jrsweet75

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!

Ashley, not sure if this is dated but I'm a first year Nursing student in BC Canada and hoping my vaso vagal syncope caused by needles coming at me is where it ends...had 100's of needles 4 years ago over a 6 month period, never had a vaso vagal response, but had a TB skin test a month ago and blood drawn today, first time I looked, second time I didn't, both times fainted, weak, sweaty etc...so I guess I somehow fear needles penetrating my vein now, which is strange as I don't believe I consciously fear them or think they're painful. Arm injections seem fine, but penetration of my vien, whether I look or not seem to induce fainting or near fainting...nice to know I'm not alone in this very specific "VEIN" of vasol vagal syncope, pardon the pun....Truly hope watching it with someone else doesn't induce this same reaction...but I'll see I guess....hoping as it only affects you when it involves you, means it might be the same for [email protected]