Men in home health

[Noimanurse]

For the 18 months I've been a nurse I look at myself as a nurse. For the 2 years I was in nursing school, I looked at myself as a student nurse. Unfortunately, the public sees me as a male nurse, doctor in training, or something along those lines. With that said, I have recently spoken to a home health agency due to a job posting with that company for a part-time nurse position. I also realize and respect a patient's right to choose. I sent in my application/resume with my "male" name clearly at the top and the agency representative called me. He stated one problem upfront and that was I was a man (duh), anyway, since he called me, I continued to speak with him. He said most of their clients refuse male nurses and only want a woman as their nurse. I often thought to myself, "why are you calling me then?". This representative continued to call me occasionally over about 3 weeks wondering if I was still interested and even asking if I wanted something full-time (which I didn't, thats why I applied for their part-time posting), but during each call that he initiated, he would again re-state, that their clients refuse male nurses and only accept women as nurses into their home, which again made me think to myself, "why are you calling me?". I guess I should have asked him, but I didn't. This agency deals with pediatrics, which I am interested in, it doesn't deal with elderly ladies being too modest to have a male caregiver. I guess my point or question after all this rambling is this, are home health agencies really asking patients their preference? How are they asking them their preference? Is the client generally saying we want a female nurse because the general public often sees women as nurses? Any advice? Maybe its just this one home health agency? Home health is one field I would like to venture into, but its been difficult for me to get my big feet in the door.

[vool]

Can't believe this was 10 years ago! Have been a home health nurse since about a year and a half. Rarely patients refuse my care because I am a male. At any point, I usually have the case load of about 25-30 patients per week.

Although, I do understand your point about a "doctor in training". I am, in fact, completing my premed right now to go back to med school. When patients ask me if I am going to school to be a doctor, and I respond with this answer, I immediately follow up to clear their prejudice regarding male nurses. I tell that that I am going back to challenge myself in terms of the depth of the knowledge and my interest in radiology. I am basically an exception. If I was interested in family medicine, I would have gone to FNP route. If I liked anesthesia, I would have done CRNA. If I liked critical care, I could same thigns as a ICU ACNP. Not all male nurses are doctors in training.

[NamasteLVN, LPN, LVN]

From my experience as a home health nurse and talking to patient's moms. A lot of mothers whose child is female do not want male nurses. They can request the agency female nurses only. That being said, it's not impossible to find a case. The case I'm on now i share with a male lvn. Patient is male. Some families like male nurses especially for older/heavier Kids because they feel males can lift/transport patient better. I think the agency recruiter is just making it seem like it's impossible just to get the upper hand if you do decide to be employed by them. Trust me sometimes they play games, mostly to screw you over on pay or on the case (difficult families)