Man = muscle, being taken advantage of

Published

How many guys have felt taken advantage of being the man on staff? I'm a cna and nursing student and I'm always being called to do the heavy lifting and a lot of times even left alone to do certain heavy tasks alone simply because I'm a "strong young man". Half of my shift is helping other staff and I don't mind helping and being a team member but sometimes it does feel like I'm the go-to guy and when I need the help no one is there.

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Yea it was the same for me as an aide and it has continued as a nurse. If it is stopping you from doing your own work you just have to let people know that you cannot be the go to person for all the heavy lifing.

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Coming from a woman I see no problem with it so long as the other person helps you to. "Yeah ill help lift Mr. Johnson...but would you grab a set of vitals on Mrs. Anderson?"

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Coming from a woman I see no problem with it so long as the other person helps you to. "Yeah ill help lift Mr. Johnson...but would you grab a set of vitals on Mrs. Anderson?"

Exactly. Yeah I don't mind helping but can I get help too when i need it if you're gonna be calling for me all day.

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Specializes in LTC Rehab Med/Surg.

We rarely need to ask our male staff for lifting. Two women can lift most of our patients. We might need an extra pair of hands, but not the back. If your unit is like ours, you probably are being taken advantage of.

The only place where staff is singled out by gender, is with the intimidation factor. A psych pt will think twice about throwing a punch if the nurse is a 6ft man, instead of a 5' 5" woman.

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Well, I always get chosen to care for all the feisty elderly female patients because I'm the lone female on my rotation and they are afraid of being accused of doing something. I'm a strong female and would rather lift instead of dodging fists all shift, every shift....Oh, and I still have to lift everyone else's patients, and I honestly don't mind but God forbid if I ask for assistance with a violent patient I am trying to prevent from hurting herself!

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Specializes in Critical Care, ED, Cath lab, CTPAC,Trauma.

I do think that sometimes male nurses are utilized for their brute strength......after all we are the "weaker sex". I think that men need to understand that they will be asked for some manual tasks to prevent to injury to other staff members...for then the whole unit suffers....just like the female staff helps the male staff when a fem ale (or male for that matter) requests a female for a cath.

Funny story....years ago we had our one male nurse. "Sam" (named changed to protect the innocent) our token male nurse.....One night..."Sam" had this CRAZY ICU psychosis elderly lady who went BONKERS! About the 90th time in 2 hours we were in that room...she chewed, Yes, you heard me, CHEWED her foley in half...and I mean the catheter part....we all went in to help restrain this 99 year old wild cat and while "Sam" got the foley inserted, we were exhausted.

Come the next day, in report.....they talked about the lady in bed 10 was really confused for all she talked about all day was that she raped buy a Mexican while his blonde "female dogs" held her down. We all looked at each other and bust out laughing then immediately felt guilty for in her mind she was right. "Sam" was of Hispanic decent and we were all blonde...poor lady.

We all have to step in and assist our co-workers whether they are small stature with a 6'6" angry man or pregnant with no business around violent patients...we all take one for the team.

But if it isn't reciprocated then you have a reason to be angry.

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Specializes in Rehab/Brain/Stroke/Spine.

PT has males and females that work with pt's considered "heavy lifts".

If a female PT can do it, a female RN can do it. Nurses are trained on how to do safe transfers.

When a co-worker is taking advantage of my skills, I script the technique as I am helping them and the patient.

Self insight, if you are constantly asking for assistance with something that you were trained to do, and are checked off as being able to do, then ask yourself why? then fix it.

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Specializes in PACU, ED.

On my unit I am often asked to help with lifts. That's fine, we all help each other and everyone has skills that strengthen the group. I am good with computers and can lift heavy things. My female comrades help me with lifting my patients, difficult IV sticks/blood draws, and assessing peri-rectal bandages on pediatric females and female adults that give me bad vibes.

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Man, some of you are in some jacked up places. In my ED, we *all* help each other at a moment's notice for anything that needs to be done. We completely depend upon each other and anybody who doesn't fit into that culture will not last at all.

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Specializes in Med-Surg, NICU.

I'm a woman who is five foot three with toothpick arms. If there is a strong, muscular young male (or woman), I'm going to ask for help if I need it. It has nothing to do with taking advantage of men, but there are some things that a petite woman can't do on her own. And trust me when I say that I appreciate it and will gladly perform pericare on their female patients!

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Specializes in NICU, ICU, PICU, Academia.

On my unit, the only male nurse is asked for assist at times (it's peds ICU, not a huge amount of lifting except during scoli season) as are our male RTs. But it's no more often than female staff is asked. Typically, we ask the closest person, not the biggest.

The one thing I DO have him help me with often is reaching things. I work at a children's hospital named for a famous athlete. (Think 6'5", 235#, laser-rocket arm...) and I SWEAR, they let old #18 decide where to place all the shelving, because the LOWEST shelf is over my head (I'm 5'1")

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