[Noname]

I have some questions about the everyday job of the male nurse.

any male RNs on this forum can answer these questions.


1.) I know nursing is a profession dominated by women, did you ever had a second thought about becoming a nurse because of this?

2.) On a normal day, can you describe to me the normal things a male nurse does?


3.) while you where in college, what where some of the things you did in your applications?

4.) Did you found yourself at times to be the only male in the class?


5.) I hear that sometimes male nurses have to help women give birth to a baby? did you ever do such a thing?





You don't have to answer the questions directly, but as in a third person.


I really need to know more about what male nurses do at hospitals, because i have this misconception that this job is female-oriented. all help will be appreciated.

[Noname]

Thanks for the views, I greatly await your replies.

[Sailorbob]

I've been an R.N. for 18 years, so far, and fall in and out of love with my profession - currently in love with it again.
I'll try to answer your questions briefly:
It's still a woman-dominated profession and my experience is that to survive with your co-workers you had better learn to see the world as they do. While in school and early on in my profession some women went out of their way to make my life more difficult, but I kept my focus on what was important to me. Troubled and negative people are everywhere and of both genders and you need to learn to get around them and keep moving toward your goals.
If I ever have a normal day I'll try to remember what I did - still waiting.
I was the only male in my class by the second semester. The other 6 guys dropped out by then.
My L&D clinical began on a Saturday day shift. The patient requested that I stay with her and I ended up helping to deliver her baby 24 hours later. Makes me teary to think of it now, almost 20 years later.
The urge to care for others is deeply ingrained in most men and women. Our society hasn't been very helpful in helping men to learn how to express this but I find that we have a lot to bring to the bedside and my co-workers tend to agree. I learned a lot from women about compassion.
You can still be a nurse and a man in every sense of the term. It's freeing to get out from under stereotypical behaviors.

[Noname]

thanks for sharing that sailorbob, I hope you all the best.

other replies would be apprieciated. it seems there loads of threads on the same thing, maybe i should have searched the arhives first before asking questions that have already been answered.

[naskippy]

Originally Posted by Noname

I have some questions about the everyday job of the male nurse.

any male RNs on this forum can answer these questions.


1.) I know nursing is a profession dominated by women, did you ever had a second thought about becoming a nurse because of this?

2.) On a normal day, can you describe to me the normal things a male nurse does?


3.) while you where in college, what where some of the things you did in your applications?

4.) Did you found yourself at times to be the only male in the class?


5.) I hear that sometimes male nurses have to help women give birth to a baby? did you ever do such a thing?





You don't have to answer the questions directly, but as in a third person.


I really need to know more about what male nurses do at hospitals, because i have this misconception that this job is female-oriented. all help will be appreciated.

1. Never gave it a thought. I wanted to be a nurse and did not think or care about it being a female dominated profession...and being male actually helped in getting into the nursing clinical program as my school rarely had male applicants and they took everyone of them that applied for the most part.

2. On a normal day I do the same as the female nurses on the floor I work with. Yes, I may be asked to help them lift or pull up in bed heavy patients, but that is because I am more capable than they are in that particular task.

3. I don't know exactly what you are asking. I did in college all the things that were required of me just like the female nursing students to pass my classes and graduate.

4. Yes, I was the only male in several of my classes and clinicals. I happened to have clinicals at the hospital of which I was also employed...so that made things easier knowing people.

5. In clinicals I watched several c-sections and I even delivered one baby...the doctor got there late and the nurse in charge and I delivered the baby. I held the baby in a towel between the mothers legs. The doctor walked in cut the cord, said thank you and left. That was the only baby I delivered and 22 years later reflecting on that...well I have no desire to deliver another.

Thanks

[SoldierNurse]

I enjoy much more being a nurse in the Army vs. civilian nursing. About 34% of the nurses in the Army Nurse Corps are males. However, I will say [IMHO] nursing is NOT a female-oriented profession regards to the actual job description. LOL, on a normal day [or, any day for that matter] a male nurse will do the same as a female nurse ... TAKE CARE OF PATIENTS. Many of the male nurses gravitate towards the specialities such as; ER, OR, ICU.

[OldSquidNewNurse]

I'm half way through my program so these are from a studnet's perspective.

1.) I know nursing is a profession dominated by women, did you ever had a second thought about becoming a nurse because of this?

No, not yet. There's the occasional male bashing going on, or I have to give an opinion as being the representive male, but I have pretty thick skin so this doesn't bug me. Some of my "friends" tried to get me kicked out of the program last year; however, I don't know if this was because I'm male or the classes come easy for me and they were threatened by loosing their ranking in the class. Either way this really focused me and I got all "A"'s last semester so they would loose their rankings. These people were the back to the workforce moms, which would be in my age group. I get along really well with the younger females surprisingly.

2.) On a normal day, can you describe to me the normal things a male nurse does?

Same thing as a female. I do get asked to help move or transfer people more, which is ok with me since then I can easily as for a favor if I'm having difficultly with something.


3.) while you where in college, what where some of the things you did in your applications?

Bed baths, dressing changes, give medications, hang IV's, give shots, teach patients about their illness, make beds, write care plans, look up drugs, etc.

4.) Did you found yourself at times to be the only male in the class?

I think at one point we were up to four or five guys in a class of 40. Now I think we are down to two including myself. Given that an 80% or higher is needed to pass a course the failure rate can be fairly high. Last semester I was the only male in my clincial group, which was fine.


5.) I hear that sometimes male nurses have to help women give birth to a baby? did you ever do such a thing?

Yes, male doctors do this too. Why wouldn't a male nurse? Now lactation consultant...I don't know of a male nurse that does that, but I'd like to be the first (j/k).


Good Luck.