Interesting facts and observations.

Nursing Students Male Students

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I am a nursing student and have been working as a Nurse's Aide for just over one year.

To date I have helped care for just over 500 patients.

A grand total of three (3) have specifically asked for a female aide to help with "personal hygiene."

However, I've had six family members say that their loved one would prefer a female, and after said family member has gone home, the patients all profusely apologized.

I have had around 15 patients (both male and female) inform me that they actually prefer a male (I don't ask why, so don't ask me).

The vast majority seem to be oblivious as to the gender of their caregivers, they seem only concerned that they are getting proper care. This is how it should be.

no males in the room? at all?

It is interesting that this preference is generally only directed towards nurses and not towards physicians i.e. one does not insist on only female surgeons, a female anesthesiologist, etc. Therein lies the personal insult to one's professionalism. If a profession such as medicine can transcend the sexuality and go beyond it to provide proper medical care, why can't a profession such as nursing...

EXACTLY !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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My vote goes to the patient. The patient is in control of his/her own body and the medical care of that body. Something that they are not comfortable with should not be forced upon them. Therefore I do not feel that requesting someone of the same sex do the personal cares is unreasonable nor does it insult anyone's professionalism.

What is an insult to professionalism is when the policy of the facility places limits on what a nurse of one sex can do to a patient of the opposite sex without applying that limit equally to both sexes. An example would be allowing a female to cath a male but disallowing a male from doing a cath on a female. Or requiring a male to have a female chaperone when doing cares on a female but not vice versa. It is really bad when the profession itself fails to view its own members as equal contributors in the delivery of healthcare with sex as the deciding factor.

Personally, I will always request that any care of an intimate nature be performed by a provider of the same sex as me. It is not an insult to the healthcare professional since I am the one who has to live with myself after all is said and done. Healthcare is about the patient, not the person providing it. After a couple of horrendous experiences with female providers when I was a teenager, I have to make my decision based on those experiences. I have no doubt that most female nurses are professionals, but I can't erase the bad memory of a few individuals who were not the professionals they should have been. I have successfully avoided personal cares from female medical providers since 1973, longer than some folks here have been alive. It's been an uphill battle sometimes, especially considering all the rough experiences thrown at me during a law enforcement career. A pretty good accomplishment when you consider all the criminal assaults, a GSW, burns and smoke inhalation, and an aircraft crash.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.
Yes, I see the other side too. It just kills me when women say that it isn't anything personal. When I started at this hospital a couple of years ago, it didn't happen hardly at all (I work in surgery). Now it is like once a month I am ban from a room because the patient requests no males in the room.

If it's happening that often I understand your frustration. It doesn't happen to me that often. And it definately is frustrating that this doesn't include doctors, anesthesists, etc.

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and......... i don't think you get it. while i agree with ^ this part of the post, i also must tell you that it is not the usual reason. yes these exceptions do occur but it is not the majority of instances and you know it. it is simply because the patient might feel uncomfortable with a male nurse and nothing more. so...... yes it is an insult to my professionalism.

just like you know.....how women can't manage companies because they are women. it has nothing to do with being female. it is just that corporate entities prefer only men in those positions (some foreign companies have traditions of not dealing with women). it's nothing personal; nothing against the professionalism of a woman, it is just what they like... so please do not take it wrong...... yes, this is a little different circumstance but it is very much alike.

i could go on and on but it won't change either of our opinions. i still would not want to cover a room that had a patient that didn't want me there. that doesn't change the fact that they insult my professionalism.

please don't assume to know what i know and don't now..because you don't know me. secondly, i have been a nurse for 20 years and the only time i know of a patient asking for a specific gender of nurse was a male patient that accused the male nurse the night before of molesting him. therefore he asked for a female nurse the next shift. so please sir i do not quite understand where you are coming from.

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Healthcare is about the patient, not the person providing it.

+1....good point.

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Specializes in Critical care.
I dont look like a male nurse.

I am in a RN program was a medic in the military and have not ran into this issue in a hospital yet.

In the military it is how free medical care would be (you have no choices) and everyone know this.

But recently at an orientation for the RN program i could see a female student who was in her second year was taking people pictures.

she proceeded to ask each male and female couples who is the student, she did this to the whole room.

Mind you im 5'10 240 and im not fat, im not cut but i am a very big guy and i dont mean height.

so she proceeded to take my wifes picture and ignore me, she asks her name to write the info down and my wife goes he is the student. they have 5 men in her class and there about 5 in mine but she was I guess intimidated by my looks and assumed I could not be a male nurse.

I am curious how it will affect me in my career, I am good looking and muscular not something you see in straight male nurses. every other male nurse i have met noit in the army seemed a little fem but this cannot be the rule can it be?

I currently work as an instructor for mentally disabled adults, pretty severly mentally disabled and I get looks when anyone new comes in the 4 other men who work there are 45+ very overweight I dont fit that mold but noone has said i cant do something because they dont feel comfortable. this field is mainly female also there are 19 females that work at this center alone.

Draken, not a slam as much as an attempted enlightening, but it seems you have begun your own stereotype. What does a non military 'male nurse' look like exactly? I could get VERY long-winded with this, but I'll spare everyone that. Please don't paint us all with the same brush, okay?

It seems I went through the exact opposite stereotype in my 6 yrs active military (Combat Engineers-Heavy)

Now that I'm a 'fem' male nurse, how's that fit? I'm the same dude, the same 6' 1" 245 lb dude.

I spent 6 yrs learning how to get the bad guys, now I've spent 11 plus years learning how to fix em up afterwards.

I can massage a fundus AND the dents from the rear quarter on my Landcruiser I'm restoring. I can go to work, talk about the new cage my coworker buddy has welded up for his Rhino, and then get home and field "Nurse in the family" questions from the in-laws and such.

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Specializes in Hospice, Med/Surg, ICU, ER.
By the time I am finished with the admission assessment they have forgotten that I am anything but one of the nurses who will be caring for them.

Infact, outside of clinicals from school, I have yet to have any PT refuse care from me. I still think that my instructor "refused" care FOR me on a couple occasions.

That has been my experience also. I've not had any issues w/ my gender since passing the NCLEX, and a good 20% of my hospital's nursing and pt care staff is male.

In fact, many of my pt's (men and women) like me so much, they go to the charge nurse to request my service on my next shift!

I am a new "older" nurse; 5'4" and about 160 lbs. I am married with two kids and am obviously straight. My female coworker love the fact that I can lift more than they can, and can stick an 18ga IV cath in a pencil lead.

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no males in the room? at all?

It is interesting that this preference is generally only directed towards nurses and not towards physicians i.e. one does not insist on only female surgeons, a female anesthesiologist, etc. Therein lies the personal insult to one's professionalism. If a profession such as medicine can transcend the sexuality and go beyond it to provide proper medical care, why can't a profession such as nursing...

Some do request all females including docs.

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My vote goes to the patient. The patient is in control of his/her own body and the medical care of that body. Something that they are not comfortable with should not be forced upon them. Therefore I do not feel that requesting someone of the same sex do the personal cares is unreasonable nor does it insult anyone's professionalism.

What is an insult to professionalism is when the policy of the facility places limits on what a nurse of one sex can do to a patient of the opposite sex without applying that limit equally to both sexes. An example would be allowing a female to cath a male but disallowing a male from doing a cath on a female. Or requiring a male to have a female chaperone when doing cares on a female but not vice versa. It is really bad when the profession itself fails to view its own members as equal contributors in the delivery of healthcare with sex as the deciding factor.

Personally, I will always request that any care of an intimate nature be performed by a provider of the same sex as me. It is not an insult to the healthcare professional since I am the one who has to live with myself after all is said and done. Healthcare is about the patient, not the person providing it. After a couple of horrendous experiences with female providers when I was a teenager, I have to make my decision based on those experiences. I have no doubt that most female nurses are professionals, but I can't erase the bad memory of a few individuals who were not the professionals they should have been. I have successfully avoided personal cares from female medical providers since 1973, longer than some folks here have been alive. It's been an uphill battle sometimes, especially considering all the rough experiences thrown at me during a law enforcement career. A pretty good accomplishment when you consider all the criminal assaults, a GSW, burns and smoke inhalation, and an aircraft crash.

What would happen if there wasn't anyone of the same sex to care for you?

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If there were no one of the same sex.... is... something I hope to never have to deal with...is one of the worst fears I have about ever being injured or seriously ill...even more than the inury or illness... I have no idea what would happen. I guess go without if I was able to..otherwise I guess we all know what would happen and I think I don't even want to think about it .

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What would happen if there wasn't anyone of the same sex to care for you?

I guess it would be decision time. It would depend on how bad I needed the treatment, how long could it wait, is there a follow on shift with males available, and so on. The only times I have needed emergency care were when I was at a level 1 center anyway, there were always male personnel working at the time. So, it's never presented a problem, except for attitudes of course. Heck, if I'm hurt bad enough I won't be in a position to request anything anyway, so I'll just deal with it when I can. I try not to worry myself over what I cannot control.

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What would happen if there wasn't anyone of the same sex to care for you?

Well, that is obvious as women have been forced for generations to suffer nothing but male care.

I just want to be told the truth, respectfully asked about training, and given some control and choices over providers and situations. When women are available for intimate procedures I prefer them and do not mind the wait in a non-emergency context. I want to be informed of any training and asked specific consent. I may if introduced and properly asked be willing to help train a small group (2 or 3), but not while I am sedated. I do not ever want to be left alone with a male or males while under anesthesia, or at least that was the rule, now I am not willing to be sedated without a family member present. Why? Well, practice exams, bait and switch operations, and repeatedly being left alone with men under anesthesia over objections. My postion is not unreasonable nor irrational. Charges of such is simply abusive.

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