I hate to say this, but I think it's true.....

Published

I think alot of people are going into nursing these days because of the economy and the stories drilled in peoples heads about how nurses make alot of money for only a 2 yr degree. I can tell this by listening to students in my pre-req classes. Some whom I talk to don't have the slightest clue about nursing but they can spout off how much money they think they'll make when they first start out. I'm sure some of you on here will agree with me. I was talking to this one student and he told me, "Yeah, I'm going into nursing. I was a mechanical engineer and was laid off. I can't find work in that right now. Nursing is only two years. I made good money on my last job."

Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
let me get this straight.....you think there's an advantage to being a male nurse......in a woman's profession?!!!!that's like saying there's an advantage in being a woman on a construction crew.:lol2::lol2:i think you may want to relook at that. it's the complete opposite.:down:

i disagree. men get more attention and move up quicker. at least, that's how dh sees it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Now I can't say males make better nurses but I would think as a male nurse you would have a pretty big advantage getting hired since male nurses only make up less than 10% of the profession, I want to say closer to 6% but I've seen different data. It would be just like females having an advantage being hired as a police officer or a huge advantage being hired as a firefighter. In fact, a few years ago my male kick boxing instructor was an RN and he mentioned to me he was actually surprised more males weren't nurses because the job is way more physically demanding than most outside of healthcare would think.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Well, that's what I had originally meant to put on my first comment on here. Males would have a pretty big advantage in terms of getting hired.....

But that wouldn't make a better nurse, by any means......

Once I start nursing school, I aim to be good nurse.

I wasn't trying to make my comments to make it appear that a male nurse is better than a female nurse....

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Geri-psych Nursing.
Let me get this straight.....You think there's an advantage to being a male nurse......in a woman's profession?!!!!That's like saying there's an advantage in being a woman on a construction crew.:lol2::lol2:I think you may want to relook at that. It's the complete opposite.:down:

A woman's profession?? I give thanks daily for the male nurses we DO have, especially when one of our patients goes deadweight. And the male nurses I know are every bit as compassionate and caring as the females. To say that nursing is a woman's profession is pigeonholing all of us, in my opinion.

:twocents:

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I can assure you, after being a male nurse for 16 years, the men have absolutely no advantage and don't move up the ladder any quicker. If anything, you move up less quickly because the females are always trying to push you back down-I'm not exaggerating. I used to hear all of this in school(Moving up the ladder quicker, higher salary) and was psyched thinking it may be true but it's a bunch of BS............ I'm talking from a lot of experience and working in several different hospitals-This isn't an isolated event. I do admit that male doctor's may talk to you differently, but it's no more than a man to man thing-You don't get treated any differently as far as having "special treatment." I have also seen some jealous females-I thought this was really odd coming from all the times I was left out of the "in crowd" with cliques of females. Yea, I'll tell you what being a stronger male nurse translates to=Being used to do all the lifting on the floor!!!!!! Yea, let's wear my back out instead of yours!!!:yeah::yeah:I've also seen a lot of occasions where a female was using the "female charm" to get out of working-"Oh you're stronger and can do it better" or "Men just shave other men so much better." That's a great idea on top of my other 6 patients!!:eek:It is true that we have much less drama and just want to get the job done but, like I've always said, "If I could just nurse, it would be a better world." The thing is, you can't set foot in a hospital w/o getting sucked down with all the drama and that's why I run my own business now-No drama, just getting the job done. I have a great kicker for you......You know what I've had translated from the lack of drama and staying calm in tense situations....I wasn't getting my job done or didn't care....You believe that sh#@!!!!!Yea, because I wasn't running around like a chicken with my cut off and in a panic, I was labeled as not knowing my job!!!:mad::mad::mad:Up yours!!!!!(My attitude at the time) So, anyone out there who thinks a male has an advantage can just stop right there and think again. In fact, that attitude is exactly what made it so difficult for me and why I ended with so many *****#@ to work with...It's called resentment...and for what? They were wrong all along but it didn't keep them from taking it out on me....

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I think the advantages most of the posters were referring to being a male nurse had to do with being hired. I never thought male nurses had an advantage once they're hired. After one becomes a male nurse I would think promotions or advancements would have to do with experience and credentials, not gender.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I think the advantages most of the posters were referring to being a male nurse had to do with being hired. I never thought male nurses had an advantage once they're hired. After one becomes a male nurse I would think promotions or advancements would have to do with experience and credentials, not gender.

Why would a man have an advantage in being hired. I never thought that. If I get hired, it's because of my years experience and the ability to work almost anywhere in a hospital. I honestly don't think just being a man has ever helped me to be hired over a woman.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Why would a man have an advantage in being hired. I never thought that. If I get hired, it's because of my years experience and the ability to work almost anywhere in a hospital. I honestly don't think just being a man has ever helped me to be hired over a woman.

If you got by 100% on your own merit, that's great. But whether it's unfair or not, preferential treatment towards minorities or a person's gender happens all the time in the hiring process, not just in nursing. My male co worker, a female acquaintance, and I applied to the sheriff's dept. at the same time. My male co worker and I both have college degrees and in his case he had a military background as well. My female acquaintance pretty much never had a steady job and dropped out of a community college. Guess who got hired? Even she was surprised. And btw she ended up dropping out of the academy and going back to bartending. I know in policing, the depts. are pressured to hire applicants based on the demographics. Their employees need to mirror their community. If 20% of the population is such and such and they only have 1% of such and such, then you know they will be pushing to hire that group of people even if their qualifications aren't up to par with other applicants. I would think nursing is not immune to this either and from what I've read from past threads here it isn't.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I think alot of people are going into nursing these days because of the economy and the stories drilled in peoples heads about how nurses make alot of money for only a 2 yr degree. I can tell this by listening to students in my pre-req classes. Some whom I talk to don't have the slightest clue about nursing but they can spout off how much money they think they'll make when they first start out. I'm sure some of you on here will agree with me. I was talking to this one student and he told me, "Yeah, I'm going into nursing. I was a mechanical engineer and was laid off. I can't find work in that right now. Nursing is only two years. I made good money on my last job."

When I was doing nursing pre-reqs I heard the same things!!! People dont really know what they are getting into. When I was majoring in nursing and people would ask me what my major is and I told them they would say you will make really good money! The money is okay, but nurses go through a lot at their job they dont get paid enough or respected enough. I admire nurses they work hard and put up with a lot of b.s. Im not doing nursing anymore, but I still like to frequent these boards.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

Sorry, I just reread my post, I sounded like a bitter grumpy guy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
If you got by 100% on your own merit, that's great. But whether it's unfair or not, preferential treatment towards minorities or a person's gender happens all the time in the hiring process, not just in nursing. My male co worker, a female acquaintance, and I applied to the sheriff's dept. at the same time. My male co worker and I both have college degrees and in his case he had a military background as well. My female acquaintance pretty much never had a steady job and dropped out of a community college. Guess who got hired? Even she was surprised. And btw she ended up dropping out of the academy and going back to bartending. I know in policing, the depts. are pressured to hire applicants based on the demographics. Their employees need to mirror their community. If 20% of the population is such and such and they only have 1% of such and such, then you know they will be pushing to hire that group of people even if their qualifications aren't up to par with other applicants. I would think nursing is not immune to this either and from what I've read from past threads here it isn't.

I know exactly what you're talking about. My father used to work for Ga. Power and he would talk about the new guys who were hired(minorities). He'd talk about how Ga. Power would pass over a highly qualified applicant to meet a quota. They hired one guy who graduated from Ga. Tech and he knew absolutely nothing about the job and, according to my father, was dumb as a bag of rocks(Should have never received a degree), but was hired anyway. I can't say for certain that I was never hired because of my gender because I don't know for sure-It never felt like it. I just know my gender was a disadvantage once I went through those doors. I was always looking into ways to heave myself out of nursing and more into a realm where males survived better-PA, CRNA, flight nurse, etc. It just never happened. I always felt like I was reaching for the wrong reasons.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
I can assure you, after being a male nurse for 16 years, the men have absolutely no advantage and don't move up the ladder any quicker. If anything, you move up less quickly because the females are always trying to push you back down-I'm not exaggerating. I used to hear all of this in school(Moving up the ladder quicker, higher salary) and was psyched thinking it may be true but it's a bunch of BS............ I'm talking from a lot of experience and working in several different hospitals-This isn't an isolated event. I do admit that male doctor's may talk to you differently, but it's no more than a man to man thing-You don't get treated any differently as far as having "special treatment." I have also seen some jealous females-I thought this was really odd coming from all the times I was left out of the "in crowd" with cliques of females. Yea, I'll tell you what being a stronger male nurse translates to=Being used to do all the lifting on the floor!!!!!! Yea, let's wear my back out instead of yours!!!:yeah::yeah:I've also seen a lot of occasions where a female was using the "female charm" to get out of working-"Oh you're stronger and can do it better" or "Men just shave other men so much better." That's a great idea on top of my other 6 patients!!:eek:It is true that we have much less drama and just want to get the job done but, like I've always said, "If I could just nurse, it would be a better world." The thing is, you can't set foot in a hospital w/o getting sucked down with all the drama and that's why I run my own business now-No drama, just getting the job done. I have a great kicker for you......You know what I've had translated from the lack of drama and staying calm in tense situations....I wasn't getting my job done or didn't care....You believe that sh#@!!!!!Yea, because I wasn't running around like a chicken with my cut off and in a panic, I was labeled as not knowing my job!!!:mad::mad::mad:Up yours!!!!!(My attitude at the time) So, anyone out there who thinks a male has an advantage can just stop right there and think again. In fact, that attitude is exactly what made it so difficult for me and why I ended with so many *****#@ to work with...It's called resentment...and for what? They were wrong all along but it didn't keep them from taking it out on me....

I feel very lucky that to now women havent made me that angry. When I started working I realized I had to quit drinking coffee or I would get stressed out. Now it is just another job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion