Men Nurses ???

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I am confident in myself & my abilities, but I am curious on the publics view on men nurses in general > fellow employees, hospitals, patients, etc., any opinions ???

Pete :rolleyes:

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If this is what you want go for it and don't worry what anyone else thinks. It is sometimes just as difficult for a woman to have a male patient as it is for a man to care for a woman. I personally think men are perceived as smarter and often climb the ladder faster. I have worked with 5 male nurses in the last 6 years and all of them have another job or are getting their NP or have moved to mgmt.

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I have always been delighted with men in nursing. "Most" of the male nurses I have worked with were not only excellent nurses but really genuinely nice people who cared about people. At the risk of sounding sexist, there have been times when it's been a big help to have a bigger, stronger person on the floor.

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where I work right now there is 50% of staff is male and we work well togeather.

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Specializes in Pediatric Rehabilitation.

I actually look forward to the two weeks per month that I work with 3 men and myself. I prefer working with the guys. I kinda like that 3:1 ratio too :D

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Hey Pete,

As a rule, male nurses are welcomed with open arms by other nurses. We like your strong backs, your fresh perspective and the fact that you seem to dilute the PMS on the unit ;) . Rarely, patients especially little old ladies will object to a male nurse, and unfortunately some of the more... shall I say pink in the cervical area clients will asume that male nurses are gay. These small hurdles aside, go for the gusto!

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In my experience, more males than females object to having men as their nurses. Some homophobic thing I guess - less than one per cent object in any case. On any given evening, I work with at least one and sometimes many males - RNs, LPNs, CNAs. I don't think anyone gives it a second thought anymore, especially in the bigger hospitals. I wouldn't give this consideration more than a passing glance if it's what you want to do. Good Luck.

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Hey guys & gals, I very happy to hear all the positive response, regarding.........

Thanks for the support............

Pete

Sunny Miami, Florida :cool:

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Sorry, my english is GOOD !!!

I am very happy........for the english majors.....hahahahahahaha :D

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Originally posted by nurs4kids:

I actually look forward to the two weeks per month that I work with 3 men and myself. I prefer working with the guys. I kinda like that 3:1 ratio too :D

Greetings All Nurses,

Nurs4kids I am not surprized! I think that is wonderful and would love to work with you sometime. With that said I would have wished a statement like that would have been said by Susy! Please do not take that for face value. I say that because the area she works is almost off limits for a male nurse (L&D) soley becuase of my anatomy! I am a male nurse and do not work in the area that mosts interests me. :mad: :eek:

With that said I will tell of what I have encountered from my experience of 11 years almost 12! From other staff on the floor I am often called to assist with transfers especially from the OR to the Med/Surg floor. In addition transfers from bed to chair and ect Not to say that I do not mind helping but I do alot of other nurses transfers and then the care for my pt's too! I am appreciated and do not mind helping where I can! Anything that I can do to help I do since nursing is a team effort to provide the best care I/we can! :D

From the pt's perspective I am often confused :confused: for the Doctor, until I clarify that i am their nurse, then it is a momentary "Oh!" For those who then voice are you Gay (seldom asked but thought) I explain I am not. Like my sexuality would make a difference in mine or an other nurses care! :mad: Then I have my neighbors who are bit on the country side who think it is funny that I am a male nurse, when he was drunk he voiced that and said "aint they like gay or perverts"?

Now to the Administration, as a LPN I will not pursue a career in management! most management positions reqiure a RN. But in some areas a male nurse is a benefit from a management POV, ie Neuro/Surg, psych. and the units, due to the brute force/strength factor. On the flip side there still is a social stigma attached with males and providing care for females. It is wrong and sexism in its rawest form! It is a form of discrimination yet it happens eveyday, so be prepered to be hired in areas where your gender may not be as great a factor! For me this has been my pet peeve and graetest job disatisfaction, I want to work in OB/GYN as a nurse, so far I worked at an abortion clinic-(burnt out on the death issue, at the time I also worked harvesting tissue from cadaevors), I volunteered as a hospital volunteerfor the pp and at the well baby nursery, and I Doula in my own private practice. This is as close to Women's Health or my desire to work in pp, well baby, or L&D! I did do some neonatal high tech home health also! I can recall several times in my school where I was actually told it was an instituion policy that a male student will not care for female clients (the females in my class were not limited by their respective gender)and at interviews for positions in L&D or Delivery room as a tech, questioned about "What and why would a male want to work in this area here?" I also get when I complain to my friends and family that I hate this discrimination, they reply "Well I just do not see why it is such a factor, my OB/GYN was/is a male!" or I hear from other nurses "A laboring women doesn't care who helps or all modesty is out the window in labor". So my question to all these managers who do not hire based upon gender (consiously or unconsciously) why they do not hire a male nurse? :confused:

Peace,

Have a Blessed Day,

Jami :)

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Specializes in LDRP; Education.

Hey Jami...

We did have ONE male on the floor once - the only reason he is gone is he apparently didn't pass boards and went on to be an electrician!!??

Hope this is encouraging! :)

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Originally posted by Susy K:

Hey Jami...

We did have ONE male on the floor once - the only reason he is gone is he apparently didn't pass boards and went on to be an electrician!!??

Hope this is encouraging! :)

Glad to hear from since the bb is down, LMAO, thanks for the encouragement! :D

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