Male Nurses.

[FutureRNMichael]

SO as a Male looking to become a Nurse one day... Is what they say true?

Can a Male Nurse really find better jobs with better pay much easier than most Women Nurses?

Are the amount of Men in Nursing rising significantly, by chance?

Any other Men/Nursing tidbits would be nice to hear. To stroke the ego, if nothing else.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

Howdy ya'll

from deep in the rain of texas

As a male nurse in ER, I never invade female privacy. It is not worth the risk. I know 6 diff male nurses who were nailed for that and I am not stupid enough to do the same. And in the ER there are very few times when a female needs to be examined by me. A good history and document phys. exam deferred to MD. There always enough female nurses where we can trade tasks off. Would I send a female nurse in to collect urethral cultures on a young male, no even if she is capable of doing it. It just isnt a polite thing to do. Either to the pt or to the nurse. If a female comes in with low grade temp, swollen sore breast, 2 months post partum and breast feeding. I dont need to examine, a good history from the patient and allow the MD to do the physical exam. Why violate patient privacy. The patient is a customer. We should do everything to make the patient happy and comfortable and to respect their privacy at all costs. Often this is difficult at times in the ER or anywhere in the hospital. But I place a high regard in respecting female and also male privacy. This is a very important issue to keep in mind at all times.

Thats about all ya'll

[StinkyMcStinker]

Originally posted by atownsendrn

I don't have the answer to any of your questions. But I can tell you that one hospital in the Metro Atlanta area is doing a male nurse calendar to "celebrate" the male nurses in its facility. No thongs please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

But I look "Dead Sexy" in a Thong.

[teeituptom, BSN, RN]

I will pose, I dont just look "dead sexy" I look plain ole "DEAD"

[moonshadeau, ADN, BSN, MSN, RN, APN, NP, CNS]

Just a note from the old chaperone thing.

Do you routinely ask your patients what their comfort level in reference to you providing care? At the beginning of the shift, or procedure? Or do you just assume that since they aren't saying anything that they are ok with the situation?

Just playing devil's advocate. And you know I don't know if I would say anything to the nurse of opposite sex, but it doesn't necessarily equate comfort either. But then that is my own hang up, and not the nurse's.

Nurse of the opposite sex was the best I could come up with since male nurse isn't a good thing. Or it could be NURSEMAN, superhuman powers included and everything.

[Anabolic_One]

Originally posted by teeituptom

Would I send a female nurse in to collect urethral cultures on a young male, no even if she is capable of doing it. It just isnt a polite thing to do. Either to the pt or to the nurse. If a female comes in with low grade temp, swollen sore breast, 2 months post partum and breast feeding. I dont need to examine, a good history from the patient and allow the MD to do the physical exam. Why violate patient privacy. The patient is a customer. We should do everything to make the patient happy and comfortable and to respect their privacy at all costs. Often this is difficult at times in the ER or anywhere in the hospital. But I place a high regard in respecting female and also male privacy. This is a very important issue to keep in mind at all times.

Thats about all ya'll

I dont think we (the nurse) should assume anything and don't think its really a matter of female /male privacy.... I guess what I am saying, is that If I was a patient (havent been a patient since I was a child),and I needed to be cath'd or needed some type of perineal care then I would much rather have a female nurse. I just think I would be much more comfortable......but thats just my personal preference......therefore I think we (the nurse ) should ask if they had a preference if that situation were to arise....

Now I am still learning and have only expereinced this in school therefore I am no vet--> guess I am still a few stages before I would be considered green.

[mark_LD_RN]

Originally posted by moonshadeau

Just a note from the old chaperone thing.

Do you routinely ask your patients what their comfort level in reference to you providing care? At the beginning of the shift, or procedure? Or do you just assume that since they aren't saying anything that they are ok with the situation?

Just playing devil's advocate. And you know I don't know if I would say anything to the nurse of opposite sex, but it doesn't necessarily equate comfort either. But then that is my own hang up, and not the nurse's.

Nurse of the opposite sex was the best I could come up with since male nurse isn't a good thing. Or it could be NURSEMAN, superhuman powers included and everything.

Ok let me try to make it clear for ya:)

yes I always ask my patients their comfort level with me. no exceptions be it male or female.

I always go around at the beggining of my shift right after report first thing I do is go in each room introduce my self by name and ask if it is ok If I am thier nurse for the day.

before i do any procedure or exam I ask permission, ask who they want present, and ask them to tell me when they are ready.

I NEVER assume anything especially about anothers thoughs or comfort level. even though often it is easy to tell ones comfort level.

I always make it clear that they can have another nurse no questions asked. and on the rare occassion I had a patient refuse my care I wish them well told them bye and if i could do any thing for them to let me know.

I always have the patients best interests in mind. if I did not I would not be a good nurse and I would not do the things that I do. I could just go to work each day and do the bare minimum required and still get bad the same. but i choose to work harder,longer and often for free to provide for my patients ever need and honor every one of their wishes to the best of my ability.

I believe what cares me throgh and endears me to almost all my patients is that they can tell I am truely a kind caring and compassionate nurse who has their best interests in mind:)

and as far as assuming comfort, I have it pretty well documented how my patients feel about me. all of our patients have to answer surveys at discharge. my name is mentioned on almost ever one,even if they were not my patient, it may have just been a brief interaction with them showing them to their room getting them water etc. but they have had nothing but nice things to say. I could provide you with plenty of examples if you like. not to mention the cards and things I recieve from them also.

it is all in how one presents himself and cares him self. patients will pick up on fear and apprehension. I treat my patients like friends because to me that is who they are. he we can not connect on such a level I would find them another nurse who could do it , or who would not care to be that way.

[mark_LD_RN]

Originally posted by teeituptom

Howdy ya'll

from deep in the rain of texas

As a male nurse in ER, I never invade female privacy. It is not worth the risk. I know 6 diff male nurses who were nailed for that and I am not stupid enough to do the same. And in the ER there are very few times when a female needs to be examined by me. A good history and document phys. exam deferred to MD. There always enough female nurses where we can trade tasks off. Would I send a female nurse in to collect urethral cultures on a young male, no even if she is capable of doing it. It just isnt a polite thing to do. Either to the pt or to the nurse. If a female comes in with low grade temp, swollen sore breast, 2 months post partum and breast feeding. I dont need to examine, a good history from the patient and allow the MD to do the physical exam. Why violate patient privacy. The patient is a customer. We should do everything to make the patient happy and comfortable and to respect their privacy at all costs. Often this is difficult at times in the ER or anywhere in the hospital. But I place a high regard in respecting female and also male privacy. This is a very important issue to keep in mind at all times.

Thats about all ya'll

I also work the ER and obviously we have different opinions or as you put ( maybe I am just stupid enough to do it) but I am not stupid and can prove that also :)

I do not think it is a privacy issue ,it is perfectly ok for males to provide care for females just as it is perfectly ok for females to provide care for males. that is NOT a violation of privacy.do not know where you got that definition but you need to go look it up one more time:)

as far as deffering the exam, I do the exams as required and as it should be done, if it is in my scope of practice and is indicated I do it.not to do so would be a disservice to your patient.AS they would not being getting the complete assessment required.

and one thing that is over looked and often assumed is that males prefer males to care for them and females perfer females to care for them this is not always true. I know of quite a few that feel just the opposite way.

thank goodness the patients are more open minded than a lot of nurses :) if not I would not have much to do. instead I am often over worked because my patients come in a request me or if i had them the night before the will insist I am there nurse again. so i often end up with the majrity of the patient load:)

The one thing we agree on is that patients are customers and we need to do what ever we can to make them happy! and that is exactly what i do I fluff and puff them and even wash their feet:)

this gender issue is blown way out of proportion, and most of the time it is by the nurses or docs.not the patients. I find the older nurses tend to think the way you have mentioned. but thankfully a lot of that is changing and people and nurses alike are starting to realize nurses are professionals and that gender is not the issue:)

[RN2007]

Teeituptom, I like very much the way that you think. And I am 37, not yet old, but not a young chic either. Many times patients do not want to embarrass themselves or someone else when they are put on the spot and asked if someone feels comfortable with a nurse, etc., providing care because most would assume that they are qualified to do it, however some people are more modest than others, especially women, I believe. Although it makes me a bit uncomfortable to say so to a male nurse, but I will nicely tell them I prefer a lady nurse. But my husband has told me many times that although he prefers a male doctor, he would rather a female nurse.

And, while I am on this subject, I have had very bad care by very cold and indifferent lady nurses when I had my back operation. Because I was in the hospital for several days and could not move on my own hardly at all, I could not bathe myself. And, I was very offended by two different lady nurses who had the nerve to move around my gown and start bathing me, without even waking me up to tell me what they were doing. Each time, I woke up while a "stranger" was doing this and I felt like slapping them but of course I did not, I probably gave them the evil eye and remember telling them to stop for a minute. I told them in the future they need to wake me up because it is startling to be dealt with in this manner and wake up in the middle of such. Keep in mind that I stayed groggy because of the IV morphine that I was given for pain. Anyway, both times, the nurses just acted as if it was normal for them to do such on patients who could not get out of bed and could not do their own bath. I was wondering how any of you nurses deal with bathing patients in bed - don't you wake them up first? Of course, I understand if they are in a coma you can't, but I could have been woken up.

Some of these things should be common courtesy and common sense.

[mark_LD_RN]

RN2007

of course I would wake a person up before bathing or doing procedures on them. that was terribly inconsiderate to have that done to you the way it was. I would have complained big time about that.

but on the other subject i do not buy it that people are affraid to speak up. some maybe but not most. I personally know my patients are comfortable with me. I know this from many different means, must comments I hear or as I am walking out of a patients room, I hear them say how nice I am,sweet,what a good nurse I am etc,this said not knowing I heard them. often the same comments are told to me right up front. other times I see them in the surveys which are confidential no patients names are on them and they are turned in ,in sealed envelopes to patient care representative. which we are shown the ones that are about us good or bad and ones that concern our unit as a whole. not once Have i had a bad comment on them. and not to mention the docs often ask me to care for certain patients or pass on things my patients have said about me again never had a bad comment.

each person /patient has rights and i inform them of them up front. and give them every opportunity to express their desires. and if i sense any hesitancy on their part or discomfort I would get them another nurse. gladly:)

[hogan4736, BSN, RN]

mark, we're talking professionalism now...not male v. female...

I would hope any nurse would do the same (as you)

[mark_LD_RN]

hogan4736 I totally agree with you! we need to act and be professional at all times in my opinion:)

[Token Male]

I've been doing this since 1975 and rarely use a chaperone when I am alone with a female patient ; The main exception is if I need to put in a catherer, but I would need help regardless.

Even when I was practising as a midwife it was not deemed necessary by the ladies. There is no such thing as privacy in a delivery suite anyway. It has been requested of me that I relinquish a ladies care to a female co worker on many occassions and I am fine with this; if the lady would be uncomfortable with me caring for them then I cannot deliver the care they need.