Hollywood's Portrayal of Male Nurses?

I need some feedback for my class about the portrayal of male nurses in movies and television shows. Comments would greatly be appreciated on whether it is positive or negative portrayal.

Specializes in CNA, Nursing Student.
...but I think in that same episode, sometime around when he says that, he adds that he's working as a nurse just to put himself through med school. Cuz a guy can't be "just" a nurse, he has to at least be on his way to becoming a doctor! :icon_roll

Did he now? Well then..nevermind. haha

I know Med School certainly isn't on my list of things to do in life. If it makes any difference.

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
I only watched some of the first season of Hawthorne, so I don't know if his character has evolved since then, but in every episode I watched, he was either getting slack from a patient for being a male nurse, or he was lamenting over the fact that he did poorly on the MCAT or couldn't get into med school, whichever it was. I never saw him portrayed as a positive role model that other male nurses would want to emulate.

Yeah, I know it's television and not to be taken seriously, but I would just like to see the role of a male nurse presented in a non-stereotypical way :)

Now that you mention it, I guess you're right.

All I saw was that he wasn't a sexual stereotype and he seemed competent and fairly well respected and I guess I got a little excited...

If any of you have watched ER over the years, they did a great job with the Malik character. I think he was the most true-to-life representation of a male nurse that I have seen on TV.

I realize most nurses hate Grey's Anatomy because how we're so underrepresented in "Seattle Grace Hospital" but there is the minor character, Nurse Tyler, played by Moe Irvin. He seems to be just trying to get through his shift like the rest of us.

Specializes in IMCU.

It annoys me that the one nurse who is male on Hawthorne, is the one who wants to go to medical school.

Specializes in Gerontology, nursing education.
It annoys me that the one nurse who is male on Hawthorne, is the one who wants to go to medical school.

Yes! Just once I want him to stand up and say, "No, I've decided I don't want to be a doctor. I really enjoy being a NURSE!"

The character of Greg Focker in Meet the Parents said in the beginning of the movie that while he had taken the MCAT and done well, he liked being a nurse. I would be so impressed if the writers of HawthoRNe would write something like that for Ray.

Specializes in IMCU.

Also, far too many male nurses are portrayed as gay on shows. It is very disappointing. Then these gay male nurses are also portrayed as being "one of the girls". Even if a guy is gay he is still a man.

"Mo Mo", "Sam," and "Thor" are all male nurses on Nurse Jackie. I think they're all great characters.

Hey, man. read my opinion here: https://allnurses.com/good-evening-doctor-t337547/

Nursing is no longer a "nurturing" job; it's more scientific based now. women are generally very nurturing, which is why nurses are stereotypically female. now, you must have a solid scientific foundation to be a nurse. It's more problem solving now, as supposed to just "nurture."

Right, because all male nurses are gay. Everyone knows that.

What do you mean by that?

I do think they're great characters, Sam is one of the few characters on the show that has integrity and yeah, the other two are both gay, but so what? I have never assumed that all male nurses are gay. There are very few portrayals of nurses in film and TV period, what's so bad about a couple of characters that are shown as competent, professional and gay?

Besides if your worried about people making assumptions about nursing based on "Nurse Jackie" you've got bigger things to worry about than that.

Specializes in Emergency Nursing.
What do you mean by that?

I do think they're great characters, Sam is one of the few characters on the show that has integrity and yeah, the other two are both gay, but so what? I have never assumed that all male nurses are gay. There are very few portrayals of nurses in film and TV period, what's so bad about a couple of characters that are shown as competent, professional and gay?

Besides if your worried about people making assumptions about nursing based on "Nurse Jackie" you've got bigger things to worry about than that.

My point is that one prevailing assumption about male nurses is that they are gay. You know as well as I do that this is not the case. Nurse Jackie perpetuates a stereotype since it implies that at least 2/3 are, or less particularly, a majority at any rate. Again, you know that this is not the case.

Recognizing this stereotype and mentioning it does not equate to endorsement of any particular social or political position on the matter. And I'll go ahead and recall you to the thread topic which is the perpetuation of male nurse stereotypes in entertainment. So taking issue with that television program's portrayal is quite germane. So, it's not a question of me "worrying" about it so much as is taking issue with your endorsement of their image of male nurses as generally accurate or even acceptable; thus my sarcastic remark.

In the same way that portrayal of male nurses as guys who really want to be doctors, or what's worse, who couldn't cut it in Med School is clearly inaccurate, so also is the implication that they are mostly gay.

There's nothing wrong with wanting to be a doctor or being gay, but perpetuation of a cookie-cutter model, based in antiquated or simply mistaken assumptions for us is bothersome, and, again, that is the point of this thread.

Now I need to go get some spicy Thai noodles and finish studying for my Micro exam.

If any of you have watched ER over the years, they did a great job with the Malik character. I think he was the most true-to-life representation of a male nurse that I have seen on TV.

I hate how soap opera fan-esque this is going to sound but here goes...

I agree that Malik on ER is great. Maybe it's because of my particular bias, (wanna be nurse when I grow up), but I always wanted to see more of him on the show. He was always kind of a background character. That said, he was always portrayed as a very competent, go-to kind of ER nurse and I don't recall his sexual orientation being an issue one way or the other.

There was another male nurse on ER that had a fling with Sam for a few episodes. Straight, competent and tough. In one episode he wrestles a raging patient to the ground that the doctors are afraid to engage.

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