is openly gay) than they do with female nurses. When a male nurse brings up an issue it is an issue, when a female nurse does it we are nagging. I also notice that female nurses either tend to think of a male nurse as slightly less competent so they do his work for him, or the male nurse is favored so they do his work for him. Kind of like the senario that men can learn to do laundry just as well as women, but the husband knows that if he doesn't do it well for long enough the wife will just do it for him. I am not saying that all male nurses do this, but a fair amount do.

People can say what they want and try to believe that we are on an even playing field but we are not yet. I'm 27 and I realize this. I'm not angry at any particular sex for it, I just know it exists and can only hope that women and men can work together to create a more even playing field. Men are not the breadwinners they once were, women are now having to take on that role in a good majority of families. We should get paid equally and have an equal amount of respect. On a whole women are still seen as "whiny" when we complain instead of taken seriously.

Another reason a male nurse is highly valued is because they can generally lift more than a female.

I realize that there is quite a bit of sexism that men must deal with when enetering the nursing field and that the whole "eat their young" thing that happens with new nurses can be worse for male nurses because more often than not sex is used as a reason to be mean to the male nurse.

Please do not flame me for this opinion of the current situation. I don't think this is how things should be or that it is right that things are this way, but I don't see any use in denying the fact that it exists.

Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.

I think there is a difference, but I dont spend any time trying to define the differences.

I think there are certain areas of the nursing field men LIKE more (not do better in) and likewise for women. I dont get along with M/S well, its not my personality type. It requires more of.........a motherly approach........I dont know how to describe it.

I think men pool to certain fields because their personalities work better there. They perform well there as opposed to other fields because they are more content. Same with women, do better in fields that match their personality better.

Its not a stereotype, just a..........matter of taste.

Specializes in ER/EHR Trainer.

We are about 70%Female and 30% Male, truthfully I have never noted any difference. We all work well together. The one thing I do find interesting is that the males tend to be paramedics and have other goals besides spending their lives in the ER or at the bedside. Another interesting thing is that many of the men have been in other careers or in the military. Perhaps thats what defines the sexes. We are union so we all make the same amount of money.

As for the question about nursing school; they are a minority but they were made to wait just like everyone else in my program for their spot. One of the other posters may be right about getting spots due to their sex in other programs, it does happen. As it does happen with jobs.

Truthfully, in hiring if I had the choice between a 5'0" nothing slip of a girl and a 6'0" strapping male with equal credentials and I needed an ER nurse, I'd choose the guy just for the extra bonus of the lift. If the opposite was true female to male I would choose the female. It's just smart hiring-the right person to do the "whole" job. That shouldn't surprise anyone, meanwhile if all of my applicants offer the same abilities then sex wouldn't matter to me or I believe to anyone else. And it shouldn't!

I like and trust my co-workers, can't imagine not working with them, the guys bring a different dimension to nursing and a different perspective.

JMHO

M

Does anyone have any particular opinions on whether a male or female does a better job of nursing? If so, what makes the difference, either way.

One of the big things that makes a difference to the quality of a nurse is that s/he focuses on their job and the patient, and not on asinine things like who makes a better nurse and the age old gender war.

Specializes in M/S, Travel Nursing, Pulmonary.
One of the big things that makes a difference to the quality of a nurse is that s/he focuses on their job and the patient, and not on asinine things like who makes a better nurse and the age old gender war.

:yeah:lol

Specializes in ER/Trauma.
Then why does it seem that males are quicker to get into programs and to get hired? No offense, please don't flame...
Personally - I think this is an inaccurate description/argument. "Males" don't automatically get accepted/hired into programs/jobs.... especially if my personal experience is anything to go by!

I'm a "nurse" - that I might be male, female, heterosexual, homosexual, republican, democrat, christian, muslim, hindu, buddhist and so on and so forth is largely irrelevant. I'm a "nurse" - and that's all that really counts!

cheers,

There are a few nurses, mostly female, who go into nursing to:

a. marry a rich doctor

b. for the prestige of being a nurse

c. for the big paycheck and financial stability

These are some of the scariest nurses and men tend not to enter the field for these reasons. For people who enter nursing because they truly want to be nurses for the job itself and are capable, gender doesn't matter.

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