[Karl Johan]

I don't know which Aussie hospitals KimmieJS works at, because I've never heard anyone called sister. Could you list them so I don't ever apply there

Many of my lecturers were men, they were nurses so I never felt at all odd being called a nurse, I guess it must be worse for people in the US, as you are so obsessed about all things sexual, at least that is the impression I get over here.

Besides, when did it become seen as odd or wrong for men to look after people who couldn't look after themselves. That's what we do in nursing.

I suspect that the people who think nursing isn't for men probably also think that the main things a nurse does is fluff pillows and flirt with handsome young patients while harboring a crush on the (impossibly) young surgeon.

My two cents,
KJ

[mexogre]

If I remember my nursing history correctly, the FIRST nurses were a group of men who formed a chivalrous (knight's) order to care for those wounded on the battle field.

[MagRedC5]

Originally Posted by Brewerpaul

No, there's no official title, but so often I hear men in the profession say "I'm a male nurse". Yes, I definitely agree that if you do the job right you'll get the necessary recognition, but I still wonder if the word "nurse" has too many female connotations. Hey-- I'm not gonna quit nursing school over it in any event!

Late reply [8/9/06]...

Yes, the word nurse has a female connotation. Which, is exactly why I like the title Male RN. However, I see no other new appropriate word alternative title for male nurses.

[MagRedC5]

Originally Posted by mexogre

If I remember my nursing history correctly, the FIRST nurses were a group of men who formed a chivalrous (knight's) order to care for those wounded on the battle field.

Yes, you are correct... you win the keys to my Vette, J/K!

Men in Nursing: A Historical Time Line

The world's first nursing school founded in India about 250 B.C. Only men were considered "pure" enough to become nurses.

The term "nosocomial" meaning "hospital acquired" stems from the nosocomi, the men whom provided nursing care in ancient Rome.

In 300 A.D., a group of men, the Parabolani, started a hospital providing nursing care during the Black Plague epidemic.

St. Benedict founded the Benedictine nursing order, while St. Alexis was in the fifth century. Military, religious and lay orders of men including the Knights Hospitalers, the Teutonic Knights, the Knights of St. Lazarus and the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony provided nursing care during the Middle Ages.

The Alexian Brothers began as informal groups of laymen about 1300 A.D., providing nursing care for the poor.

St. John of God (1495-1550) devoted his life to serving the ill and mistreated and was canonized in 1690. St. Camillius (1510-1614) is credited with developing the first field ambulance. He was canonized in 1746. The symbol of his order, the red cross, remains the primary symbol of health care. In 1930, St. Camillius and St. John of God were named co-patron saints of nursing.

First American Nurse; Seventy years before the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock, Friar Juan de Mena was shipwrecked off the south Texas coast. He is the first identified nurse in what was to become the United States.

The Crimean War started in 1853. A biographer of Florence Nightingale, regarded as the first modern female nurse, noted that male "orderlies" provided nursing care prior to and after Nightingale's arrival at the Crimean front.

In 1859, Dunant provided nursing care after the Battle of Solferino. He was helped found the International Red Cross and the Geneva Convention. He won the first Nobel Peace Prize in 1901.

During the U.S. Civil War, both sides had military men serving as nurses. Men were the majority of the front line nurses while female nurses were typically restricted to general hospitals in the major cities.

Both the Crimean War and the U. S. Civil War decimated the male population. Without men to help with the labor, many women were unable to continue farming and moved to cities and became "matrons" in military hospitals. The military continued to primarily use men as nurses.

In 1866, the Alexians built their first hospital in Chicago, Illinois and in 1869, opened a second hospital in St. Louis, Missouri. Today their work continues around the world.

In 1898 the U.S. fought a brief war with Spain. The Daughters of the American Revolution recruited contract female physicians and nurses during the war.

Nursing Schools For Men; The Mills School for Nursing and St. Vincent's Hospital School for Men were founded in New York in 1888. The Pennsylvania Hospital opened a school for female nurses in 1914 and simultaneously opened a separate men's nursing school. However, men were not allowed to attend some state-supported nursing schools until 1982.

Army Nurse Corps; In 1901, the Army Nurse Corps was formed. Only women could serve as nurses and military nursing changed from being predominately male to exclusively female, which furthered the process of the feminization of nursing. During World War I & II there were nursing shortages and women were given tuition, room, board, uniforms and a stipend to attend nursing school, but were not required to enter the service. In a time when few men were practicing nursing in the U.S., two men worked to promote men in nursing. Leroy N. Craig, superintendent of the Pennsylvania Hospital men's nursing school, fought for the rights of men to participate in the American Nurses Association. Nurse Luther Christman volunteered to serve on the front, if he could serve as a nurse. Christman was turned down for combat duty as a nurse by the U.S. Surgeon General.

Men Again Serve As Military Nurses; Not until 1955, after the Korean War, were men again permitted to serve as military nurses. During the intervening decades men who were registered nurses enlisted or drafted, but were not assigned as nurses. On 9 AUG 1955, President Eisenhower signed into law H.R. 2559; Male RNs were authorized reserve commissions in the ANC. In 1961, Ohio Representative Frances Payne Bolton introduced a bill to Congress to authorize regular commissions for Male RNs.

However, 11 years passed before Male RNs were to receive regular commissions in the ANC. Due to efforts made by the 12th Chief of the ANC, COL Mildred Irene Clark, on 30 SEP 1966 [Public law 89-609] authorized regular commissions for Male RNs.

* ANC info source from the book written by Mary T. Sarnecky, COL (R), USA, A History of the U.S. Army Nurse Corps [ISBN 0-8122-3502-9].

So, today is a very important day in history for the Army Nurse Corps, especially the reserve male nurse Soldiers!

HOOAH!

[DanRN]

I am a Registered Nurse. There is no gender specificity in that title. I have always been very well received by my patients and the public. As someone stated earlier in another way, each nurse earns respect and recognition by the fostering of his or her own career by practicing this challenging profession with skill and empathy.

[Aaron C.]

Dan is right. There's no gender specificity. There's just a stereotype.

You don't hear "female doctor" or "female lawyer" or "male teacher" or "female mechanic" or whatever.

The term is fine, it's the interpretation of that term by people that causes issue. Educating those people is the right approach.

[MagRedC5]

Originally Posted by shortbus

Dan is right. There's no gender specificity. There's just a stereotype.

You don't here "female doctor" or "female lawyer" or "male teacher" or "female mechanic" or whatever.

The term is fine, it's the interpretation of that term by people that causes issue. Educating those people is the right approach.

I like that... education is always the key!

[kimmiejs]

Originally Posted by Brewerpaul

Has there ever been any talk of changing to title of male nurses to something else?
The word "nurse" is has so much gender baggage. It instantly conjures up images of Florence Nightengale and ladies in square heeled shoes and little white caps. And of course, it's women who NURSE babies.
I'm thinking that a gender neutral term might help alleviate the gender bias associated with men in this profession. Alas, I can't think of a good one

If you think that the word "nurse" has lots of baggage do not work as a nurse in Australia. I will never forget the day one of the doctors that did not know me called me "Sister". I know I must have have him a strange look before I called him "Brother". He laughed and aid "You must be the American Nurse I keep hearing about."

[bayside]

Originally Posted by DanRN

I am a Registered Nurse. There is no gender specificity in that title. I have always been very well received by my patients and the public. As someone stated earlier in another way, each nurse earns respect and recognition by the fostering of his or her own career by practicing this challenging profession with skill and empathy.

I totally agree. At first, I wished they would change the name, but now in my last semester of getting my RN. I have been accepted with open arms. I have RN's assisting me even when I don't want them to. A lot of them tell me, that their husband are nurses or in school for nursing. The nurses and doctors have been very professional and I haven't yet seen a difference. I actually have seen male nurses treated a bit more professionally by M.D's than the female RN's. I have noticed in Peds and in med surg, I had less problems with patients refusing or being rude, than my female collegues. It may be different in other States, but in New York, there doesn't seem to be many issues with male nurses. I occassionally get questions, why did you pick Nursing instead of getting your M.D. I always reply that I Nursing has more opportunities and it is more flexible. Then there are some, who won't see me as a nurse and just 'in their head' see me as a doctor. They will conitue to ask me questions geared to an M. D. When I tell them, you got to really check with the doctor, they tell me c'mon.. you know just as much, what do you think. So, male nurses are on the rise, three of my male friends have tried to get in, only one has been successful. The others went into respiratory and x-ray.

[VinodN]

I think a title would really help. I think to change the public's view of male nurses and other factors. Alot of nurse's assistants and PCTs are mostly males.