So is this bias or what? But it is funny none the less. I have gotten quite used to answering the questions about being a "male" nurse.
So the other day after clinical, we all head to the Olive Garden for $5.99 soup and salad. My friend Brandon and I got there first and we were wearing our scrubs. So the manager asks if we are doctors or med students. And Brandon says, "Nope, Nurses" and she just laughs. I replied, "No really , we are nurses" and she just got this really serious look on her face. That "are you gay" look that I get every time I say I am going into nursing. So I naturally followed up with my new break the tension line, "and were straight too". With that said she got a smile on her face and we were ok again.
I think I am starting to have fun with this whole thing. I really dont care what people think of me as long as I give the best care to my patients.
Well that is it from the peanut gallery.
~Adam
Yeah, when i was going through nursing school, I got the same thing. Didn't help that the crest on our clinical uniforms was of a women's college that just started excepting men in 1982. Some I guess I had a double "whammy" against me. The nice thing at the time though, was that I was the 3rd male in a class of 49. Now the whole male nurse thing is just common at my job. The unit has a total of 5 male nurses with another new grad on the way. Si its about balanced out......J
Yep, hate to say it but Male Gender Bias is here, has been here and ain't going away anytime soon.
Glad you're able to brush it off, some guys have a major problem with it.
You'll feel better though after reading these articles on the topic.
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Gender Discrimination, Male Nurse Bias In Nursing
http://www.4nursing.com/gender
Men in nursing: issues of gender segregation and hidden advantage. J Adv Nurs. 1999 Feb;29(2):523. Evans J.:"The small but growing number of men in the nursing profession does not herald a progressive integration of masculine and feminine sex roles. The evidence presented in this paper suggests that even in female-dominated occupations such as nursing, patriarchal gender relations which reflect a high valuation of all that is male and masculine, play a significant role in situating a disproportionate number of men in administrative and elite specialty positions. At the heart of this gender dynamic is the need to separate the masculine from the lesser valued feminine."
Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/q...t_uids=9292354
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Equal Opportunity: Gender issues, International Council of Nurses:"Statistics in the United Kingdom show that while 93% of all nursing staff are women, men represent approximately 45% of all those who take up opportunities for higher education courses and accept senior/management positions. Contributing factors. No single cause can explain why the pay gap persists. Some argue that at least 15% of this gap is caused by direct or indirect discrimination. In addition, women's skills have traditionally been under-valued and sometimes ignored in job evaluations because they are regarded as natural female characteristics rather than acquired skills, e.g. social skills needed to achieve a professional job ormanage complex situations."
http://www.icn.ch/matters_equalop.htm
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Girlie men? Manly girls? The Governator and nursing's gender issues, The Center for Nursing Advocacy:"February 22, 2005 -- Today CNN's web site posted an unsigned AP story about recent charges by California nurses and teachers that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's policies and attitude toward them--including his references to them as "special interests"--reflect an ingrained hostility to women and "women's occupations." Probably unintentionally, the piece raises difficult questions about how society sees nursing, and how nurses advocate for their profession, including the pros and cons of using the profession's predominant gender as a political weapon."
The Center for Nursing Advocacy
203 Churchwardens Rd.
Baltimore, Maryland (MD) 21212-2937 USA
Phone: 1.410.323.1100
Fax: 1.443.705.0260
info@nursingadvocacy.org
http://www.nursingadvocacy.org/news/2005feb/22_cnn.html
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Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinga2z.com
some interesting reads....thanks...J
No problem, I've made a career and a living out of searching the web for nursing information. It's not difficult to find.
Lots of the questions in the forums prompt me to research even more.
Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.4nursing.com
How long have you been nursing for and what branch of nursing are you currently working?
Got my license in 1997, worked med/surg/tele for two years in Texas. Move back to Jersey in 98, did agency in hospitals, mostly tele/med/surg.
Lately I'm spending a lot of time in long term care. My wife and I work opposite shifts, so someone's always home with the baby. We wanted to avoid childcare till she was able to talk and tell us things.
Have about 20 nursing websites online that last year generated more that I could have made as a nurse. As the business picked up, I worked less, spent more time with the wife and kid.
My wife works fulltime-ICU, carry benefits for the family. I watch the baby, run my websites, and work agency when we need the money.
Miss working on staff, will go back once the baby is in school, or maybe go back for that masters.
Time will tell.
Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinga2z.com
Out of curosity, how'd you get into the hosting website thing? Did you know someone in it and helped you along the way, or you just jumped into it? Very interested in how to get started b/c I have a few friends and we shoot vids and do motorcycle stunts and such. Just curious. Thanx...J
How could I know what stereo typing is? I am just a male nurse, single father. Oh wait that is right I am supposed to be a female nurse single mother!!!
Got into building websites when my student nursing group needed one. I got a book on learning html and started tinkering. Along the way I learned that I could make a few dollars doing it so I started putting a lot more time in.
Made more last year than I'd made working 40/week as an RN. It's something to spend time on while I'm home with the baby. Don't think I'd quit nursing no matter how much I made with it.
I got into nursing to do patient care, it's what I enjoy most about the profession. It's nice to know I've got another income source in the website if I wanted to cut back.
You can get started, learn a lot online searching for html tutorials. One of my favorite sites is http://www.htmlgoodies.com
Andrew Lopez, RN
http://www.nursinga2z.com
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