Would You Prefer a Male Nurse?

ssturgis · Mar 21, 2009

I would have no preference, although I have not needed a nurse to this point so my opinion could be different if the situation arose for me. As long as the nurse is competent and courteous I would be happy. Also I hope that most people will feel the same way when I am their nurse.

bigd123 · Apr 24, 2009

a good nurse is a good nurse no matter the gender. my girlfriend's mom had a male nurse and she swears he was the best nurse she has ever had. i would like a nurse who is competent cares and is nice.

vashtee, RN · Apr 24, 2009

I don't really have a preference except if I needed some sort of intimate care, in which case I'd prefer a woman, but would grin and bear it if I had a male.

I wouldn't allow a male to do intimate care for my daughter unless it were some sort of life-saving emergency, though. It's not that I think they would be less professional than a female, but my daughter would be so humiliated. If my son preferred a male, I wouldn't object.

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Apr 24, 2009

I don't really have a preference except if I needed some sort of intimate care, in which case I'd prefer a woman, but would grin and bear it if I had a male.
I wouldn't allow a male to do intimate care for my daughter unless it were some sort of life-saving emergency, though. It's not that I think they would be less professional than a female, but my daughter would be so humiliated. If my son preferred a male, I wouldn't object.

SO what if the doc is male ??? We you search for a female doc ???

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Apr 24, 2009

What really bothers me is that patients seem to care so much about male nurses however male doctors can do anything to them ? Why are male nurses viewed as perverts????

vashtee, RN · Apr 24, 2009

SO what if the doc is male ??? We you search for a female doc ???

Yes, I would. And did. My daughter's doctors are female, except her neurologist, who does not provide initimate care.

Also, to clarify - I said that I wouldn't care who helped her if it were an emergency, but surely a patient's comfort should be taken into consideration, especially when they are minors?

Nursing student - for me, it isn't a matter of male nurses being "perverts", but rather my daughter being modest.

NurseLoveJoy88, ASN, RN · Apr 24, 2009

Yes, I would. And did. My daughter's doctors are female, except her neurologist, who does not provide initimate care.
Also, to clarify - I said that I wouldn't care who helped her if it were an emergency, but surely a patient's comfort should be taken into consideration, especially when they are minors?
Nursing student - for me, it isn't a matter of male nurses being "perverts", but rather my daughter being modest.

Thanks for clarifying and I totally understand it better now. See I learn something every day here. Thanks !

ImMrBill3, RN · Apr 25, 2009

I think I've sort of asked this already but didn't really get much in response. What about situations where the staff is almost entirely male. Is the facility required to hire more female nurses? Isn't illegal to hire based on gender? What about race if patients in an area are more comfortable with white nurses can facilities hire only white nurses? What about advanced practice if the culture of an area is patriarchal and patients don't trust in the competency of female nurse practioners should the facility hire only males? I think a deeper examination of the concepts of racism and sexism would produce a discussion that addresses some really important issues. There was a time when almost all doctors were male and females were not accepted, should that have been continued in the interest of patient preference?

ZanatuBelmont · Apr 25, 2009

hey guys. since most of us here are nursing students, i was just curious...would you guys prefer a male nurse over a female nurse in general? i know it doesn't matter as long as they did their job compentently...but if given the choice, what would you choose? i personally don't mind for most things, but i sure was glad to have a male nurse when i had to have a mole on my scrotum checked so for me it just depends on the situation i suppose. thoughts?

i feel the same way.. it depends on the situation. if i had to have my member and scrotum handled or assisted to the restroom, i'd much rather have a male nurse. for general care, though, i wouldn't mind a female.

i know, i know, it shouldn't matter since nurses are supposed to be professionals, but yeah.

as for doctors... for some reason i don't care if it is a male or female.

trryt4ssasfgb34 · Apr 26, 2009

I feel the same way.. it depends on the situation. If I had to have my member and scrotum handled or assisted to the restroom, I'd much rather have a male nurse. For general care, though, I wouldn't mind a female.
I know, I know, it shouldn't matter since nurses are supposed to be professionals, but yeah.
As for doctors... for some reason I don't care if it is a male or female.

I would assume the opposite for me, it just doesn't feel right to be handled by a male nurse in any situation.

dnp2004 · Apr 27, 2009

I think I've sort of asked this already but didn't really get much in response. What about situations where the staff is almost entirely male. Is the facility required to hire more female nurses? Isn't illegal to hire based on gender? What about race if patients in an area are more comfortable with white nurses can facilities hire only white nurses? What about advanced practice if the culture of an area is patriarchal and patients don't trust in the competency of female nurse practioners should the facility hire only males? I think a deeper examination of the concepts of racism and sexism would produce a discussion that addresses some really important issues. There was a time when almost all doctors were male and females were not accepted, should that have been continued in the interest of patient preference?

Wow ImMrBill3, that is a rather loaded post. but your questions are valid. It will just take a while to answer them. I am an attorney though my specialty is not employment law. I am also a female in her 60's that faced a great deal of discrimination years ago when I transitioned from RN to physician. As I mentioned in other posts I was usually the only women in my med school classes. In order to keep this post readable I will create brief answers after each of your questions. Here it goes!

What about situations where the staff is almost entirely male. Is the facility required to hire more female nurses?

That depends on why the staff is almost entirely male. If it is because management systematically excluded female applicants based on their gender, the facility may have a very big problem under Federal & State laws, rules and regulations. If a gender ratio like you suggest existed it could leave the facility open to lawsuits and/or government sanctions if they were not careful. The reason being that only about 5% of nurses are male. If the situation were reversed it most likely would not raise alarms because 95% of nurses are female.

Isn't illegal to hire based on gender?

It is illegal to disqualify or terminate on the basis of gender in almost all instances. Even a private/religious facility has to be careful if they accept any form of government funds (Medicare, grants, etc.). Most government contracts have rather strict anti-discrimination clauses in them.

What about race if patients in an area are more comfortable with white nurses can facilities hire only white nurses?

The facility would have to be extremely careful with such a hiring policy. It could open them up to lawsuits by applicants and possible breach of agreement issues with government agencies they may receive funds from. They could also be fined and may possibly lose accreditation(s). Any non-white nurses that worked at the facility would have a much stronger case if they sued claiming they worked in a 'racial hostile environment' and/or were denied promotion based on race. All in all very bad scenarios to say the least!

What about advanced practice if the culture of an area is patriarchal and patients don't trust in the competency of female nurse practioners should the facility hire only males?

Oh, as in what happened to yours truly, dnp2004 years ago?! There were several times I was denied employment for the same reason you just list. Another time I was fired for refusing to perform circumcisions. I had no choice but to exercise my legal training and sued. In all cases, it was a very expensive lesson for these facilities. So to answer your question ImMrBill3, facilities should be extremely careful when using 'patient comfort' claims when deciding who to employ. Their heart maybe in the right place but they might be unknowingly violating the laws. My legal battles were years ago so hopefully someone reading this knows current employment law regarding any 'patient choice' exemption/waiver(s) that maybe in place.

I think a deeper examination of the concepts of racism and sexism would produce a discussion that addresses some really important issues.

I totally agree with you. Though you will find many people are very uncomfortable discussing such issues with regards to medicine. Especially if the issues are; male nurse discrimination, opposite gender peri-care, intimate exam chaperones, male modesty, patient choice, etc. Many times the posts become emotional charged and quite personal. Nevertheless the subject matter is very important as more and more males get in to nursing. The reason I am so interested in the subject is because I had the same issues being a female years ago. I learned the hard way you have to fight for fairness.

There was a time when almost all doctors were male and females were not accepted, should that have been continued in the interest of patient preference?

No it shouldn't have been because it was very discriminatory. Though I think I understand where you are coming from. With regards to gender, the whole 'patient preference' issue is much more of a medical industry issue than a patient one. When female physicians like me were not accepted in medicine I would always hear that patients, especially male, did not prefer a female physician. That was patently false.

I am willing to bet male nurses on www.allnurses.com find over 99.99% of female patients are quite comfortable with their care, even intimate care. Several males on this forum say they have had gender reassignment requests less than 5 times in their whole multi-year careers. So that would be better than 99.99% actually! I feel as a male nurse you may receive more apprehension from other healthcare providers than patients. It was like that for me as a women in a 'man's field. Though things are rapidly improving as more and more men are accepted in to nursing.

Oh, now to answer your unwritten questions. No, I never had a provider preference (M/F) as long as they were respectful, knowledgeable, proficient and had good bedside manner.

I hope my brief answers helped. Ha,Ha,Ha

greygooseuria · Apr 27, 2009

I had a patient in my OB rotation Friday night (and I helped deliver her baby!). She was more comfortable talking with me than the female physicians/nurses, but I think she may have picked up on the fact that I and the med student were both gay. When I was introduced she seemed completely fine with a male being there, but when she heard my voice she kinda perked up and was more personable (until the contractions kicked in full force, then not so much). The med student was reeeeeeeeeeally gay, but I think she was annoyed with him at first because he was so chipper and she was on pit and dizzy from nubain. But after delivery she was ecstatic and I even helped dad learn how to bottle feed :)

My experience has been that women in general don't care about having a male nurse. I had one patient's mother in law try and get rid of me but the patient didn't care.