Out with "Nurse" In with...?

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It's time to change the term "nurse." It doesn't fit with the male image of nursing, and more and more men are coming into the field of nursing. I just can't think of another term. Our vocabulary just doesn't seem to have another term that would fit both sexes.

"Medic" doesn't work, because it has a military connotation and medics are more like EMTs or paramedics, and nursing is far more than a medic. We provide the care people need when they are sick.

"Caregiver", though, sounds like a volunteer or a family member.

"Registered Healthcare Provider" sounds like an MD, or an insurance company.

"Registerd Medical Technician" is not a professional status. Technicians do tasks; nurses assess and make care plans based on their findings. Not to mention, patient education, care coordination, and supervision of, in fact, med techs.

Anyone have any good ideas? I'm sure the elderly female nurses at the ANA would welcome our suggestions with open arms! :rotfl:

The Veridican

'Even King David of the Bible had a caregiver. He apparently developed chillblains from sleeping in caves for 40 years, so he took a concubine. They didn't have sex, she was just there to keep him warm. I consider Abishag to be one of the first nurse's aides even though she was selected strictly on the basis of her looks and her viginal status.'

Hopefully this story is a comment on the stereotyping nurses STILL endure, (it is still deep inside people's psyche, and emerges via jokes and Media movies) Nurses lying down with their patients, meet all their patient's needs in servitude, lying with them, e beautiful and virginal. (gag).

How about nurse?

Maybe it's not the name that needs changing, but how we're viewed.

If I could wave a magic wand and change our name AND change all the negative sterotypes I might try it.

Maybe we should all lighten up and look at this a bit differently.

Why is there no sexual or gender connotation to medical assistants, medical technologists, medical social workers, and PA's? Nurses seem to get most of it....

I don't get all emotional about the history of nursing modern or not...I believe a large part of it has held us back as professionals in a modern world.

JMHO.

Specializes in Medical.

Is this a US/UK thing? About 15% of the nurses I work with (from Charge Nurse, Clinical Support and Develpoment Nurse, and Assocaite Chanrge Nurse down to grad) are guys and none of them introduce themselves, or are introduced, as a 'male nurse' - I would think that 1) the gender's kinda obvious, and 2) we're all nurses.

Weren't a lot of allied health positions originally predominantly female? Wasn't medicine predominantly male? As the gender ratio becomes less skewed, and as men are portrayed as nurses more often in popular culture, I think the concept of male and female nurses will become as dated as "lady doctor" is now. I like the title, and think that the key is changing perception rather than job name. Besides, isn't nursing already fragmented enough?

There was an article in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette recently about the 10 yr anniversary of the 'replacement' Pirate ballplayers. This was when the major league players were on strike.

Anyway, the article said "There were plumbers, factory workers, farmers, and even a male nurse! Yes, one guy trying out for the Pirates was actually a male nurse who had just graduated."

Made me mad. I hate the term 'male nurse.'

I don't mind 'nurse' at all.

Thanks for reading.

Specializes in RN, BSN, CHDN.

I have to say I have been reading the two threads which are very similar in content, and whilst I do believe on occassions it has got a little out of hand, and I have thought get a life.

I must admit I did not know that nurses who are of a different gender felt so upset, cross and discontented with the way they feel they are being treated by female nurse, media, patients and their relatives. I can honestly say with my hand on my heart that I had no idea that the feeling was so strong. I have always treated nurses who are men as an equal, I have never looked at them in a sexual way.

I do feel though now I will look upon 'male' nurses differently because now I know they feel the way the way that has been written about so descriptively on here, and I am worried that this will not necessarily be a positive thing because I believed I treated the men I worked with as an equal with respect and now I will constantly questioning if I am being viewed as sexest or insulting or being indifferent to their sexuality.

Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

I do feel though now I will look upon 'male' nurses differently because now I know they feel the way the way that has been written about so descriptively on here, and I am worried that this will not necessarily be a positive thing because I believed I treated the men I worked with as an equal with respect and now I will constantly questioning if I am being viewed as sexest or insulting or being indifferent to their sexuality.

Did you mean gender? Two different things, I think.

If anything, men get more respect in the workplace. Sorry to say, but overall I think it's because they command more respect and historically that's the way it's been. Not that there aren't women who command respect (moi, for example), but there are those of the female gender for whatever reason (upbringing, culture), just don't speak up for themselves or don't like to "rock the boat."

Yikes :sofahider !

~Nurse.

Specializes in Utilization Management.
If anything, men get more respect in the workplace.

Agreed. Everyone assumes I'm a nurse, but one LPN (guy) I precepted was mistaken for a doc at least a dozen times.

Even the male transporters get mistaken for docs. And ALL the women are nurses. I've been making sure that the patients are told to ask their nurse or their doc any questions about their treatment, because they usually lump all the women into nurse roles, even if they're diet aides or housekeepers.

I have always treated nurses who are men as an equal, I have never looked at them in a sexual way.

Gee, are you one of those new Nurse-Bots? Not even one lil ol' bad thought got shoved outta the way when working with some of these guys????? :p :chuckle

I applaud your self-control.

I've never acted it on it beyond an appreciative smile, but to be honest, some are quite sexy. (OK, now I've gone and embarrassed myself completely in the name of honesty, and I so hope I haven't offended anyone.)

Specializes in Critical Care/ICU.

I've never acted it on it beyond an appreciative smile, but to be honest, some are quite sexy. (OK, now I've gone and embarrassed myself completely in the name of honesty, and I so hope I haven't offended anyone.)

Sumthin' about the scrubs, I dunno.

There, now you're not alone in your embarrassment! :p

Specializes in Utilization Management.

Now, now. I think we'd better watch it, or this thread'll be taking a detour back to the Chest Hair thread. :uhoh21:

Sorry guys. :chair:

Don't worry Angie...I've always had a thing for girls in scrubs, with sweat beading on her forehead and hair starting to fray out of its ponytail. :w00t:

Specializes in 5 yrs OR, ASU Pre-Op 2 yr. ER.

Even the male transporters get mistaken for docs.

I know one of the main reasons why our transporters get mistaken for docs is that som are swiping the docs' scrubs from the O.R. to wear.

(Which we're going to be switching to royal blue soon, and making it policy that only O.R. people can wear the O.R. scrubs)

...and I am worried that this will not necessarily be a positive thing because I believed I treated the men I worked with as an equal with respect and now I will constantly questioning if I am being viewed as sexest or insulting or being indifferent to their sexuality.

I would not worry too much about it. If you read this thread and other related threads, I think you'll see there are a variety responses even from men themselves. For example, the term "male-nurse", some men will get upset and some won't get upset. Some will choose to react by feeling insulted, some will choose humor as a reaction (e.g. "I do female nursing too" or "Being a female nurse is really hard, I tried... and I always flunk the physical", ...), some may choose to just ignore it, some...

I think as long as you treat your coworkers with respect (male or female), people can sense it and hopefully they respond in kind also. If it really bothers you about what your male coworkers thinks, I would ask and see how they each individuly feels. Frankly if I was working with you, I don't think worrying what you think of me as a male nurse is going is going to be in my mind especially if you treat me professionally as your peer.

If you look what people are trying to say, it can be divided into roughly two camps. One camp is to approach it 100% logically which means a nurse is a nurse. However, another camp is bringing up something else, a emotional issue that is associated with the word "nurse". And people do get emotioanl about it as witness in this thread and many other similar threads.

Maybe a more social linguistic related issue is how the meaning of the word "nurse" is changing. At a social linguistic level, the word "nurse" from Nightingale on connotates "female". Also the word can be used in other context which has all female connotation like "the mother nurse her baby at her breast". Our language is flexible and the word "nurse" can be used in different context and can mean different things. Heck, it can even be a noun or a verb. Other words like fireman or firefighter for other professions does not have this kind of flexibility as "nurse".

Now the word itself is going through changes to mean soemthing generic. The thing is that we are in the middle of this change (yes, we are actually witnessing history happening) and in the middle of a change, there is going to be all kinds of problems because not everyone changes at the same rate. Sometimes I wonder if any researchers in social linguistic is looking into this, could be more than one Ph.D. papers.

-Dan

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