Male nurses

live4today, RN · Feb 20, 2002

Eric, my husband is an LPN. He is in the military, and doesn't work in the capacity of an inpatient nurse right now as he is an instructor and boss of instructors in the Army's new 91W program where Bravos and Charleys are combined for training, etc. He loves what he does, and it always shows.! Men who happen to be in the profession of nursing "Rule" as nurses, and I'm sorry you haven't been trusted to do female care. Perhaps you would be allowed to do so in a civilian hospital. Working in the veterans hospital isn't much different than working in a military hospital, and males taking care of females in an "up close and personal" way is still pretty much controlled, if not forbidden. Have you thought about getting a job in a civilian hospital? Are you prior service yourself?

**SKM-NURSIEPOOH, BSN, RN** · Feb 20, 2002

Originally posted by sharann
I like ALL nurses female, male, straight, gay, Catholic, Jewish, Hindu, Black, White, Asian, Midlle-eastern...doesn't matter as long as they are team workers and COMPASSINATE, COMPETENT, RESPECTFUL human beings (and if they bring me chocolate I show them favortism, ha ha)

Mario, this current picture is very cute, really.

MY Feelings exactly!!! :kiss :roll :cool:

mark_LD_RN · Feb 20, 2002

do not let anyone lock you in to the gender assignment issue. When you graduate u will be a nurse not a male nurse. the term male norse is very inopropriate and i find it insulting. doctors are doctors not male or female doctors. so why cann't a nurse be a nurse. It is obvious from my nick I am a L&D nurse. My patients love me, i often get reguest by patients to be their nurse. So you see in my area the patients give no thought to my gender. they just want a kind caring competent nurse. Which I am. I am curreently looking to become a certified nurse midwife. hang in there bradley and other male nurses. things are chaging we are much more accepted now.

fergus51 · Feb 20, 2002

I never even thought of that Mark. We actually do have a lot of female doctors in our hospital. I always assume that means they're gynecologists :)

mario_ragucci · Feb 20, 2002

I AM Male Nurse

Verse 1

I am male-nurse, hear me roar__ in num-bers too big to ig-nore,__

and I know too much to go__ back to pre-tend____

'cause I've heard it all be-fore__ and I've been down there on the floor,__

no one's ev-er gon-na keep__ me down a - gain.

Chorus

Oh,___Yes, I am wise__ but it's wis - dom born of pain.____

Yes, I paid the price___ but look how much__ I gained.__

If I have to__ I can__ do an - y- thing.__

I am strong,____ I am in-vin-ci-ble,__ I am male-nurse._____

Verse 2

You can bend but nev-er break__ me 'cause it on - ly serves to make__

me more de - ter-mined to a-chieve my fi - nal goal,___

And I come back e-ven strong-er, not a nov-ice an-y long-er,

'cause you've deep-ened the con-vic - tion in my soul.

Chorus

Oh,___Yes, I am wise__ but it's wis - dom born of pain.____

Yes, I paid the price___ but look how much__ I gained.__

If I have to__ I can__ do an - y- thing.__

I am strong,____ I am in-vin-ci-ble,__ I am male-nurse._____

Verse 3

I am male-nurse, watch me grow___ see me stand-ing toe to toe___

as I spread my lov - in' arms_ a-cross the land,____

But I'm still an em-bry - o_____ with a long, long way to go______

un - 'til I make my sister un - der - stand.

Chorus

Oh,___Yes, I am wise__ but it's wis - dom born of pain.____

Yes, I paid the price___ but look how much__ I gained.__

If I have to__ I can__ do an - y- thing.__

I am strong,____ I am in-vin-ci-ble,__ I am male-nurse!_____

I am male-nurse!_____ I am male-nurse!_____

Sorry Helen Reddy - it's time for a change!!!!!

GreytNurse · Feb 20, 2002

Mario.......you look kinda young??????:roll

I agree w/ all the others......your a NURSE!!!!!! Good luck!!

I work w/a 'male' nurse.....in fact, we are best-friends. My husband even refers to him as 'my other husband' and his wife calls me 'the other wife'.......

We work together as a team......even follow eachother to jobs. He is very professional and easy going. We back each other up....even answer questions and finish sentences for one another......sort of like twins....:chuckle

We both have a compassion for LTC and give more than 100% at our job. Our spouses are ok with this, as we are all good friends.

We need the 'male influence' in nursing. I think it is great that more guys are finding nursing as a rewarding career.

Good luck and 'way to good Mario'!!!!!!!

night owl · Feb 21, 2002

I work in a Veteran's Administration LTC Nursing Home Care Unit and have worked with many male nurses during my nursing career. I must say working with male nurses is a real pleasure. They are very compassionate, organized, pleasant and witty kind of guys. They make better DON's, supervisors, and unit managers b/c they are better at employing tact and conciliation especially in situations of stress. The male pts respond better to them than to the female nurses and I find that male nurses do not get upset to trivial things like females do. The best thing about male nurses is that they aren't into the back stabbing, gossipy talk that goes on with almost every female I've ever worked with. Hats off to the males...May they multiply a thousand fold in the nursing profession... Lord knows we need them.

NurseDennie, BSN, RN · Feb 21, 2002

Well..... They used to call them "female doctors." Or female police officer or whatever where they didn't expect to find females! I guess people are just used to it. I expect that they'll all get used to nurses who are male.

I'm all in favor of the menfolk going into nursing. You're right - we need everybody we can get.

But I can't say that I've seen 100% shining examples of nurses who were male. I think it's like anything else, you get some good, some so-so, and some losers. I have to say that of the male nurses I know, the ones who are good are WAY GOOD. Exceptional, over the top wonderful nurses. The ones that I've met that are losers tend to be in the lazy nurse category. Certainly not any worse than any of the lazy-nurse women I've met. I think it's just that you don't see 100% of anything in any group. That's all I'm saying.

The first male nurse I worked with is such a cool person!!! He was a traveling nurse, and even so he made a suggestion for patient assignments for my floor that was SUCH a major improvement. He taught me the superstition to tie a knot in the bedsheet of someone you expect to die to keep him/her from passing during your shift. (Don't bother - it's never worked for me!)

He traveled on after working with us for about 8 months. He wanted to go somewhere where he could find more "action." We keep in touch from time to time.

Love

Dennie

Jenny P · Feb 21, 2002

Boy, the way this thread is sounding, "male nurses" are heads and shoulders above females! :eek: May I add a note of honesty here; there are guys (and gals) who are gossips, back stabbers, lazy, terrible managers (I've had one in the past), etc., etc. :rolleyes: I don't think that gender has anything to do with it.

Each of us brings to nursing our own unique gifts and personalities; and also gender. There may be some complex similarities that the majority of good nurses have, but I don't think that one gender has an edge over the other when it comes to nursing. I think our society has been conditioned to picture *female* when the word NURSE is mentioned; and I think that that perception is changing. I mean, how often do you see the term "female doctor" anymore? But it was a common term even 20 years ago. There weren't that many women in medicine back then; maybe in another 20 years the term "nurse" will also be unisex!

live4today, RN · Feb 21, 2002

Mario, Helen Reddy was always a favorite of mine! I love her song "I Am Invincible!" Of course, your rendition of it "aint half bad" either! :)

nursedawn67, LPN · Feb 21, 2002

I have worked with some really good male nurses. It is hard for some male nurses, just because people only see females in that role, but it is rapidly changing. Of course I work with one male nurse who just doesn't get it. I really think he feels since he is the only male full time nurse at our facility that he can get away with anything. He doesn't do even half of his job, and everyone is constantly picking up pieces for him. I feel bad for him because he is "slitting his own wrists" in the nursing field. He could be a really good nurse if he TRIED. And I hope for future male nurses that people don't look at this yahoo and think he is the norm of male nurses.

Originally posted by Bradley
I was just wondering, since male nurses are becoming more visible in the work force, how do they seem to working out as far as being co workers. Also what do see for the future men in nursing? What improvements can we as nurses make to help our fellow nurses? I really want to be a good nurse, but lately some fellow male rns are trying to discourge me telling me being an older male rn w kids can really test you. I really dont understand some of the reasons why (seem sort of petty to me). Any input would be appreciated. thanks-

:roll

Agnus · Feb 21, 2002

I am female. I cringe whenever I hear "male nurse" It's nurse. This is one area where I correct others' speech.

Tagging a gender onto a professional title suggest that somehow you are differently qualified than other nurses. I find it demeaning toward my male collegues.