Sadly, discrmination against male nurses still rampant in job applic process

[Ecstatic2014]

Hey guys, I highly encourage you to try hard and strive for excellence during your nursing school career.

But I just came here to vent, because I have graduated from a BSN nursing program last year, May 2014.

Come to find out that several of my FEMALE nursing classmates are working as some kind of RN. Whether it's in a care home, long-term assisted living facility, an acute-care hospital job (which is very hard to get here in my area, if you have ZERO experience as an RN!!!), several of my FEMALE classmates have RN jobs.

Life is so #(*U#$*^%# unfair!

For me, I have been working as a nurse aid/tech at a hospital in my area, since July of last year.

I am proud to work for the facility that I work for.

However, I have passed my NCLEX-RN board exam, have my state RN license, yet I am working as a tech?

Here in my neck of the wood, you have to work as an aide/tech for certain amount of time before you're eligible to apply for an RN new graduate program. This program is offered at the hospital that I work for. However, to get admitted into this program,...there is stiff/high competition. I also heard through the grapevine that applicants need to be a member of one of the hospitals committee to get into this program. So far, I am not invited to join a committee, let alone, I have asked one of the floor managers if I could join his committee, only to have him change the date and time of meeting last minute, to prevent me from attending the montly meeting (which I thought was downright dirty!).

Anyhow, getting back to the point of my thread, I found out last week that a female classmate of mine, who was a good friend of mine, is working as a med-surg RN at a hopsital in town!

She has zero experience in acute care nursing. Yet, how the hell did she get hired to work med-surg at that hospital?!!!

For me, I am working as an aide, waiting to apply for a new graduate position.

I have also submitted job applications for RN positions at other hospitals in my area, only to get no phone calls, or when I call their HR office, they tell me that my application is on "hold" because there are no openings available.

Furthermore, I also saw another female classmate's picture, in one of the local newspaper's article (featured a story about that hospital's healthcare system). The caption read " XXXXX (

For her, I am happy and proud that she's now working and getting RN PAY RATE.

But for me, I am getting flustered and frustrated that I am 'behind the curve' not getting paid what I should get paid, not using my RN skills that i have learned in school.

I don't know guys.

Overall, I still feel that there is heavy discrimination against males when it comes to the hiring process of RN's and even nurse aides/techs, in not only my area, but other parts of the US.

I am also upset because I called up that former friend classmate, asking her about her job, how she likes it, etc, only to have me leave her a voicemail to call me back. I also sent her a text message and email, asking her to email me back, or call me back.

So far, no phone calls.

Seems like my former classmate and friends in school are smug/complacent that they're working as RN's, while as for me, I am dreading everyday, and waiting and waiting for me to get admitted into my hospitals "new graduate" program for nurses who recently graduated from school, with zero/zilch nursing experience.

[ArmaniX, MSN, APRN]

I wouldn't hire you either if this post is any reflection of your personality. Stop worrying about what other people are doing. Focus on yourself. Nothing you've posted shows gender discrimination. This post must be a joke.

[elkpark]

Do you know for a fact that all of your female classmates are employed and only the male students have been unable to find jobs? I'm sure there are also female classmates who are also still looking.

The hospitals I work in are full of male RNs, well over the national proportion of female to male RNs. I would venture to say that there is no discrimination against male RNs as a group by my employer.

Lots of new graduates, male and female alike, are having a hard time finding employment these days. If the (only) problem for you is that you're male and being discriminated against because of that, what is the problem for all the unemployed female new grads?

Do you think it's possible that there may be other considerations standing in your way? As the previous poster noted, if your post above is indicative of your personality and attitude, I would be more concerned about that than your gender. Are you sure you are doing everything you can do to make yourself an attractive candidate? Maybe some self-reflection and examination is in order, rather than assuming your are being treated unfairly because of your gender.

Best wishes!

[LadyFree28, BSN, LPN, RN]

His about looking beyond your area and relocating?

[meanmaryjean, DNP, RN]

You have not produced ANY evidence that this is gender discrimination, but rather show a victim mentality- which employers pick up on rather quickly. Esp. the part about the committee. Committee meetings get changed all the time, and sometimes a person who expressed an interest doesn't get notified. It happens, and has nothing to do with your gender.

Get past this sense of victimhood, and make yourself the best possible candidate for an RN position. They're not going to come knocking on your door.

[NICU Guy, BSN, RN]

I think that the problem resides in how you are presenting yourself to prospective employers or your current manager's unbiased evaluation of you to other departments.

So far, I am not invited to join a committee, let alone, I have asked one of the floor managers if I could join his committee, only to have him change the date and time of meeting last minute, to prevent me from attending the monthly meeting (which I thought was downright dirty!).

So you are saying that a male manager is discriminating against another male???

I have also submitted job applications for RN positions at other hospitals in my area, only to get no phone calls, or when I call their HR office, they tell me that my application is on "hold" because there are no openings available.

It can be extremely difficult for ALL new grads to find jobs in certain areas. I applied to over 50 job openings and new grad residencies in 12 states and only had 2 interviews. Was I being discriminated against because I am male? NO. Two of my classmates (a male and a female) put in over 100 resumes to hospitals in our area and got no interviews, They applied to another city two hours away and got jobs quickly.

I feel that there is heavy discrimination against males when it comes to the hiring process of RN's and even nurse aides/techs, in not only my area, but other parts of the US.

It is not a conspiracy towards you, it is an overabundance of new grads competing against experienced nurses for the same jobs. I was hired into a large NICU. There are 3 males and nearly 300 female nurses in my department. Explain why they hired me into an extremely female dominated specialty (1% males in the department) if males are being discriminated against nationally ?

I am also upset because I called up that former friend classmate, asking her about her job, how she likes it, etc, only to have me leave her a voicemail to call me back. I also sent her a text message and email, asking her to email me back, or call me back.

So far, no phone calls.

Seems like my former classmate and friends in school are smug/complacent that they're working as RN's, while as for me, I am dreading everyday, and waiting and waiting for me to get admitted into my hospitals "new graduate" program for nurses who recently graduated from school, with zero/zilch nursing experience.

Yes that has to be it and not that they are extremely busy going through orientation and learning their new job. They are obviously snubbing you because you are not in their "RN" Club.

Get over the pity party for yourself and keep applying for jobs and if possible relocate to another area. Once my two classmates found jobs here, me and another classmate (also male) applied for jobs and were hired quickly.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

New grad jobs are insanely competitive in many areas at this time, and I see absolutely zero evidence of gender discrimination in your post. If you come across in your resume or interviews the way you come across here, that is definitely going to influence whether or not you'd get hired. Sit down with a trusted friend or family member and practice interviews- you may be surprised about how you come across, especially non-verbal cues.

I am also upset because I called up that former friend classmate, asking her about her job, how she likes it, etc, only to have me leave her a voicemail to call me back. I also sent her a text message and email, asking her to email me back, or call me back.

Seems like my former classmate and friends in school are smug/complacent that they're working as RN's, while as for me, I am dreading everyday, and waiting and waiting for me to get admitted into my hospitals "new graduate" program for nurses who recently graduated from school, with zero/zilch nursing experience.

Or, it could be that they've moved on to the next phase of their life. Not every who was friends in nursing school remains friends after nursing school. Starting a new job takes up a lot of time, and not just time one is on the clock either. Depending on how close in succession your email and text followed the voicemail, you may come across as pushy or worse, and the no return contact is a message to back off.

[eroc]

Yeah OP, it's most likely you. I will openly state, as a male I would not have been interviewed if I were female for my current job.

As a male i have constantly been asked to help do the heavy lifting on each unit I worked on…yes I am singled out, which I have no problem with because we are a team.

I have not experienced any negative discrimination since being a nurse.

[Chesterton1]

Isn't there also the option to apply to LTC facilities? at least so you can get your foot in the door? Right now I'm only a pre-nursing student but I know that hospital isn't going to be my only go-to option (especially since here in Vermont..we only have a few) but there is a MULTITUDE of doctors offices, clinics, and LTC facilities in my area. Perhaps you just need to broaden your horizon?

[MrChicagoRN, RN]

New grad jobs are insanely competitive in many areas at this time, and I see absolutely zero evidence of gender discrimination in your post. If you come across in your resume or interviews the way you come across here, that is definitely going to influence whether or not you'd get hired. Sit down with a trusted friend or family member and practice interviews- you may be surprised about how you come across, especially non-verbal cues.

Or, it could be that they've moved on to the next phase of their life. Not every who was friends in nursing school remains friends after nursing school. Starting a new job takes up a lot of time, and not just time one is on the clock either. Depending on how close in succession your email and text followed the voicemail, you may come across as pushy or worse, and the no return contact is a message to back off.

^^This

As a man who has been an RN longer than you've lived, I do think you're off base here.

A male may be occasionally be the subject of bias, either as an advantage or a disadvantage, but it balances out.

Your anecdotal experience does not equate statistical proof.

Experience matters, contacts matter, skills matter; but really big factors include attitude & personality, and frankly, what I see from you is a lot of resentment and anger.

Focus on what it will take to make employers hire YOU.

good luck

[vanilla bean]

It seems you may have a very selective memory on this topic, as I see that in June '14 you posted this for someone else in your position, "Wait, a sec. So you've graduated from nursing school with a BSN, and have been working as a hospital CNA for around two years! Wow! I give you credit for doing that kind of work for that duration - especially if you have your RN license and doing CNA or tech work for that long."

The job market in Hawaii is saturated with unemployed experienced nurses, in addition to new grads, making it even harder for those with no nursing experience to secure positions. Not to mention that for some reason several of the big players here (Kap and Queen's for example) are far more likely at this time to hire experienced nurses from the mainland than hire new grads. Many of my classmates are even having trouble getting those "coveted" aide positions (and I DO mean "coveted" because for many, it's the only way to get one's foot in the door on the way to an RN position). It has nothing to do with being male or female.

[windsurfer8, BSN, RN]

Someone else's fault......always someone else's fault. Blaming others for not being where you want to be will get you nowhere. Not to mention you will be an outcast at work if every time something goes wrong you blame others. And when you are late to work it is the alarm clocks fault. One of the least desirable traits a human can have is blaming others for their situation. You want a job? Go earn it. I don't even know what the point of this post is? Are we supposed to feel sorry for you? A grown man? We are supposed to feel sorry for you?