What's special about male nurses?

Hellllllo Nurse, BSN, RN · Nov 23, 2006

Change the question. Imagine for a moment that nursing was a male-dominant profession. What benefit would there be in bringing in more females? Broader insight to the people being served? Different priorities? Different approaches to interpersonal relations? Etc. Etc.... The same benefits apply regardless of whether the equation adds more men, women, or any other type of cultural context. So, bringing in more men to the profession will broaden the diversity of the how the service is provided.
Nursing is also having issues with filling positions, be it as instructors, bedside, or whatever. Certainly, making an effort to tap into nearly half of a population not currently involved in nursing would help meet those particular needs.
So it's not that there's some magic bullet in adding more men to the profession. It's more that it provides greater opportunity to tap into the entire spectrum of the human potential needed to get the best and brightest to the bedside.

:yeah: :yelclap:

Overland1, RN · Nov 23, 2006

When I was in Nursing school, ten percent of my class (of sixty) was male... they are still male, as far as I know . Some of the nurses where we did clinical rotation said that they look forward to having guys work as nurses there because (they) " would not have to do as much heavy lifting", (i.e., the guys could do that stuff). We all laughed it off, knowing that these nurses proved by their statements that they were looking for an easy way out of some work.

During school, I did a paper on Men in Nursing, and found that the earliest nurses were monks (male monks, at that ) who rode around on horseback during the Crusades, providing care to the sick and injured. Later, in this country, the number of guys working as nurses declined because of the wars - they served as soldiers and the women dominated the profession just by the sheer numbers and needs. By the way, my mother (86 years old), when asked what her son does for a living, still uses the term, "male nurse".

After graduation, all 10% of us gravitated toward critical care assignments and I still enjoy critical care to this day. What I have noticed in some cases is that when male and female nurses work together, they are generally more polite, at least until one person's sick sense of humor starts to show, then we all have a good time with it, usually when appropriate. I admittedly have to be careful with my sick sense of humor while at work.

While there is really never anything "special" about any person solely based upon that person being male or female, there is definitely something special about any person who works and studies hard to become and remain a top-shelf nurse.

DBlack1 · Nov 23, 2006

I don't believe that males entering the profession will tolerate the poor pay as well as the females, and is a reason many males leave the field.

I graduated with 5 other males, and a year later two of us are out of nursing.

steve0123 · Nov 24, 2006

What's special about male nurses?

I don't know, but one thing that makes me so ANGRY is being called a "male nurse", as though it's an entirely different job description.

I do everything the girls do, and I happen to think I do it pretty damned well!

My brothers know this term is my achilles heel, and take great delight introducing me to people as their brother, "the male nurse"...

Cmariehart · Nov 24, 2006

[MOUSE][/MOUSE]

Murses rock! And so do our male aides... Some nights if it weren't for them I swear I would go crazy... They're not as uptight and cranky as most females and they always have food!!!! Plus they're great at giving a lift or boost and very handy when a pt turns abusive and what not, and they tell you how it is, not what you want to hear. And lets face it they understand male pts alot more than us females do... It's just a guy thing..... Thank god we have them... Some days they're just more fun and easier to work with than the females......

[bANANA][/bANANA] we have a resident that threw a banana at 2 of our murses. a couple days later at arts and crafts this ladies roommate made our murses banana people in honor of that night! True story!!!!!! :smilecoffeecup:

NurseTomasAZ · Nov 24, 2006

i'm halfway through nursing school, working as an lpn in a lt care facility. this being arizona, about 1/4 of the nurses here are male -- i know that ratio is higher in critical care and surgury, but, i yam where i yam at this current stage in my education. i've been an lpn for only a couple months, and i can already see the biggest benefit provided by my gender: i am almost automatically excused from participation in the personality wars that often rage around us. females are pretty much forced to choose sides.

i'm hoping it's not just because i'm new there, because i often feel like i've walked onto the set of "heathers", or "mean girls", and yet i'm (thankfully)not in the script! i'd like to hope this benign exclusion lasts and lasts for me!

these same snarky women turn around and treat us males quite civilly, and are almost always dependably helpful, to us men. so we males have made a pact --a man law, if you will, that we stay out of these female troubles at all cost! the longer to preserve this exceptionalism we enjoy now.

i know other posters have expounded on the improved civilities that emerge when staffing becomes closer to 50-50. and maybe we'll see that someday at our facility. but for now i'm just happy to not be in the loop!

i do feel sorry for my female school collegues, working there alongside us guys, and being dragged into the cliques very much against their goodwill, goodnature, and good sense. it's highly unfair to them.

makes me tempted to where that t-shirt i bought years ago, to work:

"i may not be bright, but i can lift heavy objects" :smilecoffeeilovecof

dream'n, BSN, RN · Nov 24, 2006

All of my co-workers are female. Recently, a job opened up and they interviewed several people, including a male. I hoped, hoped, hoped that he would get the job! Alas, they offered it to another female. I'm sure she is a fine nurse, but I'm still a little secretly bummed. I'm going to be totally un-PC and just speak from my experience. Every job that I have had where I had male co-workers come in a previously all-female work area, the dynamic of the unit was changed, mostly subtlely, but still changed, and certainly for the better. The cattiness level dropped and people became more professional, and yet friendlier. I don't know why. Maybe the co-workers that were catty didn't want to appear so b****y with a male around. The males added a little bit of sunshine to the units. Again I don't know why. But trust me my work area could use a little sunshine.

serg · Nov 24, 2006

I agree!

Here, in Russia, nurses are usualy female, because very low salary.

But in some areas nurses male fit better, in intensive care or ER, my thoughts.

MsBruiser · Nov 24, 2006

Hi everyone,
I'm pre-nursing, and everyone keeps talking to me about how male nurses are in demand and what an asset it's going to be for me. I get that men rarely enter the profession, but I don't see why there is all this buzz or what people think men can do differently. If anyone would care to share their perspectives on this I'd appreciate, cuz I'm not seeing it!

When I interviewed for an externship position at a major hopsital, 50% of the questions dealt with matters such as "how would you respond to a co-worker who talked about you behind your back, what would you do if a co-worker undermined you, etc, etc." You could have picked me up off of the floor - I have never in my life been asked such silly questions in almost 15 years worth of corporate experience. So I basically told the directors - yes, these were high-level unit directors - "work is work - friend and family are friends and family. I just don't care what people say." One turned to the other and said "we need to hire more men here."

As a nursing student I am continually amazed at how "some" of the female students continually undermine each other, and find drama in situations where no drama exists. I can honestly say I have never really had a problem with an RN during clinicals. If one seems a bit nasty or indifferent - I just take what I can and deal. No biggie. For some, not all, of the women in my class the same day is drama, drama, drama. A nasty comment or silly glance can become the basis of a day-long verbal duel culminating in tears, complaints, a scene, etc.

I'm a person who is considered a Blue State, liberal, feminist type guy. But since I started my nursing program I am just amazed at some of the negative gender differences I have found with SOME of the students in my class. So I think guys in nursing do have it easier...we just roll with the punches better and generally take less crap so people give us less crap.

BTW, I almost never get asked to do more than my share of heavy lifting around a unit. People are quite good about asking for/and giving help in that area. And I'm a Blue State, liveral, feminist type guy who works out a lot.

barneyrn · Nov 24, 2006

I'm a man. I've been an RN for 16 years. Most of the comments I have heard over the years from my female counterparts have been positive as relates to pay raises and muscles. As for the backstabbing, well...everybody is entitled to a bad day, but that bad day should not turn into a life-style choice. Barneyrn

swatch007 · Nov 24, 2006

You have the power to make male DRs uncomfortable when they are trying to flirt with female nurses around you without saying a word. And if you have to say something say it with firmness, and avoid sending mixed messages. Well that is just one small part of what you can do. :smilecoffeeIlovecof

guerrierdelion · Nov 24, 2006

Hi everyone,
I'm pre-nursing, and everyone keeps talking to me about how male nurses are in demand and what an asset it's going to be for me. I get that men rarely enter the profession, but I don't see why there is all this buzz or what people think men can do differently. If anyone would care to share their perspectives on this I'd appreciate, cuz I'm not seeing it!

In the U.S. Navy, men are not a rarity-male RNs or male Nurse Corps Officers are commonplace.

In regards to male RNs counterparts in the civilian world/sector, perhaps the increasing presence of men will improve working conditions and pay for women and men alike.