Is it me, or is there a dichotomy for male nurses??

[Mike32110]

Okay, just a random observation that I have had. I am in a fast-track nursing program, and of course there are very few guys. It seems like you can put guys into two big catagories: the one's with relatively 'femanine' personalities, and the other's that seem to be over the top masculine haha.

Maybe this is just what I have seen, don't get me wrong there are a few pretty regular guys, but there does seem to be two extremes here.

I train MMA and at my club there are two other male nurses there, which to me is insanely high out of the maybe 80 guys that train there. I've also noticed a large number of... um... "sensitive" guys that seem to fit the male nursing stereotype as well.

There's also a few other guys whose brain seems to be made of pure testosterone, lol. I was just wondering if anyone else noticed the same thing.

[Bob_N_VA]

So to play devils advocate for just a bit...

You are saying you are one of the guys that tends to the more Masculine end of the spectrum? If so, where are you on the caring aspect of the job? Do you rank empathy as one of the must have traits to be a good nurse? Just askin...

[elkpark]

I've known quite a few nurses over the years who happened to be male, and, as far as I recall, they have all seemed to be just "regular guys" (not tending toward either extreme of the "masculine-feminine" continuum).

[cjar107013]

I'll bite and continue on with Bob_N_VA and elkpark. I'm not an overly masculine guy (not big into sports or the "testosterone"-type things) but anyone who knows me would hesitate to put me in the feminine end of the continuum (definitely not feminine and certainly not "sensitive").

I'm a guy. I'm looking to make my life better for my family. I'm not looking to prove anything to the world or anybody. I'm just looking to get by.

[cheezwhiz]

meh, i've seen guys on all parts of the femme-masculinity continuum.

[ImThatGuy, BSN, RN]

Hmmm. I'll be a career changer here, yet that's an if. I may not stop my current career entirely.

I've worked as a paramedic before although that's likely a door I've closed and permanently nailed shut (the pt. transport part is what got old), was a volunteer fireman for a number of years, and am a certified police officer thus I work in law enforcement. None of those are "feminine," and neither am I. I like football and other sports. I'm into guns and marksmanship. Outdoorsy crap. I eat a lot of cow, lol, and I'd rather have some beef product over any kind of sweets.

I'd say I'm pretty regular with my peculiarity being that I keep a pretty clean house, vehicle, etc. I think I'm overly observant so things stand out.

With regards to empathy,....I don't know. I'm fairly jaded and cynical from my prior work experiences and perhaps my own upbringing. I feel sorry for people at times, but I don't believe I exert any outward signs of empathy. I'm well calloused, and it's easier for me to put other people's problems out of sight and out of mind than it is for me to console them. I'm certainly not a nurturer.

I once had the displeasure of seeing a murse pull a catheter out of a guy's junk. He yanked on that tube like he was trying to start a weed eater, lol. I'll never forget it. I'm guessing he lacked the empathy too.

[cjcsoon2bnp, MSN, RN, NP]

Not to be a jerk but it's hard to take this question seriously when you spell the word feminine as "femanine". Spell check is your friend.

With that being said, here is my opinion. I've had the opportunity to work with quite a few guy nurses and they all seem like pretty normal guys to me. I'm not sure what you define as "feminine", is it having a lot of empathy and caring for patients? If that is the case then I would be considered "feminine". I am very empathetic for my patients (not sympathetic but empathetic) and the providing care aspect of nursing is probably one of my strengths (versus the technology focused aspect of nursing). My area of interest and specialty is Pediatrics so maybe that's why I might be misread as "feminine" if an excess of empathy is how you define that word. I have no problem playing with toys, talking baby talk, acting silly and doing all sorts of goofy "feminine" things if that is going to help comfort a scared, sick little kid and I don't give a crap what anyone else thinks about it. Sometimes that means playing monster trucks with boys and call them "Little Dude" and sometimes that means calling girls "Princesses" and talking about Dora the Explorer. Is it the masculine thing to do? Probably not but I've come to live with it. Maybe I should find a pair of scrubs with the Superman logo on it, masculine and funny at the same time. Although I doubt people would take me very seriously if I wore a cape with it lol

But to answer your question... Most of the male nurses I've ever met have been pretty normal guys.

!Chris

[jasonwillhelp]

I used to work at a psychiatric hospital and there seemed to be a high number of male nursing staff that worked there. They were all married "normal" guys. I myself am going to nursing school and I consider myself a "normal" married guy. Even the other guys in my class are just normal married guys.

[chansen]

Did you honestly expect someone to say, "yes, there's largely only two types of male nurses, and you've completely described both in minute detail," and have everyone sound off which stereotyped label under which they fall? It takes all types - no point in trying to pigeon hole a gender and a role. Trying to neatly define males in nursing to opposite ends of the spectrum borders on silliness.

[bigrigcowboy]

I don't know about anyone else but I am HIGHLY offended. Grow up OP, believe me I am a "normal guy" and if I didn't want you to know I was gay you wouldn't figure it out by yourself.

[Anoetos, BSN, RN]

why have two posters in this thread made a necessary connection between "feminine" and "empathy and caring"?

that seems to be even more prejudicial than the OP's actually pretty innocent question about observations of the behavioral categories of his classmates.

i'm a dude, just a dude, back hair, balding, low voice, large of stature, pretty masculine i think, but i believe i can "care" circles around a number of the women in my class.

yeah, this kind of thing annoys the hell out of me. since when can't manly men be caring and empathetic?

[vamedic4, EMT-P]

I just see a group of guys who want to make life better for themselves and their families by providing good care for their patients. The question of the two separate "types" of males is noticeable but truly insignificant, IMO. I can be the most caring person you've ever seen to my little patients or I can be the person who sends you home a few pounds lighter because I chewed your @ss off, it makes no difference to me. Personally I don't think it matters one way or the other what "type" of males enter nursing. Nursing needs more testicles, period.