So how does it feel like to be a male nurse

sr20alex · Aug 31, 2014

Not that much different. Just help lift heavier stuff. If you do run into a problem with a female client that request a female. Ask for some assistance. Thats pretty much it.

Is it weird to be a male nurse? No I dont see why not. I have not encounter any negative experience telling my friends that i'm a male nurse.

Cohiba · Aug 31, 2014

How does it feel?

Pretty damned excellent..

MrChicagoRN, RN · Aug 31, 2014

Lots of posts in the male nurse section

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2014

If you become a nurse you will not be a "male nurse" You will be a NURSE. It makes no difference whether you are a man or woman. Good luck.

pmabraham, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2014

Good day, panjeremy:

I'm 51 (I started my prerequisites last year at age 50), and I'm a guy. I've talked to a number of male nurses (LPN's and RN's), and all of them love their job overall - they love being a nurse. Personally, I don't view it as a gender issue, but as a desire for one person to help others. Though I will not know how it "feels" per say until after I in the fold for a while.

Thank you.

RunBabyRN · Aug 31, 2014

There are male nurses? :nailbiting:

Honestly, I think as you get older (sounds like you're 18?), gender becomes less and less important with regards to your career. Gender melts away as you get to know your coworkers and classmates. I've seen male nurses in all areas of nursing, even in labor and delivery. Do whatever feels good for you, but don't let your gender be a factor, because most likely, it's not a factor for anyone else.

ChristineN, BSN, RN · Aug 31, 2014

You do realize that if you become a nurse you will have to take care of male and female pts, and will not have a say in what gender or sexual orientation of pts you are assigned to. I am a girl, I take care of plenty of men, and you just get used to it. Nothing sexual about providing medical care, and if you act like a professional the pt will not be awkward by it either

panjeremy · Sep 1, 2014

Hey guys, thanks for commenting on my post. I've asked quite a number of people about my nursing major and most of the answers are pretty much positive and I have full support from my parents and friends. Although some of my relatives think that I should pursue some other careers like engineering, I still like to be a nurse. Just asking that is it hard to change my major to nurse? I just started my college in Stony Brook a week ago and right now I'm on my labor day vacation. I know that I will eventually going to talk to my adviser anyway when I go back to school but I would still like to know some info about major change and how the college system works?

RunBabyRN · Sep 1, 2014

Hey guys, thanks for commenting on my post. I've asked quite a number of people about my nursing major and most of the answers are pretty much positive and I have full support from my parents and friends. Although some of my relatives think that I should pursue some other careers like engineering, I still like to be a nurse. Just asking that is it hard to change my major to nurse? I just started my college in Stony Brook a week ago and right now I'm on my labor day vacation. I know that I will eventually going to talk to my adviser anyway when I go back to school but I would still like to know some info about major change and how the college system works?

You'll need to speak with a counselor to arrange for that. If you're taking general ed courses, they'll likely go toward your degree still. Prenursing may or may not be an available major, but you might consider attending a community college for prereqs if you're not already. It'll save a ton of money.

sjalv · Sep 1, 2014

I'm 20 and in my 3rd semester of a 4 semester RN program. I never feel self-conscious about being a male despite being 1 of 4 males out of 21 students. I expect I'll be asked to help with combative/excessively demanding patients before my female coworkers are, and I'll be the go-to person for heavy lifting, but those are the only differences I can think of.

Older patients might assume you're the doctor until you clarify that you're the nurse. Also, don't just assume that because you're male that you're L&D rotation will suck. I got to see two C-sections, so that was cool. I've only been denied assisting in providing patient care once, and that was because a woman did not want a male starting a catheter on her, which is fine. We must respect our patient's requests as long as they are reasonable.

windsurfer8, BSN, RN · Sep 1, 2014

So sjalv..."we must respect our patient's requests as long as they are reasonable". So what does "reasonable" mean? Are you going to be the one who decides what is "reasonable"? That type of terminology will get you eaten alive.