Male Nurses.

nialloh, RN · May 29, 2003

As a male nurse, the only time I'm treated differently to a female nurse is when someone needshelp to lift or boost a patient. And that's fine with me:-)

SmilingBluEyes · May 29, 2003

Originally posted by hogan4736
I certainly hope this remark was tongue in cheek...

Everyone desrves preferential treatment...From the housekeeping staff to the CEO...

We shouldn't live by a caste system in health care...

..

There is the IDEAL(what you say here), and then there is the REALISTIC. I can go on and on to illustrate my point but I won't. Suffice it to say, Dr's DO get preferential treatment in so many more ways than I can say here. In ways that should not happen, but they do. It's fact, not fiction or Tongue-in-cheek.

hogan4736, BSN, RN · May 29, 2003

blue eyes, I agree w/ what you say about the realistic, but also will say this:

We as nurses (male or female) do not help matters (in respect to the perception of docs being godlike) by being their doormats. We need to stand up to them as a whole, and the more we do that, the more preferential treatment we'll recieve :)

SmilingBluEyes · May 29, 2003

I am no one's doormat. But that does not mean when my car gets broken into, security will give a hoot. (they don't). Let a DOCTOR's car get broken into the same night and watch 'em run. Yes, this happened where I work recently. Yes it sucks. It has NOTHING to do with anyone being a doormat for someone else. This is just ONE illustration that has nothing to do with being subservient; preferential treatment is extended based on title not personality traits in most hospitals. It's just how it is.

hogan4736, BSN, RN · May 29, 2003

I was speaking in general, historical terms, and from the patient's perspective..I was not placing a bulls eye on your back, or your doorstep...

Yes, many in the hospital setting treat docs w/ kid gloves, and as if they were of royalty. But I also see many nurses (not throwing an implication your way, mind you) treating security (and housekeeping, and CNAs, etc) as less than human...Maybe THAT has something to do w/ their response time to nurses...

Just an observation, not necessarily fact...

:)

SmilingBluEyes · May 29, 2003

I see, and doctors treat ancillary/housekeeping personnel SO well, right? (grin). Actually I employ the GOLDEN rule on all I meet and fortunately, so do the the nurses with whom I am fortunate to work. We treat our housekeepers like family, actually, and our security guy gets a cup of coffee from our French press at 3:00 a.m. on his rounds (he loves it). We also thank ancillary personnel EACH time they help us out. But, OK OK I have had enough. You win.

We CAN agree, however that MALE nurses will garner NO special "attention" or "preferential treatment" across the board just because they are MALE, right?

hogan4736, BSN, RN · May 29, 2003

Have I received "special" attention for being male??

Difficult to answer, as it's entirely subjective...

Personally, I would say no. I had a doc confront me in front of a patient. I puled him aside later and gave it back to him...

Where I work, several nurses won't even talk to any other staff but nurses, and become insulted when a non-nurse suggests something medically/patient related...

anyway, I will say that I have seen (in many ERs) male nurses getting less trampled than female nurses, and getting more "perceived" respect...This is a touchy issue, and the debate is endless.

But we can agree that nobody "wins" w/ inequitable treatment of anyone, and we've all likely encountered it, and should all live by the golden rule:)

charissa · May 29, 2003

In both places i have worked gender did not affect pay,l there was a structure in place and things were at area average or above for everyone. I have worked with quite a few maels nurses, and i will tell, you-MAN DO I LOVE A MLE NURSE! some male pts seem to respond better, and especially when i have violent or combative (Code violet stuff) it is aweful nice!

tris · May 29, 2003

Wow---what a HOT topic, but I have to agree with Hogan 4736 the Golden Rule----should not matter what your gender is, all of us are human no matter what else we are, and I would like to think we are ALL good nurse's or we wouldn't be doing it for so dam long----right?????

karenG · May 29, 2003

wow!

read this thread with interest! I personally like working with male nurses............when I trained there very few -only 3 in my group but they helped keep us grounded(until I coloured Darrens hair green-not sure I am forgiven yet!) I think a lot of this comes down to sterotyping us- just watch a carry on doctor film!! I get sexually harrassed because I am female and I am sure it happens to my male nurse friends. At the end of the day, it takes a very special person(with a truly wicked sense of humour) to be a nurse- whether they be male or female. would also agree you need the constitution of an ox and a very thick skin!!

should men get better treatment? dont think so!! and over here the doctors are finding that the 'god' culture is disappearing- my docs make me tea! so times, they are a'changing!

just one thing though- when i was a student and there was a problem on the ward- ie someone had forgotten to do something-my male friends always got off scot free!!!!!!!!! they just smiled sweetly and said 'not me, sister!' wonder if that still happens!! also remember a friend, called Euston, telling a ward sister that he wasnt scared of her( I was terrified of her!) because he 'had the ability to impregnate the whole female population of the world!!' stopped her dead in her tracks...........only time I ever saw her speechless!!!

Karen

edited cos I cant spell.........and if there are any spelling mistakes left, then forgive me.....its been a long day!!:roll

Tweety, BSN, RN · May 29, 2003

hogan4736, in the end I think that was my conclusion too. Not many people have what it takes to ge a good nurse.

MDs in our facility get preferencial treatment. They have their own cafeteria. When we went paperless, i.e. they had to look up their labs and vitals on the computer, they didn't like that. So in addition to the computer charting of labs and vitals a printout is generated and we waste time putting the printouts in the computer so the MDs don't have to waste a precious moment logging onto a computer. I could go on and on. Our hospital kisses some serious butt to get the MDs, especially surgeons to admit to our hospital.

Snakum · May 30, 2003

Why in the world would you go into nursing after being an engineer? Do you realize what your pay-cut will be????

Maybe I should explain further, via a brief work history ...

* High School

* College

* Dropped out of college

* Four years Army (Grunt!)

* Got medical training in Army as an Infantry NCO

* Went to college for Engineering cause it was interesting and paid $$

* Worked in many engineering and management positions always chasing the $$

* Loved computers ... loved $$ ... went into IT for the $$

* IT industry capsizes, big pay cut, no more $$

I have always sort of chased the money, even though I have lived for periods of time as a Buddhist monk since 1994, and supposedly didn't care about money. I was still chasing it in truth. However, during a messy divorce in 1998 I lost everything. I mean everything. Add in mountains of debt and numerous paycuts due to IT industry meltdown and I have become INTIMATELY familiar with poverty. Nowadays, I really don't care about the money.

In addition, as a Buddhist monk I have taken vows numerous times to help my fellow human beings but my life has not reflected this in any truly meaningful way. So I recycle ... big deal. So I worked in the soup kitchen ... big deal. So I sit on my little cushion and listen to other peoples problems ... big deal.

I loved the medical training in the Army, and I have always had pursuing it in the back of my mind. What better time than now? How better to really serve my fellow man than to empty his bedpan, wash his butt, bandage a festering wound, or just spend an extra few minutes with an old man who's dying alone and trying to make him comfortable?

If not me ... who? If not now ... when?

Rev. Thich Minh Thong