Whats it like being a guy in a female dominated career?

Nurses Men

Published

Alright, first of all I graduated high school in 2008 and still am doing nothing with my life. Ive been thinking too hard about things and was wondering how its like being a male nurse. Im a CNA but when I worked I hated it. It was boring, repetitive, I was the only guy there, and delt with grumpy ass female employees. I like action, I hate being bored, its hard for me to keep a job because I just get so bored with things. I was wondering if this is the type of atmoshpere I would like (nursing). Trying to become a STNA made me not want to be a nurse at all. But its a completely different working evironment. Can someone help me out here

Up Vote Up Vote ×

I've been a nurse for a little over 3 years now and sometimes the estrogen can get a little deep on the floor where I work but I love the women I work with. However, if you want a challenge then maybe you would like the ER or ICU better, both places can become very exciting very fast. I am an oddity at my hospital, most of the male nurse do work in either of those departments, there are very few males as floor nurses. I enjoy it though and occassionally I do get floated to both of those places and enjoy those as well. Nursing is a great field to be in there is so much that you can do with your degree. Good luck to you.

Up Vote Up Vote ×

thanks

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Nursing Informatics, E.R., med surg, ENT.

In a career dominated by women. It's an honor to be called "oh he's a great nurse..we consider him one of the girls".. For me it pretty much states that I am accepted as a peer and respected. my wife likes my nurse friends. Like from the previous posting..ditto on all. Also consider working Psych, I've seen great male nurses there, two of my nurse buddies work in that field including yours truly.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in being a Credible Source.

I'm a med-surg nurse and, other than the docs and patients, I rarely see other guys while I'm at work. Truthfully, I hardly notice it. I get on just as well with the gals as I do with the guys and I'm treated very much as an equal... Actually, I think I've been welcomed in far quicker than some other new nurses in part, I suspect, precisely because I am a guy.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma/Burn ICU.

The vast majority of the time, I don't notice, especially since in my ICU, I'm rarely the only guy on between RNs, techs, RT, and clerks. That being said, there are days that I say to myself (and usually when venting to my wife) "why the **** did I go into a female-dominated profession?" Be aware that there will be women who will use you as a convenient target when they're looking to pick a fight, there are others who view you as a strong back/muscles and little else, and there are times when you'll feel that you're on the outside looking in. But for the most part, you'll make some great friends and IMHO having some good friends of the opposite gender is a very good thing.

Mike in Michigan

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in LTC/D&A/AL.

I think a lot of LTC is dominated by female nurses, we have two males in the entire building that is nursing. I am one of them, and I work in an assisted living facility with young girls that only have Home Health Aide Certificates and alot of days they get on my nerves because they rarely think critically about situations and then im stuck running the floor. But depending on where your at, it can be good or bad.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Trauma ICU, Peds ICU.

Check out ER and ICU. Both are fast paced and seem to attract more no-nonsense less emotionally driven female RNs. There are more men around too. I've come to work more than once to find all but one or two RNs on my unit were guys.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Alright, first of all I graduated high school in 2008 and still am doing nothing with my life. Ive been thinking too hard about things and was wondering how its like being a male nurse. Im a CNA but when I worked I hated it. It was boring, repetitive, I was the only guy there, and delt with grumpy ass female employees. I like action, I hate being bored, its hard for me to keep a job because I just get so bored with things. I was wondering if this is the type of atmoshpere I would like (nursing). Trying to become a STNA made me not want to be a nurse at all. But its a completely different working evironment. Can someone help me out here

Well, it isn't an entertainment choice, it is a career choice. Go find a nursing home TCU, get a job as a CNA and see how bored you get.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in mental health.
Alright, first of all I graduated high school in 2008 and still am doing nothing with my life. Ive been thinking too hard about things and was wondering how its like being a male nurse. Im a CNA but when I worked I hated it. It was boring, repetitive, I was the only guy there, and delt with grumpy ass female employees. I like action, I hate being bored, its hard for me to keep a job because I just get so bored with things. I was wondering if this is the type of atmoshpere I would like (nursing). Trying to become a STNA made me not want to be a nurse at all. But its a completely different working evironment. Can someone help me out here

I know what you mean about grumpy ass. It just doesn't go out of it's way to entertain like **** **** ***.

As for being bored...it's all about you, not the job.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in Float pool for 14 months.

As a female rn, I enjoy working with male rns because they seem to be more about the work and gossip less. Well atleast at my first job. There was one night I was the only female rn on my side of the floor and it was great. Not that the females weren't awesome, but as a float there I was always an outsider on the m/s floor and the guys were always the first to help. At my first job, you almost had to always prove yourself to the females. I went to work to work and care for my pts. I rarely got involved in the gossip, actually I never did. The friends I made were a bonus.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
Specializes in lots.....

To be honest, after my first couple years on the job I never gave it any more thought. These days the field of nursing is not quite so "female dominated", at least not in certain units. The one major downside to being one of the few guys in a unit that does have mostly females, is that you are often expected to act as "the aide/orderly". I got so tired of hearing "can I use your muscles" from all my female coworkers when I worked in the cardiothoracic ICU. There was an unspoken expectation that I was to assist every female around in moving their patients, getting their patients changed, out of bed, into bed, and ambulated....every day. When I needed physicial help caring for my assigned patients (who were often "coincidentally" some of the largest and most labor intensive), help was often nowhere to be found. This resulted in large amounts of frustration on my part, as well as lots of enjoyable pain down my left leg. I eventually left that unit, and the unfair expectations were a part of the reason. If you find that your're in a job that is boring you, change it. I speak as somebody who has worked in everything from disaster medicine to Med/Surg to ICU to ED and beyond. Your job is what you make of it.

Up Vote Up Vote ×
+ Add a Comment