[marcs106]

Hello. After browsing the forums here, i haven't seen this question yet so if it has been asked, I apologize. I was wondering what the attitude towards males in the nursing field are these days and what experiences, positive or negative, have any of You experienced? The admin at my school says that males are fully excepted but the anecdotal evidence I am getting says this is not the case, especially when I tell people what I am going to school for. This has me worried to the point where I am thinking of changing majors to PT, OT, or maybe even Radiation Tech. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Marc

[kimmiejs]

Originally Posted by marcs106

Hello. After browsing the forums here, i haven't seen this question yet so if it has been asked, I apologize. I was wondering what the attitude towards males in the nursing field are these days and what experiences, positive or negative, have any of You experienced? The admin at my school says that males are fully excepted but the anecdotal evidence I am getting says this is not the case, especially when I tell people what I am going to school for. This has me worried to the point where I am thinking of changing majors to PT, OT, or maybe even Radiation Tech. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Marc

I will be the first admit, it is nice having a male nurse around when there is a heavy patient that must be repositioned frequently but then females prefer a female to place foley catheters, check vaginal bleeding, etc.... so this kind of evens thing out (if you understand what I mean). Now that that is said the type of nurse and person you are is what matters.

[The unexplainable Moo Cow]

Marc,

It really depends on the staff you are working with and your own attitude and character that you bring to the table. I work with a female RN who always makes bitter comments about male healthcare workers. "If it was a female respiratory therapist she would've been here already." I've heard from her own mouth that she "hates male nurses." That's fine, she may have good reasons for it. However her demeanor towards me is quite warm, welcoming and professional. Never had a problem with her. If there is a problem that arises, then obviously we both know how to handle it.

Which brings us to what you plan to bring to the table. You too can be bitter and negative about the healthcare industry, join in on the gossip, talk bad behind people's back, etc. That's easy to do. Or you can avoid those things and do very simple things like making sure you say hello to everyone - all the time, be welcoming to people, offer co-workers help on your downtime, etc. I believe where I lack in knowledge, it is made up with a good attitute and professional character (which always needs improvement and correcting, by the way).

As kimmiejs said above, it is convenient to have us men around for heavy lifting and holding the psychos who need to be tied down to their beds, etc. But these things aside, what counts in the field is your intelligence and professionalism. Nobody wants a dolt as their nurse. They all want to be confident with their trust in you as their nurse. And this is not gender based.

As for working PT/OT or radiation tech, I just hope you don't get bored with it if that's what you choose. As a nurse, "bored" won't be in your dictionary. It's not in mine. In fact, I had to go to dictionary.com to find it and type it here. There is so much work to be done with your patients and so many different things you can do as a RN it makes me want to vomit.

Just find what you want to do in your career decision and don't look back. Anecdotal evidence is weak. And if you face "negative experiences" because you are male, then just remember to be professional.

Let us know how you decide and how anyone can further help you.

[Ricu]

Hi Marc,

I think men are well accepted in the nursing field. How comfortable you, as a man, are working in a still female dominated field depends I think, on your self image. As others have said, your attitude will largely dictate how well you do but that holds true in any field. As you can imagine, the healthcare arena has some peculiarities that make a persons sex important but with tact and good character, these can can usually be overcome with ease. For the record, I started out as a respiratory therapist, became a personal trainer and then a nurse. I'm thinking about going into advanced practice but I'm not sure yet. Good luck and keep in touch


By the way, Moo, because you prefer nursing doesn't mean that others wouldn't find complimentary disciplines just as satisfying.

R

[The unexplainable Moo Cow]

Originally Posted by Ricu

By the way, Moo, because you prefer nursing doesn't mean that others wouldn't find complimentary disciplines just as satisfying.

R

You're right, Ricu. I'll need to change my recruitment strategies.

[MagRedC5]

My present perspective may not be what your looking for since I am active duty Army Nurse Corps where about 34% of the RNs are males. However, I will say my experiences as a male nurse in the Army Nurse Corps have all been positive.

[Ricu]

Originally Posted by The unexplainable Moo Cow

You're right, Ricu. I'll need to change my recruitment strategies.

Hey Moo,

Having had only good exchanges with you along the way, I think I understood your comment to reflect your enthusiasm for nursing and not a slight against other medical professions but maybe others just coming in wouldn't have seen it that way. Have a good day, pal.

R

[kinnlee]

Originally Posted by marcs106

Hello. After browsing the forums here, i haven't seen this question yet so if it has been asked, I apologize. I was wondering what the attitude towards males in the nursing field are these days and what experiences, positive or negative, have any of You experienced? The admin at my school says that males are fully excepted but the anecdotal evidence I am getting says this is not the case, especially when I tell people what I am going to school for. This has me worried to the point where I am thinking of changing majors to PT, OT, or maybe even Radiation Tech. Any comments would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks,
Marc

Hi Marc!

I, too, did the research you speak of before entering the nursing program 10 years ago. After a long period of listening to others' opinions on the matter I finally decided to enter the program and take the career plunge based on my own life pursuits and interests. For me it was all about travel. I simply wanted to be a travel nurse. It can take you around the globe! The other careers you mention will not bring you nearly the income nor opportunities as will nursing. The choices in nursing are limitless. In seven years as a nurse (I specialized by choice in ER/Trauma) I have been a staff nurse, Charge Nurse in hella busy ED's, ER Case Manager, Administrative Nursing Supervisor, and ER Nurse Manager. I only have an associates degree! Don't be held back by an ideology which suggests there should be special catergorization as a "male" nurse. Just be the best nurse. Being male will be secondary to the reputation you develop simply from being excellent at your chosen profession. I could not be more proud of my career choice! You will too!

Warm Regards,

Lee Kinney, RN

[ntsaub28]

Hey Marc,

I'm pursuing my master degree in nursing and "male in nursing" issue is a hot topic to debate about. Some of my colleagues don't agree with men in nursing. Even though we enjoy having male nurses on our unit and they help out alot on the lift and physical aspect.
I agreed with Moo Coo, it really depend on your character and what you value. it doesn't matter where you employ, it's gonna be the same issue. Dude, I can say that many of us nurse enjoys working in a healthy environment. Not based on gender. Good luck and I sure hope you stick to nursing.

[Cammer]

I've been in nursing for only a few years now but I have had very few experiences that I would call negative which related to my male gender. When I am at work I am an extremely positive and upbeat person. I try to know everything I can about my department and be as helpful as possible. As a result I feel that I have become a valued member of my healthcare team and I seem to be the one that people come to when they have questions. I don't believe that I am seen as being either male or female. I am just another RN with the useful trait of being able to lift heavy things. This is partly because I don't see my coworkers as being male or female. I make no gender distinctions when I'm at work. In my mind gender is irrelevant to the job except when a patient has a cultural issue with it.

The point that I'm trying to make here is that gender is only a problem if you see it that way. Ignore the negativity that some people seem to thrive on and be a positive and energetic person. This kind of an attitude transcends gender differences.

Don't worry about being a male in a female dominated profession. Do your job well, treat others with respect and you will be seen as who you are, not what you are.