Is there a Stigma with a Male working in Nursing?

Updated:   Published

Of course Nursing has evolved and many men are in the field. In my short career as a Nurse I 've worked with 95% only women. Right now its only me and 3 other guys in my workplace.

Now I get these weird feelings sometimes. Sometimes certain female staff approach me and talk to me a lot with the guys saying "they wanna show other women that they can talk to a guy". I just find that weird.

Others say "you're working with women so enjoy the time". Like I don't know why they're telling me this stuff. I'm just here to help out patients. I'm utterly confused. but I am not gay either. I am single. Many of the workers have asked me that. No one in all the places I've worked at behaved like this.

Maybe because I'm young at 23? A lot of the senior staff call me "handsome" which I think is inappropriate. Asking me if I have a date tonight etc.. When I don't answer back or if I sarcastically answer I'm the dick

I find that men in nursing tend to be promoted into management positions more quickly but that is only my personal experience. 

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Pediatric Private Duty AND Child/Adolescent Psych.

There are 25 nurses total at my facility 4 of them are males. I don't see them treated differently well based on the basis of gender anyways. One of them has major seniority differential treatment but that is to be expected. 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Research & Critical Care.

I think of my co-workers almost like family. You spend a large portion of your time with these people and I've found it's not unusual for people to want to get to know you personally or even say things like calling you handsome (especially from older women - think of it like it's coming from your grandma LOL).

It sounds like maybe their culture is a little more relaxed than other places you've been in. If you truly find the behavior inappropriate, the only person that can address that is you. 

3
Up Vote Up Vote ×

I agree with whoever said being called handsome by older nurses is inoffensive. Contrariwise, I wonder if a female nurse being called beautiful by older male nurses is relatively offensive. Nonetheless, some questions are quite intrusive and usually it is not the subject of the question, but rather the tone and delivery. Similarly, in the past, I have been confused as being a doctor multiple times, and occasionally I have been confused as the janitor/transporter. I think the former is gender bias whereas the latter is perhaps racial/complexion bias. Hard to know. Just speculation ?

Up Vote Up Vote ×
On 10/24/2020 at 8:18 AM, DavidFR said:

I've learned to bat off stupid personal questions with false responses.

"Do you have any kids?" gets the response "No I'm sterile".  That usually shuts people up. 

Been an RN since 1986 and had all that male nurse garbage in the beginning. I can't speak for the US but I think in Europe it's been significantly better since the 90s.

I went through all the "they're all gay" (I am gay, not all of my male colleagues are, and I actually take issue with any straight guy who thinks being thought gay is an insult). "They're all frustrated doctors" - insulting. I've never wanted to be a doctor. "They're lazy" - I'm not, and most of my male colleagues haven't been either. "They can help with the heavy lifting" - the worst. I am not strong and have a weakend right arm following a bicycle accident. I will help lift if I'm asked because I'm the neorificet colleague, but I have refused help to people who have specifically said something like "ooh a strong man!"  

To answer the initial question, no, there is no stigma about being a male in nursing. I'm proud of my chosen profession. We guys are a minority, so we're going to face issues the girls don't face. Not fair, but it's getting better and I think it helps to act nonchalantly and just do your job. Women in largely male environents face far greater hassles. 

hahaha. I am going to borrow that "no, I am sterile" line. Laughed so hard I am nose-bleeding. 

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Peds/outpatient FP,derm,allergy/private duty.
On 10/25/2020 at 2:37 PM, sevensonnets said:

It might surprise you to know that men in nursing is not a new phenomenon. I'm entering my 42nd year of nursing and there were male nurses already working when I started out in ED, critical care, anesthesia and even a few in orthopedics. If I'm not mistaken you are in LTC where sorry to have to say this, but from what I've read on these boards, professionalism is not always highly valued as it is in the hospital. Learn to do your job, don't engage with the silliness, and when you have some experience, move into a hospital position where such things are not tolerated.

This has been my experience, and I'm that seventies nurse, too. After all the reading from men here I'm beginning to think that the large hospital environment was the deciding factor.

DribbleKing, what you describe doesn't sound so much like a stigma as it does behavior from your co-workers that makes you feel weird and that you think is inappropriate. I can imagine ways saying a much younger nurse is handsome could be fine. Or it may be so grossly inappropriate it becomes a legal issue.

What you might do about it depends on how much it bothers you and what type of personalities involved, whether it's individual people or a group that reinforces each other's worst instincts. If it's the latter, usually it won't change much no matter what you do. Hope you can resolve it, anyway.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Mental health.

I enjoy working with male nurses. They seem to break up the cattiness women tend to spew out on each other some days.

1
Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Join the Discussion