Published
I am starting my senior year in the fall in my BSN program. It is time for me to choose a specialty. I have had some experience with L&D, and have had a few pediatric patients in my psychiatric rotation. Several of my instuctors as well as RN's I have worked with in the hospital have told me that I should specialise in Peds because of how the patients react to my gentle nature and slow easy aproach to the little ones. I even have been pulled aside on two occasions by my clinical instructors and told that I had a "special gift" and should work to develope more experience in the area. I have a 6 year old Daughter that I have been both Daddy and Mommy to since her birth. However, I had also experienced an unfortunate "emergency meeting" with another instructor (not my clinical instructor, but one of the school staff who specialises in pediatrics). She pulled me aside to her office, closed the door and told me that it was "just creepy" that a man my age (43) expressed a desire to work with children. She says that I was "just lucky" on my L&D rotation that most of the new mothers let me care for them and their babys and I should stay far away from that type of nursing because an adult male in that practice is a lawsuit waiting to happen. What is the deal in the real world of the RN once I graduate? Who should I listen to when deciding on a specialty for my career? I do so love the little ones, and I share their sense of play. I make a game out of meds with them, as well as fixing all kinds of "owwies" and "ouchies" that require a nurse. Can an old man like me be a successfull pediatric nurse in the real world?
I have long maintained that Peds should be a calling. If you have a talent for it then by all means go for it.
That instructor was clearly over stepping. It was a private conversation, so there's not much to be done here. I would ask her to meet with you and the department head and see if she's stupid enough to repeat that line of crap in public. No instructor should attempt to disuade a student from a practice area based on gender. It's that sort of attitude that has kept men out of nursing and given life to the stereotypes those of us in the profession face. There is no practice area that should be off limits based on gender.
Good Luck,
Pete Fitzpatrick
RN, CFRN, EMT-P
Writing from the Ninth Circle
Thanks so much everyone for being so very supportive. Both my wife and I appreciate the honesty and candor of your responses. I will be declaring my specialty of Pediatric Nursing for my senior year and my elective rotations in clinicals. I feel that this is where I can be the most help. I have been helping an RN with the summer camp Nursing duties for the Girl Scouts of America while my Daughter was attending summer camp. She feels so strongly that I should be doing Peds that her and her husband have asked me to fix the "owwies and ouchies" on their own two Daughters at camp because I can do wound care and fixes in minuets that would take a half hour of tears if they tried the same fix with a different approach. I hope that I have truly found my calling.
Hey man congrats for choosing peds.....that instructor is full of hogwash.... I have been a peds nurse for almost 9 years and it is the only specialty I know! I love the kids and have a great repore with them too. Welcome to the great world of nursing and especially Pediatrics!!
Another Male peds nurse
You GO royr!!! I second every single comment made so far. I've worked with a lot of nurses in neonatal and peds settings and have learned that gender makes no difference in competence, ability, compassion or any other important sphere. I work with several male nurses right now; one of them is especially good with kids and parents and as someone else has posted, the frequent flyers remember him and look for him when they come in. My son has been cared for by a lot of great nurses and I've never had a moment's concern about any of the men who were assigned his care. Because of his special needs (severe cognitive and developmental delay), he really doesn't mind who it is that's cleaning him up but knowing who he was before his brain injury, I know he'd be more comfortable if it was "just the guys" at times like that had things been different. It takes a special person to be a good peds nurse, and I think you've got whatever that is!!!
"However, I had also experienced an unfortunate "emergency meeting" with another instructor (not my clinical instructor, but one of the school staff who specialises in pediatrics). She pulled me aside to her office, closed the door and told me that it was "just creepy" that a man my age (43) expressed a desire to work with children. She says that I was "just lucky" on my L&D rotation that most of the new mothers let me care for them and their babys and I should stay far away from that type of nursing because an adult male in that practice is a lawsuit waiting to happen."
What a ...I'd have had her in the dean's office so fast she'd wish she never uttered a word of that malicious and obviously ignorant rant. She ought to have her instructor status removed...permanently.
You should follow your heart and become the pediatric nurse that you sound to be. Pediatrics takes someone very speciall and for you to know this already shows where you need to be. I knew before i graduated nursing school that I would be a pediatric nurse. I have worked with several male pedatric nurses and they have the best hearts of all. Hope everything works out and you go where you will be the happiest.
However, I had also experienced an unfortunate "emergency meeting" with another instructor (not my clinical instructor, but one of the school staff who specialises in pediatrics). She pulled me aside to her office, closed the door and told me that it was "just creepy" that a man my age (43) expressed a desire to work with children. She says that I was "just lucky" on my L&D rotation that most of the new mothers let me care for them and their babys and I should stay far away from that type of nursing because an adult male in that practice is a lawsuit waiting to happen.
This woman is off her gourd. What a filthy mind. My kid's pediatrician was a male. I wonder what she would think of that!
:trout: Bad lady. Very bad.
When i was a little girl (well i am still a girl but not little anymore) I had a male pediatrician
Just to clarify - Very suprisingly, this teacher I had the discussion with has no problem with Male Doctors, because they are of course Doctors and beyond all question. Her problem is with Male NURSES working with children.
yogastudentRN
80 Posts
Like a teenage boy would find it less creepy to have an attractive 22 yo woman catheterize him?
Seriously, peds is made up of boys to...and sometimes they need a boy to discuss their problems with. I do not find it creepy at all that a man would want to go into peds in and of itself.