"Male" nurse? Le sigh.

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I try not to be too sensitive about stuff like this, but it is discouraging that even today people sometimes feel they have to preface the word "nurse" with the word "male," when their nurse happens to be a man. It is discouraging to see a supposedly progressive news organization like Yahoo! continuing to "otherize" us males by using such verbiage:

London (AFP) - A Filipino male nurse was jailed for life with a minimum of 35 years on Tuesday for poisoning 21 patients with insulin at a British hospital, two of whom died. Nurse jailed for life for poisoning patients - Yahoo News

It reminds me of when I was telling my friends and family I was going to nursing school. I remember how my pastor told me, "Do you really want to spend your life being a male nurse?" To which I replied, "No, I want to spend my life being a nurse."

Seriously? What if people called someone a "female doctor" or a "female lawyer?" This is silly.

I remember way back in clinicals at the VA a male veteran asked me if I was gay. I said no, I was married to a woman, etc. He asked to see a picture of her. I obliged. He said okay, you can touch me. Afterwards I felt embarrassed for myself. I should not have to defend my profession or throw my gay colleagues under the bus like that.

I know, flame me or say these are "microaggressions." Maybe you are right. But it is not fair either to our male or female colleagues.

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We're quite a ways from being fully evolved.

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Specializes in Acute Care.

No one should flame you. You're allowed to voice your frustrations. It is annoying, and it really isn't right... but it is what it is. Try not to let it bother you. I hear it all the time... patient's will say... "Wow... you really are seeing more male nurses around." I just respond, "Yup... you do!" Let it roll my man. Female nurses deal with crap too that I'm sure they find annoying or offensive. This is just one of ours.

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I usually get mistaken for the doctor, and just politey remind them that I'm their nurse. I do however encourage the use of the term murse.

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As a male I can understand some of the sexist issues males in nursing face but personally I am not too upset by it. To be fair, we only represent 10% of the nursing profession where women make up around 30% of physicians and lawyers.

Personally I find the fact that we are paid more, get promoted faster than our female counterparts, and represent a disproportionate amount of nursing leadership more than compensating.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

i worked with a stellar ICU nurse.... he had a stock answer when he was asked "are you a male nurse?". His response- "Which part are you questioning?" I usually stopped that line of questioning.

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I was married to a male nurse. We were at the bedside of his dying father.. when his bed side female nurse made the comment .."Humph a male nurse".

My comment was.. "Yep, last time I checked".

Do not respond or engage when gender comments rears it's evil head.

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Still hear the phrases "woman doctor" and "lady doctor" a lot, but I live in a state with lots of retirees.

I should have bought the Male Nurse Action Figure when it first came out. The price has really gone up.

https://www.google.com/webhp?sourceid=chrome-instant&ion=1&espv=2&ie=UTF-8#q=male+nurse+action+figure&tbm=shop&spd=13202341596785681985

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Specializes in Case mgmt., rehab, (CRRN), LTC & psych.

Statistically, the overwhelming majority of nurses in this country (90+ percent) are female. Until that number becomes more balanced, people will continue to employ phrases such as 'male nurse' or 'murse.'

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I worked nearly 30 years ago with a really good psych nurse of the male persuasion, when that was much more of a novelty than it is now. When he got the inevitable "Oh, are you a male nurse?" questions, his standard response was, "No, I take care of females, too." :)

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I think all the industrial layoffs in my state has resulted in a higher percentage of male nurses than the national average. Because the male:female ratio in nursing around here is way higher than 1:10. I'd say at least 25% of the nurses I've worked with in a variety of settings are men.

No one around here has been suprised to see a male nurse for a long time.

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The appropriate term is Murse.

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