New name for nurses who are men

[midlife101]

New guy here.

I'm a 46 yr old single dad of 3 daugters (that accounts for some of what's wrong with my brain).

I've decided to take the plunge and start the prereqs at my local community college with the intent to become an RN...hence, my presence on this board.

In the last couple of weeks, since I've been here, I've read alot of threads about men in nursing and some of the stereotypes (real or imagined) that go along with the term "male nurse". I, myself, will admit to feeling a bit of a feminine connotation associated with the term, probably due to the association with "nurse" and breastfeeding.

It occurs to me that if we put our heads together, we should be able to come up with a better term that we could then quietly promote in our day to day activities.

We've already heard "murse", RN with prostate and some others but I'd like to hear other ideas too. I'll profer a couple of suggestions of my own to get things started:

RN-DG (RN - Differently Gendered)

RN-NSG (RN - Non Standard Genitals/Gender)

Well? Let's hear it folks (yes, you ladies too!)

[Positive Attitude]

but my good friends still call me Steel Balls Magillacutty.

Do you make a clunking sound when yoj sit down?

[relgis15]

This a probably a bad attempt at some humor.

[Positive Attitude]

This a probably a bad attempt at some humor.

I can see nothing gets past you.

[Bringonthenight]

My friend would get asked, "oh so your going to be a male nurse?" to which he responded "well i'm still hoping for a female nurse position but I would settle for anything in this job economy"

[Fah.Chief]

The title "sister" in the UK denotes rank, a senior nurse, often the nurse who has ultimate responsibility for a given area. The male equivalent is "charge nurse" though in recent years the trend has been to call both sexes "ward manager"

Hah. Interesting! I was watching the same show two weeks ago and wondered the same thing. I thought male nurses were called "brothers".

Anyway, nurse is just fine with me. No big deal. When someone asks what I do, I tell them I'm a nurse, then somehow I automatically say right after that, "I work in the Operating Theatre".

Funny thing whilst watching Glee with my girlfriend, Sue Sylvester quotes, ""female football coach, like male nurses, are a sin against nature." Some consider that offensive but I thought that was crack up.

[AZO49008]

Meh. I used to have a thing about being called a "nurse" but I got over it once I actually became one. I refer to myself as an "RN" to my patients and when identifying myself to others on the care team. What others choose to call me is their preference, as long as it isn't late to dinner. That being said, I do rather disdain the term "male nurse" but I only ever hear it from elderly patients for whom we're still apparently a novelty.

[Robublind]

From some of these posts: RN-SOH -"Registered No sense of humor"

My title: "no Im not your doctor, Im your nurse"

[MN-Nurse, ASN, RN]

"i think all rn's should be called "nurse practitioner's" after all, we all practice nursing do we not??? and existing nurse practitioner's should be called "advanced nurse practitioner's""

i vote for calling registered nurses, "registered nurses" and calling nurse practitioners, "nurse practitioners."

[healthsciencefile]

I hear you...

The term/word "nurse" needs to be revisited and perhaps modified to make gender neutral! The same happen with the word stewardess changing to flight attendant.. the latter is definitely gender neutral!

For now, I propose the simplest of terms:

MRN = MISTER NURSE (Male Register Nurse)

or my initials

MANR = MAle Nurse Registered

Hey! It could be worst! In the UK, I believe they use "Sister" instead of "Nurse"... I can only imagine to male nurses at a busy hospital: Hey! Sister John! can you push that crash cart out of the way!!! Sure Sister Bruno!!! LOL

Seriously! Change is needed!

[GitanoRN, BSN, MSN, RN]

I never felt uneasy with the tittle Nurse, on the contrary after receiving my BSN I felt like I earned it. However, this is why I love the Spanish countries, they have a name for both genders, " Enfermero" and the female is called "Enfermera". In the end we are all nurses, and we should be proud of our accomplishment and carry on the legacy of such a noble profession. :redbeathe

[jrsweet75]

New guy here.

I'm a 46 yr old single dad of 3 daugters (that accounts for some of what's wrong with my brain).

I've decided to take the plunge and start the prereqs at my local community college with the intent to become an RN...hence, my presence on this board.

In the last couple of weeks, since I've been here, I've read alot of threads about men in nursing and some of the stereotypes (real or imagined) that go along with the term "male nurse". I, myself, will admit to feeling a bit of a feminine connotation associated with the term, probably due to the association with "nurse" and breastfeeding.

It occurs to me that if we put our heads together, we should be able to come up with a better term that we could then quietly promote in our day to day activities.

We've already heard "murse", RN with prostate and some others but I'd like to hear other ideas too. I'll profer a couple of suggestions of my own to get things started:

RN-DG (RN - Differently Gendered)

RN-NSG (RN - Non Standard Genitals/Gender)

Well? Let's hear it folks (yes, you ladies too!)

This is very interesting. I am a first year male nursing student in BC, Canada who is doing a report on this concept; I wondered if anyone else had brought it up....Everyone is having fun, and that's fine, however, male nursing #'s are down in the US and the trend continues. There is little doubt that a job title that implies an oposite gender conciously or subconciously affects subsequent interests and motivated behaviours. I have never heard a male who watches children abroad refer to himself as a Nanny. Also, so far as I can tell, the English language is the ONLY language period where the job title is synonymous with breastfeeding. I have actually been having trouble finding any 1st year male student who doesn't find the name antiquated, gender-heavy and in need of review and change. I am not surprised to hear nurses who have been in the system are ok and obviously desensitized to the term; this is to be expected. The question is really about whether or not some potential first year nurses are turned off by the very word, and decide to go into another field. I reviewed many of the female comments and no doubt they are fine with term....well no kidding....it is hard to find an opposite scenario, a traditionally, for the last few decades, male profession with a name as intimate and equivalent to "nurse" and it's several meanings, in which woman are wanted and needed...I do believe this scenario is very unique in this sense. Many men may say they are fine with the word....to go with the grain...but it really needs to change. Several of my peers and I believe it will change as threads and reports in various schools gain momentum and a small voice gradually grows louder and is eventually heard on a grand scale. After all, males constitute exactly half of the current nursing shortage, and if there is something that is potentially deterring even a small percentage, (personally I believe it is actually large in pre-nursing male students) then at the vary least it should be addressed and studied....anything less is negligent!

[SweetPEI]

Differently gendered makes me think Trans-Gendered; and my genitals are definitely standard issue.

I am not a "male nurse."

Someone calls me that and I just reply "I am a Registered Nurse; and yes, I am a man."

Nurse is a noun or a verb from thefreedictionary.com

1. A person educated and trained to care for the sick or disabled.

2. a. A woman employed to take care of a child; a nursemaid.

b. A woman employed to suckle children other than her own; a wet nurse.

3. One that serves as a nurturing or fostering influence or means: "Town life is the nurse of civilization" (C.L.R. James).

So actually, 1 & 3 describes us all. #2 applies to women, but not any to any LPN or RN I ever met.

Why perpetuate differentiation?

I am not a White Nurse, not an Asian Nurse or a Black Nurse. Not a male nurse or a female nurse, neither gay nurse nor a straight nurse. I am a nurse.

I love it!