Gay male nurse stereotype?

Nursing Students Male Students

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So, a question has arisen in my mind since I have been in CNA class waiting for nursing school to start.

There are only 2 guys in my class of 25, and the other guy is married and I'm gay. After doing clinicals in the hospital, I have yet to see another gay male CNA or nurse.

Where does this stereotype come from? I am not seeing it at all.

My class of 65 had 5 men. All straight. Three are now gay. HEHE. Just kidding. I have yet to meet any male nurse that is gay. I work as an aide in Labor and Delivery and I am straight as an arrow. No one says anything about gay nurses where I work. It's funny but women who become firefighters are not labeled lesbians.

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Specializes in med-surg.

Here is a slightly humorous story about stereotypes--and how they don't always hold true based on your experience of knowing no gay nurses in labor/delivery. My elderly grandfather has a home aide come to visit him once in a while. One day, about a year ago, they sent a substitute vs. his usual female aide. After the guy left, he called up my mother and complained that he did not want any gay people to come...the guy they sent over was gay!! My mother asked how he knew that, and he replied that he knew he was gay because he was a nurse. Now that I am going to nursing school, I am curious as to what he thinks about me! At any rate, my mother stood firm and said she did not care what color, gender, body type, or sexuality the people were, they were there to do their job!

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In my class of 60+ nursing students, there are 12 males...and I am the only gay/out male. There is one other who hasn't quite come out yet, and all the others are married/straight. So it's really a stereo-type that's out of date, as far as nursing is concerned. I DO think that years ago, there were so few males in bed-side nursing, that most (of the few males there were), were gay. That has obviously changed. I view being a male in nursing as a BIG advantage. Most (female) nurse mgrs I know want a few males on their units, in their own words: "to help ease the estrogen level down a bit".

Good luck!! And as long as any nurse is professional, his/her sexual orientation isn't really much of a concern/issue.

So, a question has arisen in my mind since I have been in CNA class waiting for nursing school to start.

There are only 2 guys in my class of 25, and the other guy is married and I'm gay. After doing clinicals in the hospital, I have yet to see another gay male CNA or nurse.

Where does this stereotype come from? I am not seeing it at all.

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Specializes in psych..

Since I graduated in 71..I remember working with 3 gay nurses. I have fielded more than 20 comments in my lifetime that suggested I must be gay to choose nursing. In another posting I believe someone suggested changing the title from NURSE to something else. I think before more males jump into nursing that will have to happen. I am 62, and I know with aging, and the increase in female hormones that entails..the name will be more fitting., But personally, I am ready for a title change now.

It could help alleviate the nurse shortage. Sorry If i read that in a post here and have adopted it as mine. Why not Hospital tech l or Hospital tech ll if more advanced on down the line. Or Hospital tech/OR spec

or Hospital tech/ICU specialist. I think NURSE was fine for the Middle ages, but not for today. I think the public seems confused..too,..I get ..how can you be a nurse you are man? Not often but comments like that do surface. But, being a female dominated proffesion, dont see how a title change would be in their list of priorities. I think most would fight legislation going in that direction. For the record..I am straight..

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Specializes in med-surg.

a title change is an interesting idea. I never considered it. We all say flight attendant vs. steward or stewardess, for example.

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Specializes in psych..
a title change is an interesting idea. I never considered it. We all say flight attendant vs. steward or stewardess, for example.

Thats a great analogy or example of a non gender speficic Title. In Spanish we get a little break..I am an EnfermerO not an EnfermerA.

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Specializes in SNU/SNF/MedSurg, SPCU Ortho/Neuro/Spine.

Ill be a Nurs(O) lol!

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Specializes in ER, Pre-Hospital.

We have many gay nurses where I work (Chicago has a large gay/lesbian community). I've been called doctor by mistake because I'm male, so the assumption is that I must be a doctor; I proudly tell them that I'm a nurse (student for now). I've also been stereotyped as gay because I'm a male in the nursing profession, oddly, more so by other staff than by the patients. I've been "hit" on by other male nurses, of which I'm very flattered, but I do the same thing and politely decline the offer whilst I show them my left ring finger. I'm comfortable with my own sexuality, both the X and Y side :smokin: enough so that getting hit on by a male no more bothers me than getting asked out by a female co-worker. I'm flattered by both.

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60 students 12 males, none gay. All are either married or in a serious relationship.

My ex-boyfriend is a nurse. He is as far from the stereotypical thoughts of a male nurse. He borders on the side of hard core Harley dude :lol2:. Long hair, tats, rides a Harely, etc..oh and very much the womanizer!! Hense why he's my EX!! :angryfire Regardless, as "hard and tough" as he appears to be on the outside, he just as warm and compassionate on the inside.

I've yet to run into a gay nurse. Or maybe I have and my radar needs tuning. BUT I have worked with several lesbian nurses.

I think its all just fallback from times gone by. These days, all walks of life are entering nursing..

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Specializes in Psych, ER, Telemetry, Float.

Never had that problem, heard about it alot - never had that towards myself or the other guys I knew in school.

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no gay male students in my cohort. i sometimes act gay to throw people off and for humorous interaction. i have no problems with gay male nurses. i have worked in clinicals with male gay nurses and they are pretty cool and they make me laugh. for example, i could careless what a women is wearing when they come into the emergency room but my male gay nurses comments on the type of shoes she is wearing.

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Specializes in Cardiac Care.
i sometimes act gay

Exactly how does someone act gay?

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