I would like to ask men in nursing school and those already in the nursing field for their opinions here.
1. What made you want to go into the nursing profession?
2. Did you have any reservations about it specifically since you are male? (I am trying to determine if stereotypes actually are a barrier to men entering the field)
3. Do you feel as though your nursing education is tailored to meet the needs of male and females alike? (One study I read states that men do not feel as though they were taught how to properly clean a female or even how to properly touch a female. They assumed it was because if you are a female nursing student you would already know how to do this and it didnt need to be explained)
4. Do you feel like you are or have ever been discriminated against because you are a male in the nursing field?
4. Do you find that coworkers either do or do not ask you to do things because you are male? ie. heavy lifting, female exams
5. Do you feel as though you need to be cautious when caring for a female pt? (I had never given it any thought but three of the men I interviewed said that they are always aware of what they are doing or saying to female because of the fear of the pt. thinking they are being inappropriate)
5. is there anything you would like to add specifically about being a man and a nurse?
I wanted a new challenge and needed a career change. I've always been good with people, science, and problem solving but didn't feel I was make an impact in my life or the lives of others. One day I had an epiphany; not everybody is cut out to deal with body fluids, sick and dying people, or the challenges health care presents. That's when I understood nursing was where I belonged.
Hell no, it feels like picking up the torch from previous generations of courageous men who dug down deep into their nurturing and compassionate side without reservation. That being said, I've probably never considered it as a younger man. My generation was conditioned to be cold and hard. Compassion and feelings were perceived as a weakness not strength. Although that perception over time is shifting, it still remains a barrier to some males. I intend to be the change I want to see in the field and encourage more men to consider it as a career.
Nursing education over all is somewhat tailored to women but its more attitude than subject matter. I knew more about female anatomy, care, and hygiene than some of the females did which was a bit of a surprise. I didn't get to do many female Foleys or spend much time L&D. That was more a result of the patients than the instructors. I got to spend more time in NICU as a result which was fine with me. I never intend to work OB.
Absolutely. Its basic human nature. I've experienced discrimination from fellow students, instructors, patients, and nurses for being a male but it just makes me stay on top of my game and work harder. Yes I get asked to do heavy lifting and ‘assist' with patients who become violent or inappropriate but it all balances out. I'd rather not deal with histrionics or drama so I'll ask for help with those patients. Sometimes patients don't want a male nurse. This applies to both men and women, so I might have to float to balance the workload. Some men will request a male nurse if they know one is available but this is a rare occurrence.
You should be cautious when dealing with all patients. Society is very litigious. Generally, you can sense when a patient is going to have an issue and they often get reassigned if the census is low. Other times building rapport and demonstrating professional competence is the prescribed method of approach. If you're going to cath a female patient or something on that end, you'll want a female nurse in the room to assist. My DON, who was male, told me this on the first day and I follow it like the gospel.
Anyone considering nursing as a career should really do a self inventory before taking the plunge. I think some people go into nursing for the wrong reasons like a big pay check or easy job. These types of people eventually become problems for everyone. If you're not committed to lifelong learning, challenges, and personal sacrifice, it's probably not for you.
I think some people go into nursing for the wrong reasons like a big pay check or easy job. These types of people eventually become problems for everyone.
Here's my obligatory challenge to this tired and inaccurate point of view.
The reasons to pursue nursing are personal and unique to each individual. So long as those reasons are based on a realistic viewpoint and what one holds as important then there are no wrong reasons.
In my case, I have become a nurse first and foremost for the money and the job security. There are a variety of other supporting factors but the compensation is prime. Seven years in and I don't think anybody who knows me and works with me - nor the vast majority of my patients - would consider me a "problem for everyone." Quite the contrary, in fact. I routinely receive positive feedback from my patients and have an excellent working relationship with my colleagues in various roles.
Compensation is a fine reason to choose a career, so long as one is aware of the demands of the job and accepts them.
Here's my obligatory challenge to this tired and inaccurate point of view.
....In my case, I have become a nurse first and foremost for the money and the job security. There are a variety of other supporting factors but the compensation is prime. Seven years in...I routinely receive positive feedback from my patients and have an excellent working relationship with my colleagues in various roles....
You and I are in the same boat. 2 yrs education and entry level pay of >$75K? Sign me right up!!!
You and I also likely to have a similar gut feeling that those who allegedly claimed to enter nursing as "a calling" or "d/t passion", we suspect those to be the first to leave nursing entirely--due to burnouts. I'd actually like to see a study on this.
KindaBack, you and I are on track to hit the 25 year, the 30 year, etc year mark. We are in nursing for the LONG HAUL!
I would like to ask men in nursing school and those already in the nursing field for their opinions here.
1. What made you want to go into the nursing profession?
2. Did you have any reservations about it specifically since you are male? (I am trying to determine if stereotypes actually are a barrier to men entering the field)
3. Do you feel as though your nursing education is tailored to meet the needs of male and females alike? (One study I read states that men do not feel as though they were taught how to properly clean a female or even how to properly touch a female. They assumed it was because if you are a female nursing student you would already know how to do this and it didnt need to be explained)
4. Do you feel like you are or have ever been discriminated against because you are a male in the nursing field?
4. Do you find that coworkers either do or do not ask you to do things because you are male? ie. heavy lifting, female exams
5. Do you feel as though you need to be cautious when caring for a female pt? (I had never given it any thought but three of the men I interviewed said that they are always aware of what they are doing or saying to female because of the fear of the pt. thinking they are being inappropriate)
5. is there anything you would like to add specifically about being a man and a nurse?
Good questions.
1. I started out in a medical assisting program. At the time I started, the economy was bad, we had to move due to my wife's job, I put in hundreds of applications, fish weren't biting. Also at the time I started, MA programs were just basically glorified secretaries that could do some clinical stuff. Things have changed, though, for the better. I wanted to be involved in patient care, patient advocacy, and patient education.
2. No reservations about being male until at an interview for an MA positin this question: As a guy how do you think you can relate to a female dominated field? However, never had been asked this question in nursing interviews nor anything remotely close.
3. My education treated males and females alike. In fact, during my leadership class, our guest instructor told the females to take advice from our male colleagues - we tend to focus on issues and deal with situations and then just "let it go" instead of holding a grudge and starting the "Rumor Mill Machine."
4a.Never felt discriminated against as a male. Age, though, is another issue. See # 5
4b. As a student, I always got the "Can you help me move my [400+ lb] patient?" In all fairness, I do not think it is a male issue, but I am 6-3 300 lbs with a sturdy back and a good amount of upper body strength. If I were 5-7 / 5-8 and looked like harry potter, I probably would not get those requests much.
5a. I have experienced some patients say, "I would rather prefer a female." Nurse was always willing to swap a patient with me.
5b. See # 4a.
What I have experienced is not a gender discrimination issue, but an age discrimination issue that resulted in lateral violence as a tech. I am not some traditional student pushover that people can just boss around. If a nurse asked me to do something, I was more than willing to do it UNLESS
1) it put a patient at harm or 2) put myself at risk.
Got in trouble for pointing out a patient safety issue.
I am about to begin practical nursing school this Fall, but I currently work as certified medical assistant and lab tech in a pediatrics office; however, all of my co-workers that work on the floor are almost all RNs, but I still feel like my perspective can be of help here.
1. I'm not 100% sure how I ended up going this route, but it was something like this. I started out studying biology because I wanted to be a doctor, but I was not prepared for college and I was addicted to video games. I flunked out after one semester (in hindsight I'm glad I did because I'd probably still be paying them off had I went the entire 4 years.) The following year, I went to my local community college and talked to an advisor there, and she was the one who recommended nursing to me. I fought it off for a long time though. I had a problem with being a male nurse because of stereotypes. Eventually, I got an associates degree in medical assisting. I have been working as a MA (and more recently as a lab tech) for 1.5 years in pediatrics, now. I was accepted to my community college's practical nursing program this coming Fall. I am very excited about it!
2. Yes, the whole stereotype thing of "if you are a male nurse you must be gay" and other similar ones bothered me a great deal, and still bothers me a little. I find it very hard to say that I'm a medical assistant (I often tell people I'm a lab tech which is a partial truth) when someone ask me what I do for work. However, in my peds practice I haven't been discriminated against to my knowledge outside of a few things. One, I constantly get asked to help with lifting things, help with holds, and to get the dead fish out of the fish tank (eww, I know). These do no bother me though. What does bother me is that I have only been asked to perform catheterization only a few times. I know I'm not technically a nurse, but everyone else on the floor are RNs, and I have been trained to perform this procedure. However, since I have yet to attempt more than 1 on a live person, I don't feel comfortable, so the two or three times that I have been asked to do them I had to get a female coworker to trade assignments with me.
3. No. My medical assisting instructors told me that I would never perform an EKG on a female and that was a lie. They said the same thing about catheter which was also a lie.
4. When I was a CNA a patient told me he did not want me taking care of him because I was a "******" because I cleaned his bottom after a bowel movement. Other than that, I don't feel directly discriminated against.
5. No. I don't feel the need to be cautious, but I work in peds, so the parents are there. I suppose if I was doing a lady partsl exam (which I don't do), I would like another person in the room with me for this, but I don't think it's really necessary. Male OBGYNs do lady partsl exams alone in the rooms all the time.
It's not all bad though. Although it took me awhile to learn the job properly, after I did I started to earn the respect of my co-workers. I am now regarded as one of the top workers at my place of employment, and the doctors and NPs love working with me because they know I am a good worker. Also, the male doctor's there like talking about things like sports and bringing some "testosterone" to the office.
We are the minority (no joke, I actually received a $10,000 minority scholarship solely for being a male)
Can you point me towards where you found this scholarship? I would love to apply for it if it's possible. I've applied for a fall 2016 program and money is going to be very tight.
Here's my obligatory challenge to this tired and inaccurate point of view.
The reasons to pursue nursing are personal and unique to each individual. So long as those reasons are based on a realistic viewpoint and what one holds as important then there are no wrong reasons.
In my case, I have become a nurse first and foremost for the money and the job security. There are a variety of other supporting factors but the compensation is prime. Seven years in and I don't think anybody who knows me and works with me - nor the vast majority of my patients - would consider me a "problem for everyone." Quite the contrary, in fact. I routinely receive positive feedback from my patients and have an excellent working relationship with my colleagues in various roles.
Compensation is a fine reason to choose a career, so long as one is aware of the demands of the job and accepts them.
I'm actually quite happy (relieved...?) to hear someone say this.
After leaving a very successful, but not very fulfilling and stressful, career in which I was working 70+ hours a week - I'm starting a program in August and my main goal in choosing nursing has been the job security/pay/etc...
I keep running in to all of these people who talk about how they've dreamed about being a nurse for years and it is their purpose for living. I was honestly feeling like an a-hole who had no business continuing.
I put my partner through nursing school - I saw how much work he had to do. I see how he has excelled in his career over the last 4 years, and I see how taxing the job can be on him and all of the work he's had to do to end up where he is. I have many family members who are/were nurses - I see the stresses of the career choice they made - but I also see how not a single one of them regrets their choice even though they are stressed and tired.
I have no delusion that nursing school or nursing in general will be a piece of cake. I do like the idea of helping people and being an important factor in someone's life.
But first and foremost, my goal is to make decent money in a very stable career in which I don't have to work more than 40-50 hours a week unless I personally choose to work that much.
I'll do my best to offer you my perspective. First and foremost, RN'ing is my 2nd career. I worked in high tech until I was 58 at which time I got laid off d/t the Dot Com bust and telecom industry implosion. I went back to school and got my license in Feb '06 -- when I was 62. I retired at 68 two years ago.
1. I had an EMT-B cert while working in high tech. Got laid off and then tried to figure out what I wanted to be when I grew up. I recalled that when I was a young man, young women would go into RN'ing to find a rich doc to marry. I realized that now there are a lot of women docs and I though, "why not?" After I graduated and began working, I became quickly disillusioned because I found out that (1) women docs weren't necessarily rich and (2) they were either already married or only about 6 months older than Doogie Houser.
No, that's not the reason: After a long career in high tech chasing the $ and not really contributing to society I decided to become a nurse (make that "murse") for altruistic reasons. Nursing has given me a huge leg up to self actualization.
2. No reservations. No stereotypes. (BTW: did you know the first nurses were male and have been around since the time of the Greeks? In deference to good 'ole Florence, she wasn't the first nurse and wasn't even a nurse at all -- she was a hospital administrator.
3. No. Though I never thought about training to properly bathe a female pt. Schools and the profession (only still at around 6% male) is still female dominated and really don't consider the male students in the classroom. I avoided certain "contact" without a female RN colleague or aid in the room with me. It's just prudent business. Women RNs can place "hands on" to male and female pts alike without any worries. But, murses, well. just be mindful of what you do, whether inserting catheters or suppositories or cleaning up Code Browns.
4a. Yes. When I worked for the VA, I was the only male o the PM shift. I had seniority over a 3rd of my colleagues and had at least one instance where I felt discriminated against by my manager because I was male. I had to file a grievance with our union over it.
4b. Yes, I had. Mostly moving pts up in bed. But for very slight pts, I refused as we had lifting equipment in each room and I was damned if I was going to leave the profession with a bad back.
5. See 3 above. And, I had a pt report me for being "inappropriate" because I had to relocate her telemetry electrodes to ensure an accurate rhythm appeared on her monitor.
6. Be absolutely professional and compassionate in everything you do, don't be afraid to speak up, and work in a union state and shop. The latter else the hospital in which you work won't hesitate to throw you under the bus for their greater interest in $ than truly for the care and well being of their pts. Whatever you do, do it in the best interest of your pts as YOU frequently will be the only advocate they have.
cyc0sys
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