Male in a female dominated field.. How bad is it really??

CASTLEGATES · Sep 28, 2009

Being in other fields working with the normal work force, I can attest that the behavior is very different. The competition and jockeying for management approval is amazing regardless of job, vicinity or unit. Males are promoted more often than females by females so the discrimination is inherent with females, too. I did work on a unit that was 45 percent male and that was a completely different animal. It was like stability was present and that unit had the highest retention in the city. Males have professionalized nursing mainly because of the disrespect is not handed out the same way so many deserving women have worked for and never got. I enjoy encouraging respect and holding all to a higher standard reminding them catty behavior has no place in the work place and is not to be tolerated; leave personal or psychiatric issues at home...this is work, act professional and never ever get angry or....catty!

It's hard to talk down to a male nurse the same way as a a female for chauvinists and chauvinist cultures. Doctors stopped dumping blood on nurses heads, throwing IV's and having tantrums around males (cause they'd get their ass kicked). Ive caught doctors being inappropriate to female nurses and told them to duck into the bathroom for a few then come back when they're planning on being professional (saying it light heartedly but they get the message).

I like working with women for the most part. It's the unstable one's that worried me (the managers that would scream and curse you out and lose thier minds). Doctors do the same thing so it's not just female...it's perceived as catty when women do it and "*******" when a doctor (male) does.

One thing...don't fish off the company pier. BAD BAD BAD thing to do.

AVMadd · Sep 28, 2009

Being in other fields working with the normal work force, I can attest that the behavior is very different. The competition and jockeying for management approval is amazing regardless of job, vicinity or unit. Males are promoted more often than females by females so the discrimination is inherent with females, too. I did work on a unit that was 45 percent male and that was a completely different animal. It was like stability was present and that unit had the highest retention in the city. Males have professionalized nursing mainly because of the disrespect is not handed out the same way so many deserving women have worked for and never got. I enjoy encouraging respect and holding all to a higher standard reminding them catty behavior has no place in the work place and is not to be tolerated; leave personal or psychiatric issues at home...this is work, act professional and never ever get angry or....catty!
It's hard to talk down to a male nurse the same way as a a female for chauvinists and chauvinist cultures. Doctors stopped dumping blood on nurses heads, throwing IV's and having tantrums around males (cause they'd get their ass kicked). Ive caught doctors being inappropriate to female nurses and told them to duck into the bathroom for a few then come back when they're planning on being professional (saying it light heartedly but they get the message).
I like working with women for the most part. It's the unstable one's that worried me (the managers that would scream and curse you out and lose thier minds). Doctors do the same thing so it's not just female...it's perceived as catty when women do it and "*******" when a doctor (male) does.
One thing...don't fish off the company pier. BAD BAD BAD thing to do.

Thanks for that bit of advice... Not to worry though, i'm married :)

Also, i'm glad to hear that doctors are watching their p's and q's a bit more with male nurses around. Although, I've no doubt, there're a few docs who could benefit from a good ole ass woopin.

Jcasares · Sep 28, 2009

Room,

Having been in nursing from staff nurse through to Unit Director, I have found that working in a female dominated proffesion has chllenges not usually found in other occupations. There are certain amount of behavior not usually found with male dominated proffesion. For instance in the ER I have an "A" team which consists of five males and one female. The "B" team is mostly females and usually has more drama involved. There is much more complaining and bickering amongst the staff. The in-fighting is far more devious and detrimental to the morale of the unit as a whole.

josh1974, LPN · Sep 29, 2009

My last job was pretty bad. I was a CNA at the local hospital and after a few months it went down the tube with all the older female nurses treating me way different once I graduated nursing school. Once I had my LPN and still working as a C there were all kinds of new accusations about my job performance!? Before I had my L they loved me! Now I'm at an LTC working on a vent unit, the only dude nurse in the building. I'm treated like a frickin king! OK, so I just got off orientation last Friday but whatever. I'm avoiding the gossip n crap and that should help, hopefully! It's a great job.

CITCAT · Sep 29, 2009

:DAs being a female nurse i can empathsize with you,maybe its all the horomones ragin,and that darned perimenopause stuff. i am a military brat and sometimes I just shake my head when one of my coworkers goes into female crazies, I dont get it really. That why i encourage you to go into nursing we need more male nurses, to balance the profession out.Hey good luck to ya:twocents:

CASTLEGATES · Sep 29, 2009

This is precisely why nursing is not a respected profession and will not be fully as long as there are these "hormonal" issues where some think they're screaming at their husband when they're at work. I can't count the times I've said "You're at work, you're not at home...act like it!" There are many, many nurses who work hard and don't succumb to this behavior and stay above the fray but generalizations unfairly include the cool, level headed overachievers as moody, catty, not nitpicky and complaining.

There are drawbacks to the good ole boy system and the matriarchal system alike. I can't count the times I've had bosses inappropriately touch, comment and flirt with me...I was the "cute" addition to the unit not just another nurse. I empathize with the women surely being mistreated (I only had a taste of it) when you just want to work and go home.

Mainly the inherent competitiveness and catty behavior; that's gotta go! I've been offered positions only because "we need a male to calm things down". The 4 offers who have said that I ran the other way. I'm NOT walking into a feline scratching kennel. A while ago I vowed to only work for the BEST of my field without exception. If they're not #1 or seriously considering 1st place in the region, then I need to find who's looking to be #1 and work for them. Facilities where the staff are keeping score and pitted against each other don't have a chance at being #1.

Lupan · Sep 30, 2009

I worked in a hospital that had all kinds of issues with the male nurses. I would recieve a fast squeeze from a passing nurse or CNA. If I spent time with a co-worker longer than 15 min all kinds of rumours would start. Some female staff made it very clear that they wanted "eye candy" male nurses regardless of skill level. I ignored many of the comments and tried to stay away from the trouble spots but in a small town and an older single male it is a fine balance you have to keep. Do I regret becoming a nurse? NO WAY. And besides the pay allowed me to get my toys such as a jeep, 1 hotrod truck and a new Mustang when the right model comes along. The facility where I work now has about 50% male nurses and the teamwork that I did not find in the hospital setting. Plus the job satisfaction is way up there! If asked to take sides in a cat fight I just say that I am a stupid guy and have no idea how women think. This usually gets a smile and me out of the hotseat. Must be doing something right cause new hires try to get paired to my shifts. :twocents:

nukefx007, RN · Oct 3, 2009

Male nurses are the best nurses!!!!

Anywhere you go, whatever you do, there's always going to be drama and politics. there's gonna be gossip and there's going to be jealousy. I've been in nursing for 10 years now, and its always the same **** of drama between females. jealousy!!! "how come she has an easy run", "how come she got promote and i didn't". What I'm trying to say is, you cant avoid those dramas at work, any work, i guess, for that matter. most of the time i see male nurses get involve on those types of drama is when he sleeps with someone at work... u know what i'm sayin!! I never had problems working with male nurses, ever, we had respect for each other. I guess because we are outnumbered. the cohesiveness is there.

Male nurses are the best nurses... nuff said!!

Bill E. Rubin · Oct 13, 2009

I started to try to steer the other thread where the OP said he really really couldn't stand female nurses, but alas, that thread couldn't get out of the judgmental-competence rut. So I'll try to resurrect this thread with some similar thoughts.

To answer the OP, it is not what I thought it would be. For most of my adult life, most of my friends have been women, and I relate easily to women. Female nurses, by and large, are different. One theory I have is that due to the overwhelming majority of nurses being women (94% at last check), the profession tends to draw women who prefer the company of other women and lack an ability (or an interest) in relating to men. It is a good thing that I have a network of friends outside of work because if I relied on work to make those connections, I would be very lonely indeed. By and large, few people show an interest in me as a person, and, in my humble opinion, I'm a pretty interesting guy and have never felt so resoundingly ignored among a group of people (of either gender) since I was an insecure teenager.

And the part about fault-finding and vindictiveness among some of my colleagues (though certainly not all) is true.

KirbyEMT · Oct 13, 2009

Male Nurses are at an advantage (slight) because they are generally more popular. Don't take it personal, but women will treat you like an underdog when it comes to anything female related, but just play along with it.

If you're married, don't get too flirty, because even as a tech, there are certain nurses I just don't joke around with, just because I don't quite feel comfortable around them. I'm a real young guy, and some of the nurses I work with are old enough to be my grandmas, and I love working with them. Male nurses are stable and caring, while remaining unstressed. Many women will look up to you if you are always a professional and know what you are doing, male doctors are more likely to deal with you on a personal friend level, than they would with a female nurse. Go for it, you'll love it.

Tylerdurden · Oct 23, 2009

The cattiness has been well documented in this profession. And I don't think I've met a nurse who hasn't been a victim of horizontal bullying at some point in time.

That being said, women are not cut from the same cloth, and some quite clearly like the drama more than others.

Given I'm still quite a newbie in nursing, I'll say this with a sense of humility - from what I've observed in my ward, the boys tend to learn the pecking order and ward dynamic quickly and objectively, and they find ways to approach it without going into the line of fire. And throughout university and my first few years, this has been generally achieved by the guys being calm and funny, the remedy for '*****'.