Male Nursing student question about pediatrics

[royr]

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?

[lpnstudentin2010, LPN]

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.

She is FULL of BS.