Have Male Nursing Students felt bias during class/clinicals?

november17, ASN, RN · Jan 14, 2014

I actually hear it from a lot of nurses.
I know that class statistics aren't the best way to look at the field, but I've noticed people talking about the male-female ratios. And there's usually significantly less males.

If you mean numerically dominating, then yes. I've really had no experiences with it being gender biased at all as far as instruction or practice - unless the coin operated tampon dispenser in the breakroom counts. I never felt left out during conversation, study groups, or during instruction because I'm a guy I mean, a textbook is a textbook. If you're forming your opinion off things you read on this forum, I'd like to just tell you to take it with a grain of salt. I remember a classmate making a comment one time about me not being able to work labor and delivery because I'm male, but that was an extremely ignorant thing for her to say.

akulahawkRN, ADN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 14, 2014

Generally speaking, I have never felt seriously discriminated against because I'm male. Even during my OB/L&D Rotation, I found that most of the patients were quite accepting of me. I only had one patient refuse to allow me to care for them based on my gender and a patient refuse all males for religious reasons, but that's the patient's doing it, not the unit.

I've had very similar experiences in my other rotations in school. It all just really boils down to attitude. No matter what gender you are, a good professional attitude/demeanor can be seen immediately and the patients will come to the conclusion that they can trust you or not just based on your non-verbal cues.

In my (limited) experience, if a patient "fires" you, it's not you but an attempt by the patient to get some control over their situation. I think we've all had that kind of patient... I just never take it personally because it's their issue, not mine.

As to Nursing being female dominated, it sure is... by any stretch of the imagination. There just aren't a whole lot of males in this profession. In my own view, if you can do the job, you're welcome to it.

elijahvegas, ASN, RN, EMT-P · Jan 14, 2014

never felt discriminated, although often textbooks will refer to the nurse as she/her as well as some of the outside material our *female* instructors provide us, will refer to the nurse as she/her.

no skin off my back though.

murse_bender · Jan 16, 2014

I haven't felt any discrimination, other than OB. I was asked to step out during certain assessments, or got dirty looks from husbands as I watched births. All other areas I have been in (Oncology, ICU, ED, Med-Surg) I have not had any gender discrimination what so ever.When I was asked to leave, I smiled and stepped out.

bloomer319 · Jan 16, 2014

No! And no!

MedicalPartisan · Jan 26, 2014

I haven't started the RN program yet but I do work in the ED. And what I can tell you is that males are definitely no longer a minority. Of course it varies from place to place, but we have just about as many male nurses as female. Even the females say that prefer having male nurses around because we are allegedly better at keeping our feet (mind) grounded even when things are peaking and overwhelming. In my opinion, there is no better team than a diverse one.

blackvans1234 · Jan 27, 2014

One of my instructors used to give me solely male patients. She was an OB Nurse teaching Medsurg Clinicals and fairly out of the loop with medsurg.

Caribbean Character · Jan 27, 2014

I am the "Dad" of our cohort, being the oldest male (started with 3, lost one last semester and gained 2 returns this semester) and among the oldest students (I am 44). I am in no way discriminated against for being a man.

joshmiller2010 · Jan 27, 2014

I've never really felt like I was treated any differently in my school. I've only had a few very modest older ladies ask for a female for their bath/personal needs, but besides that I haven't had any issues. I thought OB would be a problem but I was encouraged to do as much as possible in my rotation and had several opportunities to watch live births, C-sections, do cervical exams, etc. I've noticed that as long as you're polite and provide good nursing care to your patients they could really care less about what's between your legs.

setho1993 · Feb 2, 2014

Having worked through, peds, geriatrics, psych, and med surg, I can't say that I felt like I was treated differently. Yes, I realize I'm in the minority there are less than 10 guys in our class of 80, but I have never had my professors, classmates, or my patients comment on my gender. However, I have noticed more female conversations flying around in class, clinical, etc., but that's just due to majority of girls. I save the monster truck and football talk for after school lol.

Brett SPN · Feb 3, 2014

I have to say I've gotten some very suspicious clinical points. I'm not sure if it's because I'm male but I have felt singled out and put under the microscope.

Ecstatic2014 · Apr 5, 2014

Like many here have stated, OB rotation was kind of male-unfriendly, as the patients didn't feel comfortable with me doing an exam in their pelvic area without a female staff nurse's presence. Heck, I would always ask the staff nurse to come with me to do a head-to-toe assessment.

I would say that some of the female students in my cohort at my school are complete back-stabbers. Helpful and friendly (fake) for one semester. The next semester, they turn their backs on you because #1), they are jealous that you may have scored better than some of them on a final exam, or #2) simply want to sabotage your nursing school careers.

For now, I am almost done with nursing school and graduating in four weeks. I could care less about the majority of my classmates. I simply go to school, take my exams, submit my homework, and leave campus. Heck, I don't even study at my nursing school's library. I go to another college campus or a community college's library to study. More comfortable, and less classmates peeping over your back, looking at what you're studying, what you're doing, etc.