Trangendered MtF Nursung student

Angels_wearScrubs · Feb 6, 2010

I personally haven't seen anyone transgenered in the medical field, but they just might have had an AMAZING plastic surgeon

Here's the thing, I grew up in the Bible belt, and even then I was pretty tolerant. Then I moved to the San Francisco Area and well, need I say more? I feel very strongly about LGBT rights and I would have no problems working for or with a transgendered individual or have a LGBT individual be my nurse.

HOWEVER

As you know, there is a lot of intolerance in our society by people who choose to judge and condemn rather than understand. That goes for patients and employers alike. While it is illegal to not hire someone based on sex or orientation, it still happens.

I can promise you there will be people out there who would have a problem with you. People who would stare at you, judge you and may ask for another nurse. If you have had GID since you were five, I'm assuming you have gotten used to stares and rude, intolerant comments.

I do not want to discourage you from nursing. I'm sure no matter what field you go into you will face some discrimination and rude looks. If your heart is in the right place, do it!!! Nursing is a wonderful field and you can touch many peoples lives, and who knows? You may get a patient who doesn't understand 'you types of people', but after the excellent care you provide, they might change their mind and become more accepting!!! :yeah:

Good Luck to you!!! :redbeathe

shannahan · Feb 6, 2010

There was a long thread a year or two ago about a transgender person who was going to transition during nursing school at a Christian college. Very interesting thread. Don't remember any of the names to give you to search for it but try putting in different terms and maybe you'll find it.

Kareal · Feb 6, 2010

Thank you so very much!!!!

However when I work as a transgendered only my job would know. I look just like a woman and soon I will be fully woman; so I dont think ill get any grief from the patients (I even took voice classes to change my voice).

My main concern is when i do transition full time or if my employer finds out they will be a lot more tolerant. I live in Maryland now....i may take a job in San Francisco once I graduate to be more at peace.

Dont know yet. But thank you sooo much for your advice!!! :redpinkhe

~Kareal

Kareal · Feb 8, 2010

Thank you!

Does anyone else have any first hand experiences with transgendereds? Were they treated well? I just get nervous sometimes because you hear horror stories in the job field.

diane227, LPN, RN · Feb 8, 2010

Kareal, I have some experience in this area and my advice to you is to decide to live as the gender you feel most comfortable with in school. I am not sure how you are going to get past the application process where it asks you if you are male or female ( why should this matter?) and you are probably going to have to talk this over with the school. But you need to do what is comfortable for you. Nursing school is high stress. You may not want to go through the daily grind of getting up and putting on make up, doing hair etc. You might decide just to live as a male while in school and address the transgender issue after school is over for you. But you will not be able to switch roles while in school and in clinicals.

When you get your first job, it is really going to depend on where you live, what kind of unit you work on and how open you are. When I worked in the large county ED in Houston I worked with people from all walks of life, gay, straight, crossdressers, etc. They were open and we were accepting and we all had a great time working with each other. I think that if you are open with your nursing group, most will be supportive, but then again it depends on where you live. I would not recommend that you live in Salt Lake City or in the bible belt.

Now, when it comes to physicians, that is another story. They sometimes tend to be a conservitive group and you may have problems there. Because as hard as we have tried through the ages, we still have some gender role issues to work out between nursing and physicians since the majority of nurses are female and the majority of physicians are male. But that is changing.

I know and understand the issues that you are dealing with. Someone very close to me is a cross dresser and he is a nurse. He works as a male and no one at work knows that he is a cross dresser. But most other times he is in "en fem" which is his preferred state. This has been a struggle for him all his life. And he has my support and that has made it easier for him because I accept him for what he is and I don't care what he dresses like.

Gender issues are very difficult to deal with in our society and you know that. And unfortunately, those gender biases carry over into the medical area as well. When I have transgendered patients I always ask them if they are complete or not because I may have to place them in a semi private room. I try to find a private room for them however so they have more privacy. And I try to educate the staff on the appropriate way to communicate and care for the transgendered patient because some staff are confused as to what to do and how to handle things. If they are incomplete with their surgery, I still address them as female and I instruct the staff to do that as well.

My best of luck to you, as you go through school and your life changing process. It will be wonderful when you reach the point where you can be comfortable in your own body. I hope that you have full support from your friends and family.

SuesquatchRN, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2010

I have transgendered friends but know no one in health care.

I do think you will find more acceptance in SF than NC.

Good luck to you on your journey.

:)

Nepenthe Sea · Feb 8, 2010

Hi,

I have known one MtF transgender person that was going to school when I met her. We lived in a VERY conservative area, but she has since gone on to San Francisco, where I'm sure she is much more comfortable. I don't know if she ever finished NS, though. I am curious about her experience with it, though, ever since I have been in school, and have wondered if and how she made it through in the "hometown" of George W. Bush. Sorry, not much help.

I personally don't care if a nurse is purple with pink polka dots - I just want to work with good nurses who are cool to me. It makes no difference to me if they were born one sex and became the other.

DolceVita, ADN, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2010

I see no reason you shouldn't be treated like everyone else. My hope, if you proceed, is that you have a great experience (or at least no worse than anyone else in nursing or nursing school) and people treat you right.

I agree with the other poster -- I just want to work with good nurses. If I was a patient -- I just want a good nurse. I know real life isn't as simple as all that but we can hope...can't we?

You go!

Kareal · Feb 8, 2010

thank you all so very much. All of your statements are very inspiring to me. The transition is pretty long and tedious and for Diane227:

I agree with what you said concerning not changing in the middle of NS. I plan on staying a man throughout NS (EEK) but transition once I find a job (and the certifications will be a whole other topic all together lol). Also, I noticed you used crossdresser a lot. That's ok but it incorrectly describes transgenders. Crossdressers dress as girls for either erotic or de stressing purposes and most are heterosexual.

Transgenders it goes far beyone the clothes.

But i am planning on doing the small things in NS such as:

1. Electrolysis

2. Growing my hair out

3. Voice

And during my senior year maybe FFS (Facial Feminization SX)

Then when i get cert and get a job (loving SF all the time now) thats when I will go fulltime and then about a year later be official a female with my SRS.

I always wanted to be a nurse and i am so happy i made the decision to go back to school to do this. I love people and am very empathetic.

Thanks everyone for your comments. They are very inspiring to me.

Coriander, BSN, RN · Feb 8, 2010

I don't think it matters if you're male, female or have green stripes and horns. If you're a good nurse, you're a good nurse.

I wish you all the very best.

HouTx, BSN, MSN, EdD · Feb 8, 2010

Hi there Kareal,

I think you may find it more difficult to deal with licensing issues than acceptance by coworkers & patients. Sounds like you are still pre-op, right? I hope that timing works out for you so that you don't have to deal with the BON to get name & gender on your nursing license changed. I can only imagine how difficult that would be.

I just wanted to respond to a previous poster - who is from "GW Bush's hometown" -- is that Dallas? Anywhoo - here in Houston, we don't have those kinds of tolerance issues these days. Our recently elected mayor is a lesbian - and the only 'protestors' at her inauguration were from Kansas. It wasn't even mentioned during the campaign. Basically, here in H-town if all participants in a relationship appear to be humanoid and above the age of consent, it's all cool. We have quite a few hospitals that provide SRS to people from all over the world. It ain't no biggie.

LOL - are you ready for the REAL transition??? Paying more for your haircuts, clothes, drycleaning, cars, car repairs, etc? Getting ignored at hardware & electronic stores?? You'll have to come back to AN and give us your take on that experience also.

Best of Luck to you!