Your determination to give insight is admirable and will take you far in the field of nursing but I think in this particular setting, you're not going to speed the process. It doesn't appear that your instructors believe they can learn anything new especially from a lowly "student," and might try to make your life harder because of your persistence. They could also be of the opinion that men aren't cut out for nursing and be looking for any reason to knock you down. As a matter of survival, it could be in your best interest to fly under the radar. Keep your chin up. So far, I thing you are well on the way to becoming a great nurse.


Quote Originally Posted by Chaffey Student View Post
For the most part, I'd like to think that I am helping men in nursing overcome the "effeminate" male stereotype, because everyone I know would never consider me effeminate by any stretch of the imagination. In fact, I found an article on the "BSN to MSN" website, that talks about the ten most famous men in nursing. What it basically says is that up until the 1500's, nursing was a predominantly male field. Those who chose nursing, were either some form of clergy, or in the military. Did you know that Walt Whitman was a nurse ? He was a volunteer nurse during the Civil War after his brother was injured. So I'm not concerned about the stereotype, I know better. The support I'm getting here is huge, and for that I'm grateful.

Ricu, I understand how law enforcement and nursing ties together, but interestingly enough, the "veteran" nurses that I'm learning from can't seem to make the connection. Perhaps you can help me out and give me some pointers that might help me help them make the connection. I know that writing a care plan needs to be clear, complete, and concise, just like in any factual report. And dealing with people on a professional and somewhat authoritative (not authoritarian) level is part of the job. I also know that nursing is a team effort just like law enforcement, and just like law enforcement, nursing deals with people who are at a low point in their life or perhaps even facing death because they are sick or injured. I'm also well aware that the public tends to second guess the decision a nurse makes, and nurses are in the cross hairs of some opportunistic people who would love nothing more than to put their finger on what they perceive is a mistake and find an equally opportunistic lawyer that is just hungry enough to sue a nurse for malpractice. I've seen a lot of similarities between nursing and law enforcement as to the who, what, where, what, why, and how a person became sick or injured. So nursing requires some detective work to help a person get better. Since you obviously have worked with law enforcement where you live, I'm sure you know all of this. But is there that one thing I can take to the old timers at my school that will help them connect the dots ? Since I'm new to nursing, as an insider, what would you suggest ?

hppygr8ful, what I did was type out, in my own words, the procedure for doing a bed bath. In my step by step procedure, I make sure I let the patient know what I'm going to do, and make sure that I keep the patient covered as much as possible, taking into consideration their warmth, comfort, and modesty. Did I miss anything ?

The bed bath procedure is three pages long, in a 12 point font with each paragraph single spaced. Before I started this, I would have never believed that bathing someone would be so complicated. And by the way, this procedure doesn't even cover pericare. That's another two pages right there.

When I think about it, I really don't have the words to describe this new experience. I guess I could say it's humbling, makes me take a good look at who I am, and I have found far more respect for nurses than what I already had. I'm glad I chose to become a nurse.