Male manager of OB

Specialties Ob/Gyn

Published

Currently I work in the ER, I also work on-call as a house nursing supervisor, these have been my only nursing experiences. My goal is to get into management. There is an opening for the manager of the OB/Maternity/Pediatrics departments in the hospital I work at. Although OB is not my field of expertise, I cetainly have the willingness and capability to learn more about it. My biggest hold up in applying is that I am male, and my perception is that that would present a problem in managing OB. The previous manager did almost no direct pt care, so I would expect the same for me. What do other nurses think about this? What would be the reaction to a male nurse manager in OB/maternity?

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Specializes in Onc/Hem, School/Community.

As a patient, this would not bother me in the least.

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if you feel like you can do the job, go for it

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What would be the reaction to a male nurse manager in OB/maternity?

To be honest, I suspect you might be met with some hostility, at least initially. L&D nurses are overwhelmingly female and may not take kindly to a man (and one without OB experience) in a management position. Staff nurses and management already have problems with an "us versus them" mentality in many places, and a man might have one more strike against him. It can probably be overcome with a great deal of skill and diplomacy. I think you should pursue it if you think you have what it takes.

Altalorraine

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One of the best OB managers that I ever worked with was a guy, and this was over 20 years ago. And it was an extremely busy unit in a mojor city.

Go for it.............:)

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I have a problem w/ a person who has no expertise in the area he/she manages. I have been an employee of such a person and it has truly presented many problems. I work OB and know a guy at one of our area hospitals who is assistant manager in OB. He's a great nurse and asst. manager. He had experience in this area first. If you are interested in OB, get your feet wet at the staff nurse level first please! You need skills in your clinical area to be a good manager (IMHO) and earn your staff's respect. Your gender will not present as much of a problem as your lack of experience in this area should you take on the position of manager. Good luck to you!

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Specializes in Specializes in L/D, newborn, GYN, LTC, Dialysis.
To be honest, I suspect you might be met with some hostility, at least initially. L&D nurses are overwhelmingly female and may not take kindly to a man (and one without OB experience) in a management position. Staff nurses and management already have problems with an "us versus them" mentality in many places, and a man might have one more strike against him. It can probably be overcome with a great deal of skill and diplomacy. I think you should pursue it if you think you have what it takes.

Altalorraine

There is truth in this post, as bad as it sounds. Yes, "some" women in have a big problem w/men working in or managing OB. But others of us really respect and appreciate people who truly have a work ethic and care about what they do. One of the best nurses I work with happens to be male (I say "happens", cause I just dont' care nor do our patients).

Fortunately, the women Altalorraine describes are not the rule/majority. I would welcome you with open arms, if:

You are fair

You are diplomatic yet firm

have a back-bone and will stand up for your staff in difficult times

have solid background/experience

have compassion for others, including the patients and staff

really have a passion for the job

Your gender would be of no consequence to me. The above traits in management are rare in my experience. If a man came along who had these and were to be my manager, I would be overjoyed. You might garner more respect from physicians, simply being male. I have seen this time and again---that is a definate feather for your cap.

You might want to be prepared to meet with raised eyebrows and doubts. But a manager's job is never easy and people will always "feel you out" no matter WHO you are or what your gender is.....show 'em what you are MADE OF. Your learning curve will be very steep, but NOT insurmountable, if you have passion.

I wish you luck and the very best in deciding what you wish to do. And welcome to our forum!!!

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Specializes in ER.

I would be disappointed if my manager had no experience in the specialty, but male/female would make no difference.

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Specializes in Case Mgmt; Mat/Child, Critical Care.
I have a problem w/ a person who has no expertise in the area he/she manages. I have been an employee of such a person and it has truly presented many problems. I work OB and know a guy at one of our area hospitals who is assistant manager in OB. He's a great nurse and asst. manager. He had experience in this area first. If you are interested in OB, get your feet wet at the staff nurse level first please! You need skills in your clinical area to be a good manager (IMHO) and earn your staff's respect. Your gender will not present as much of a problem as your lack of experience in this area should you take on the position of manager. Good luck to you!

Now this I agree with. I don't care so much about your gender, but your lack of expertise in the area you choose to "manage". Especially an area like L&D! I've been victim of those managers who come in from another unit or they have been forced to take on extra responsibilities and get Maternal-Child areas, for instance....usually doesn't work out too well. Not in my experience, anyway.

I admire your goals and certainly encourage you, but these are my thoughts....what field of nursing do you enjoy? Why not pursue opportunities in that field? Or, if you are truly interested in Maternal/Child/L&D....get into the field,learn it, know it...and then you could be a good manager. Otherwise, I think you'll have a rocky road ahead.

Good luck!

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I would be disappointed if my manager had no experience in the specialty, but male/female would make no difference.

Same here. Most management positions I've seen posted include "3-5 years experience in relevant specialty" listed as a requirement.

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I would be disappointed if my manager had no experience in the specialty, but male/female would make no difference.

I don't want to sound like a broken record, repeating what's already been said, but I have to agree with this also! In a field like OB, having relevant experience is crucial.

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Our OB manager (both asst managers and head honcho) have many, many years of OB experience. When they are on the unit, they should be able to look at a FHR tracing and understand why the patient is going for a section or why the patient is now one-to-one. They need to be able to jump in and help in the middle of a crisis without thinking "how the heck do I know how to resuscitate a newborn?". Not that you can't get this experience and knowledge, but I would think that it would be difficult to gain the respect of your nurses and staff if you can't even perform the daily tasks that they accomplish each and every day. Perhaps you could spend some time as an RN on L&D and Postpartum and NICU and see how it goes ... you may fall right into step and love every minute of it or you may realize that it's just not the place for you. Either way, you've learned something new. And as far as staff and patients go ... it doesn't matter if you're a guy or a girl or a alien .. as long as you are a great manager. Look how many male docs work in OB ... why would a male manager make any difference? Just my two cents ...

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