As a male, the term "nursing" has always been an obstacle to me. The concepts of "nurse" and "nursing" come entirely from the feminine - breast feeding, and wet-nursing. The rather modern concept of a "male nurse" thus carries a self-contradiction that is preserved in the language and the culture.
So it seems quite natural to find that the term "male nurse" carries its typical stigmas, that males are dwarfed by females in pursuing work in the nursing field, and that nurse shortages continue to exist around the world. It seems quite a logical concept to consider changing the common institutional name of the nursing profession itself from "nurse" to the more inclusive "medic."
Such a change is likely to have an positive impact on the nursing field, making it less of a woman's role, and opening it up culturally and socially to young men seeking to be of help in the role of medicine, but whom are not endowed by nature with exclusively feminine capabilities.
By law, nurses are only permitted to follow doctor's orders, not practice medicine. Doctors don't want to bother doing menial stuff, so they hire nurses. Like managers hire secretaries.
Now I'm sure secretaries think they "really manage" the office, but not really.
If nurse bothers you the use your title RN. Personally, doesn't bother me to be called nurse and I'm male....just don't call either me or my female coworkers "Hey, Baby" but that's a story for another thread....
Personally, I do not like the term medic at all. I love the term Nurse. Granted, I am a female but it has historic connotations for me and I would never want to be called anything else. Ever since I was a little girl I've always wanted to be a "nurse" and I wouln't be too happy if they changed the name now.
A nurse is a nurse, a medic is a medic. Two different things as far as I know ( the latter used in the military I believe).
By law, nurses are only permitted to follow doctor's orders, not practice medicine. Doctors don't want to bother doing menial stuff, so they hire nurses. Like managers hire secretaries.
Now I'm sure secretaries think they "really manage" the office, but not really.
Do you have any experience with nursing and healthcare at all? Because your points on this thread certainly don't sound like it.
Of course nurses (male or female) do not "practice medicine," we practice NURSING.
We do a whole heck of a lot more than "only" "follow doctor's orders," which is only one aspect of our jobs.
The vast majority of nurses are not hired or employed by physicians -- in most places, the only people actually employed by physicians are the individuals working in their offices, and those people are typically NOT nurses (they are most likely CNAs or MAs). Nurses work alongside physicians, not for them.
(And have you ever actually watched administrative types try to get along without their secretaries???? It's not pretty ...)
In a school or factory setting a nurse may independently provide first aide, but that's about as independent a practitioner a nurse gets. I'm going to a doctor appointment in a few minutes actually. The nurse will take vitals, ask me for the chief complaint and that's it. He's doing the routine stuff so the doctor can practice more efficiently.
About names: I suggest this compromise. Female nurses love "nurse"; let them keep it. Male nurses will henceforth be called "medical assistant". No one will be called "baby", "honey" or "sugar pie" without prior written permission.
By law, nurses are only permitted to follow doctor's orders, not practice medicine. Doctors don't want to bother doing menial stuff, so they hire nurses. Like managers hire secretaries.
Now I'm sure secretaries think they "really manage" the office, but not really.
I hate to break it to you but in many cases the secretary does "really manage " the office. I have dealt with many general managers that readily acknowledge this fact.
And very few MDs actually hire or employ nurses, especially for "menial" tasks as we are far too expensive.
Nurses do not practice medicine - we practice nursing. They are two very different things.
get a set of gonads man. i guess along with the reduction in status you would like a reduction in your pay as well? when i finish my 4 years of school for my bsn i do not want to be called a medic. i am a male and i will be proud to be called a nurse when i graduate and i am sure that my wife and children will be there to support me also. and think about the nurses during the civil war on the battle field in field hospitals they were men. i think you just need to get over the term and be proud of what you are!!!
In a school or factory setting a nurse may independently provide first aide, but that's about as independent a practitioner a nurse gets. I'm going to a doctor appointment in a few minutes actually. The nurse will take vitals, ask me for the chief complaint and that's it. He's doing the routine stuff so the doctor can practice more efficiently.
Again, your first statement is just so wrong that I have to ask what background or experience you have with nursing that qualifies you to comment on what nurses do.
As for your second statement, have you actually verified that the people checking your VS in the physician's office are actually nurses, and not CNAs or MAs? Those people are often referred to as "nurses" in physicians' offices, but they're not. Even if they are nurses (there's always that possibility, although none of the physicians in my area employ nurses in their offices), that is hardly representative of the range or scope of nursing practice.
That person taking your vitals is likely not a nurse, but a lower paid medical assistant whom often only receives on the job training. MA's can have associates degree training, for certification, but many physician practices do not care.
By law, nurses are only permitted to follow doctor's orders
NOPE. Wrong again. If a doctor gives an order for something, Nurses do not go and blindly give just because the doc ordered it. If a dosage looks funky, or a med interacts with another, I would need to use good nursing judgment and see that a problem exists.
jacobstein
27 Posts
By law, nurses are only permitted to follow doctor's orders, not practice medicine. Doctors don't want to bother doing menial stuff, so they hire nurses. Like managers hire secretaries.
Now I'm sure secretaries think they "really manage" the office, but not really.