Murses

Nurses General Nursing

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  1. What is your reaction toward the term "Murses" for male-nurses?

    • 30
      I am male and I find it offensive or irritating
    • 102
      I am female and I find it offensive or irritating
    • 13
      I am male and I find it funny
    • 26
      I am female and I find it funny
    • 3
      I am male and I have no opinion
    • 5
      I am female and I have no opinion
    • 7
      I am male and I am ok with it as long as the intent is good
    • 12
      I am female and I am ok with it as long as the intent is good
    • 7
      I am male and my reaction is not listed in the options
    • 15
      I am female and my reaction is not listed in the options

220 members have participated

What is your reaction toward the term "Murses" for male-nurses?

I just don't think that a name change for either gender is necessary.

Thanks for the reply. It just dawned on me that my poll is actually not clear. I don't mean the poll to imply there should or should not be a name change so that you have nurse (female) and murse(male). The term "murse" is already being used in some quarter from my readings, in the context of a slang. It seemed that it is either used in a humorous affectionate way or in a demeaning way, depending on the intent of the person who uses it.

Now as you know, I have another poll that deal with changing the label "nurse" to something else, but it is to change to another more "gender neutral" term, not split the label into male and female version.

Maybe I should rephrase this poll in another way. This poll is not trying to find out if we should split the label "nurse" into a male and a female one. It is trying to find out how people feel about the slang use of the term "murse" as a nurse who is male.

Come to think of it, following scenerio might be interesting. Let's see how everyone feel and how would you act in these hypothetical situations:

Situation A) You are a male nurse. One of female nurse affectionately introduce you to another female nurse as the new "murse" on the floor. Your reaction if you were that male nurse? Your reaction if you were the female nurse who were being introduced to? If your reaction is negative, how would you handle it given you will be working with each other?

Situation B) You are a male nurse. One of male nurse humorously introduce you to another female nurse as the new "murse" on the floor. Your reaction if you were the nurse? Your reaction if you were the other nurse who were being introduced to? If your reaction is negative, how would you handle it given you will be working with each other?

Situation C) You are a male nurse. One of male nurse humorously introduce you to another male nurse as the new "murse" on the floor. Your reaction if you were the nurse? Your reaction if you were the other nurse who were being introduced to? If your reaction is negative, how would you handle it given you will be working with each other?

Situation D) You (a male nurse) are not getting along with a few other female nurses on the floor. You happened to overheard they mentioned something about "murse" in the unit as you walk up. You are the only male nurse in the unit. What is your reaction and what would your action be, if any?

-Dan

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I remember when this term came up on "Scrubs". I personally found it quite amusing. I wouldn't want to officially change the title of a nurse who happens to be a man to "murse", but as in the old lady example, I think it's a funny term!! I voted for the "I see nothing wrong with it if the intent is good" choice.

It's like in Harold and Maude where Maude asks, "This is your heorifice?" and Harold says, "Yeorifice!!"

:rotfl::rotfl:

Got a question. When it was used in your situation, were the male nurse present? If so, what was his reaction? Guess what was the context in your case? Was it use in an affectionate way, a humorous way, or in a demeaning way, or soemthing else?

-Dan

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Dan, it didn't actually happen to me. I just saw it on the TV show "Scrubs". Rick Shroeder was a nurse that the female doc was dating (can't remember her name--J.D.'s friend). But in the show I think it was said behind his back. I happened to find it funny. But then again, I find South Park funny. :p

I can't speak for nurses who are men, but I think if the term is used by co-workers that you trust and respect and get along with, if I were a man I don't think I'd be offended.

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Dan, it didn't actually happen to me. I just saw it on the TV show "Scrubs". Rick Shroeder was a nurse that the female doc was dating (can't remember her name--J.D.'s friend). But in the show I think it was said behind his back. I happened to find it funny. But then again, I find South Park funny. :p

I can't speak for nurses who are men, but I think if the term is used by co-workers that you trust and respect and get along with, if I were a man I don't think I'd be offended.

You know, I never watched "Scrubs". Is it worth it? What kind of light does the show put nurses in?

I think your brought up two points, one is that it depends on the relationship and context on the person being used on and the person using it. Another is that it depends on the sense of humor the person has (no or little humor, average humor, lots of humor, a totally warp sense of humor).

-Dan

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You know, I never watched "Scrubs". Is it worth it? What kind of light does the show put nurses in?

I think your brought up two points, one is that it depends on the relationship and context on the person being used on and the person using it. Another is that it depends on the sense of humor the person has (no or little humor, average humor, lots of humor, a totally warp sense of humor).

-Dan

Very true, the relationship and the sense of humor factor are both important. I also like plays on words, so I just found the term rather amusing.

I personally really like Scrubs. It's a comedy and is not meant to be taken too seriously. There are two nurse characters. One is Carla, one of the main characters. She's very strong-willed and outspoken, and is also engaged to a surgeon. The other is Lorraine (I think), who seems to sit behind the desk and gossip all day. Rick Schroeder was a temporary character who was in a few episdoes. You should watch the show sometime. It's really funny. One of the Bobs from Office Space is in it, and he and J.D. steal the show as far as I'm concerned.

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Hey again Dan,

I personally don't care what I'm referred to, regardless of whom it comes from. Although I'm still just a lowly nursing student, I know that nurses get called far worse names than anything you could ever want to post here. Why don't we just stick with "nurse". I've heard of some nurses being called "M.F. b*tchs". Why don't we change our moniker to that? "Hey Dan, you M.F. B*tch, how's ya doin'?" I dunno, I think it has a nice ring to it. What do you say?

Actually, now that I've heard it a few times, I am growing somewhat partial to that term. "murse" that is, not "MFB".

Maybe we could have our own theme song too.

How did that song go?

"mercy, mercy me..."

can now be:

"Mursey, mursey me..."

American Idol, here I come!!

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Hey again Dan,

Why don't we just stick with "nurse". I've heard of some nurses being called "M.F. b*tchs". Why don't we change our moniker to that? "Hey Dan, you M.F. B*tch, how's ya doin'?" I dunno, I think it has a nice ring to it. What do you say?

Hmmmm... nope.... reason is that "b*itch" is female so it does not apply to a male nurse... unless the person who is using it is having some gender identitity problem with the said male nurse.

MFB - Master of Flight Burn nursing (a graduate degree in how to care for burned victum during airtransport)

Maybe we could have our own theme song too.

How did that song go?

"mercy, mercy me..."

can now be:

"Mursey, mursey me..."

American Idol, here I come!!

Maybe we can get a whole bunch of male nurses doing this song and have all the nurses in the US call in to vote for us. Hey... the money we make can go toward some nurse scholarship... scholarship to any nursing student who has been called unpleasent names. To qualify for the shcolarship, one has to write a paper on how they feel about the term "murse".

-Dan

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Hmmmm... nope.... reason is that "b*itch" is female so it does not apply to a male nurse...

Ahhhhh....shoot! I thought I had this one all figured out!

MFB - Master of Flight Burn nursing (a graduate degree in how to care for burned victum during airtransport)

...double ahhhhh....shoot!!

To qualify for the shcolarship, one has to write a paper on how they feel about the term "murse".

--------------------------------------------------------

How I Feel About the Term "Murse" by Alexander.

:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

The End.

--------------------------------------------------------

So, what do you think? Good paper or no? Cash only por favor.

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I say fine. Just understand that if we use "murses"...we are going to have "worses".

Who's ready for that?

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Specializes in LTC, CPR instructor, First aid instructor..
:p :rolleyes:nurse is the only thing that makes sense! let's leave it alone!
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I say fine. Just understand that if we use "murses"...we are going to have "worses".

Who's ready for that?

Let's see, so far we have the following in this thread:

  • Nurses - Obvious
  • Murses - Male nurse or a male purse
  • Jurses - Gender neutral replacement for nurses
  • Furses - Female version of murses
  • Worses - Another female version of murses

-Dan

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:p :rolleyes:nurse is the only thing that makes sense! let's leave it alone!

hey granny, the pictures of the nurses you have, i think they are all females, where are the males? :)

-dan

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