This infuriates me! Came across this on another website.
"I was 20 and in a car crash and my doctor told me to take narcotics and get married because my back was never going to recover from multiple burst discs so just pop Vicodin and become a stay at home mom.
I'm only in my early 30s, now. I had a doctor advise I should get a husband and stay home with my kids to 'take it easy.' Because pregnancy and toddlers are famously good for low back pain, after all.
I have since gone skydiving, whitewater kayaking, hiking, backpacking, backpacked to Machu Picchu, jumped off cliffs into water, jumped off waterfalls and off 3rd story balconies into the snow."
Geeze where are they getting those doctors? The 1950s?
Have you ever experienced such attitudes like that from doctors and/or patients?
"My history: in the 90's I had multiple bouts of serious abdominal pain. I was single. When I got to the ED multiple experiences, where I had an obstructive series, "OK the decision was nothing wrong" following a GastroGraffin Enema. .I endured financial problems (my boss said"we need to save your sick days for when you really need them"). I went to the Mayo Clinic that said we cannot find anything other that a pre-cancerous poylp.
Fast forward: 2011: I am married now. I worked all day came home and ate a sandwich. The old abdominal pain came with the usual vomiting and cramps. My husband said "we need to go to the hospital". I said no, they will just dismiss it. At 1:00 Am I capitulated, got seen at 0600 AM a CT found a volvulus (I was told because I waited so long I would need a colostomy -- why is it my fault all the time?) . Yes being a man or having a support system along with you does make a difference. (and a CT does instead of an obstructive series...but I got labeled at the first ER visit.)
Specializes in Psych, Addictions, SOL (Student of Life).
FiremedicMike said:
I see providers dismiss pain all the time on men and women patients, I just don't understand how you feel your situation was sexism and not just a bad doc?
But you original story had more to do with a bed doc and nothing to due with "sexism in nursing" A sexist doc for sure but there was nothing in you op direct specifcall to this topic in nurse. Anyway I'm done lifes is too short.
"I was 20 and in a car crash and my doctor told me to take narcotics and get married
In the late 60s I had horrible cramps and the MD told my mother it would get better when she gets married. Turns out I had bilateral ovarian cysts that ruptured. Such a poor decision that left me in a miserable condition. Hope things are better now, but frankly I doubt it.
In the late 60s I had horrible cramps and the MD told my mother it would get better when she gets married. Turns out I had bilateral ovarian cysts that ruptured. Such a poor decision that left me in a miserable condition. Hope things are better now, but frankly I doubt it.
I take care of gyn post op patients as part of our general surgery population and we have Gyn residents on staff, and from what I see the new generation of gyn doctors are better. The fact that the majority of them are female I'm sure helps.
Specializes in Oncology, ID, Hepatology, Occy Health.
Tweety said:
The fact that the majority of them are female I'm sure helps.
At the risk of soundng sexist myself, I have both a female cardiologist and a female neurologist and I love and respect them both. They have both been brilliant and I personally think women doctors are often more understanding maybe because they've have to fight harder to get where they are. I hate to stereotype male doctors but there is undoubtedly a "type" (male upper class doctor who reeks arrogance). Of course I'm generalising and many male doctors aren't like that, but my generalist is EXACTLY that type and every time my specialists change something I get this "What's that cardiologist done now? What's this neurologist playing at?" and I'm sure he does this because they're both women.
This infuriates me! Came across this on another website.
"I was 20 and in a car crash and my doctor told me to take narcotics and get married because my back was never going to recover from multiple burst discs so just pop Vicodin and become a stay at home mom.
I'm only in my early 30s, now. I had a doctor advise I should get a husband and stay home with my kids to 'take it easy.' Because pregnancy and toddlers are famously good for low back pain, after all.
I have since gone skydiving, whitewater kayaking, hiking, backpacking, backpacked to Machu Picchu, jumped off cliffs into water, jumped off waterfalls and off 3rd story balconies into the snow."
Geeze where are they getting those doctors? The 1950s?
Have you ever experienced such attitudes like that from doctors and/or patients?
Why would you believe a word of this? What website was it?
At the risk of soundng sexist myself, I have both a female cardiologist and a female neurologist and I love and respect them both. They have both been brilliant and I personally think women doctors are often more understanding maybe because they've have to fight harder to get where they are. I hate to stereotype male doctors but there is undoubtedly a "type" (male upper class doctor who reeks arrogance). Of course I'm generalising and many male doctors aren't like that, but my generalist is EXACTLY that type and every time my specialists change something I get this "What's that cardiologist done now? What's this neurologist playing at?" and I'm sure he does this because they're both women.
I stress, I do appreciate I'm generalising here.
I know the type you're referring to. I work with a lot of interns and residents and I think that type is being weeded out. The new generation of doctors have graduated with about a 50/50 split male to female, and are working very closely with female MDs, especially in our general practice and gyn residencies.
I have a male doctor that graduated from this residency (I wanted a young doctor that wouldn't retire before me as I age) and he isn't like that at all.
I've only experienced with some elderly clients, and these clients also tend to be a tad on the racist side so I let it go in one ear and out the other. Am I mad about it ? Yes it's unfortunate that people feel that way about others. However, I have also had clients call me Dr. For context I'm in the final semester of the DNP program for AGNP. I wear a white coat at clinicals. I'm 26, blonde, and announce myself as a nurse practitioner student. They still call me Dr. If there was a widespread sexist issue I wouldn't think I would experience this. I chose healthcare because as a woman I could have opportunities that I wouldn't in other professions. Also let me add that I always correct the patients, stating again that I'm an NP student.
I think in the nursing speciality itself - there appears to be a degree of sexism.
I see male nurses with less experience get more praise and acceptances to positions that others with similar or more credentials have not.
It's something that I need seems to be getting better over time - but it does appear that sometimes even families expect male nurses to be physicians or more knowledgeable than other nurses.
Specializes in Oncology, ID, Hepatology, Occy Health.
vintagegal said:
I've only experienced with some elderly clients, and these clients also tend to be a tad on the racist side so I let it go in one ear and out the other. Am I mad about it ? Yes it's unfortunate that people feel that way about others. However, I have also had clients call me Dr. For context I'm in the final semester of the DNP program for AGNP. I wear a white coat at clinicals. I'm 26, blonde, and announce myself as a nurse practitioner student. They still call me Dr. If there was a widespread sexist issue I wouldn't think I would experience this. I chose healthcare because as a woman I could have opportunities that I wouldn't in other professions. Also let me add that I always correct the patients, stating again that I'm an NP student.
I think this is a problem for nurses of both sexes who step out of the box into non-traditional nursing rôles. You're not in scrubs doing all the things they expect nurses to do and you demonstrate competencies they don't traditionally associate with nursing, hence it thows them. It's amazng how many people think nurses need a doctor behind them 24/7 reminding them to breathe.
In the UK I was a clinical nurse specialist in Viral Hepatitis - largely outpatient and community, nurse consultation, outreach etc. and I didn't wear a uniform. Despite always introducing myself including my title some people still took me for a doctor. It's amazing how many fellow professionals even referred to me as the "Hepatitis Counsellor." I corrected people straight away and reminded them I'm a nurse. I don't have a counselling qualification and never ever paraded myself as a counsellor.
In the other direction I have an elderly neighour (95) who tells all the other neighbours I'm an Aide Soignant (nurse's aide or health care assistant) as she just can't imagine the idea of a male nurse.
The sexism thing does apply to male nurses in uniform. I'm back in a uniformed, bedside clinical rôle and yes, after 37 years in this game in 2 different countries, people are still sometimes saying "Thank you doctor" ?♀️
This sounds a bit like Reddit drama or clickbait to be honest. We can't verify its accuracy. For some people emotion creates their reality. Did the doctor actually say those words, or did the patient describe how the doctor make them feel?
Ding ding ding, I agree. Anytime I see a disembodied quote on the internet, or a "guess what happened!1!" story, I pause and consider: Does this get me riled up? Does it seem like it was specifically engineered to get me riled up?
Of course sexism exists in many places, and doctors are human, ergo, some are probably sexist. Have I ever met one who was so overtly and openly sexist that he would tell an injured person "get married so you won't have to work"? No.
True discrimination tends to be subtle (not least because you are likely to get fired or sued if you walk around making openly discriminatory statements to everyone who walks in the door).
Guess I'm just lucky. When I meet someone that is an unprofessional *** I don't see some veiled 'homophobe', sexist, or racist. I just see an unprofessional *** and I let him or her know it. Saves a lot of guessing...
londonflo
3,002 Posts
"My history: in the 90's I had multiple bouts of serious abdominal pain. I was single. When I got to the ED multiple experiences, where I had an obstructive series, "OK the decision was nothing wrong" following a GastroGraffin Enema. .I endured financial problems (my boss said"we need to save your sick days for when you really need them"). I went to the Mayo Clinic that said we cannot find anything other that a pre-cancerous poylp.
Fast forward: 2011: I am married now. I worked all day came home and ate a sandwich. The old abdominal pain came with the usual vomiting and cramps. My husband said "we need to go to the hospital". I said no, they will just dismiss it. At 1:00 Am I capitulated, got seen at 0600 AM a CT found a volvulus (I was told because I waited so long I would need a colostomy -- why is it my fault all the time?) . Yes being a man or having a support system along with you does make a difference. (and a CT does instead of an obstructive series...but I got labeled at the first ER visit.)