Expository Essay on Male Nurses

[CHPNA]

Good morning all,

Currently, I am a CHPNA working towards my RN degree. I am enrolled in a Eng Comp class. One of the requirements is to write an Expository Essay; my topic is male nurses. Thinking about why I picked this topic, I have come to the realization a scene that had unfolded in front of me while my daughter was in Rehab, has driven me to write about this topic.

I'm sure I've peaked the curiousity about my daughter being in Rehab, so here's the scoop:

A week before my daughter's 18th b-day, in 2001, she was injured in a MVA, she was the driver and she had her younger sister, along with other friends in the vehicle. No one was wearing seat belts. The vehicle hit a road under construction, started swerving over the washer board like road, daughter's friend grabbed steering wheel and the car rolled 4 times. My daughter was the only one ejected from the car, leaving her injured at the C-4 level, breaking her neck in 3 places.

During her Rehab period, she had a male CNA. She really liked him, he was crazy, funny and made her smile alot during those gloomy days. One occurence, which sticks in my mind, happened when we first arrived at the Rehab. One of the older female nurses implied to me it was "not right" to have a male CNA cleaning my daughter up. I saw no problem with it as long as he was professional and there was no other ulterior motives. By the time I was done talking to the older nurse, I felt very confused and quite frankly very upset that a nurse had implied the aide was not professional. Wondering if she was in the best hands possible being at that Rehab, I approached the Charge Nurse and expressed my fears and concerns. I don't know what happened, all I know is he continued to be my daughter's aide and the RN continued to work on the floor, albeit she was very formal with me after that.

SO, I need your help, male and female alike. Here is my outline and answers that I need to my questions:

1.) History of male nurses2). Patients’ view of male nurses 3). Peer to peer view of male nurses a. performance on the job4). Interviews with male nurses a. why did they enter the field? b. are they treated differently by patients? c. are they treated differently by Doctors? d. are they treated differently by other nurses? e. how many other males in their graduating class?5). Potential employer perception of male nurses a. the ratio of male versus female nurses employed b. the difference between male and female nurses6). Competitive pay & benefits a. are they offered the same wage and benefits as female nurses?Any insight would be most appreciatedCindy

[Ricu]

Hi Cindy,

It sounds like the charge nurse in the rehab where your daughter was had the issue and not you or the CNA. I'm sure your daughter would've indicated a concern to you or you would've seen it yourself if there was any unprofessional behavior.

I will give you a brief synopsis of my experience as a nurse and my perception of the male nurse stigma. I've been in the healthcare field for nearly thirty years working first as an EMT, then respiratory therapist and finally, RN for the past dozen years.

During this time, I've seen a sharp increase in the number of men in nursing, many who are older and choosing nursing as a later profession. I think due to the "evolution" in male behavior, we are finding it easier to work in caring professions. It has become acceptable and even admirable for men to express their ability to care for and nurture others. Notice the increase in stay-at-home-dads.

Nursing has undergone an evolution too. There is a tremendous amount of responsibility now with the advent of nurse driven protocols, complex equipment to master and,treatments to administer and a myriad of medications to give. There are many more patients to care for now and they are much sicker. All of these attributes mean challenge but also excitement. Because of this complicated healthcare delivery system, nursing offers tremendous diversity. One can work in any specialty, on any shift, in hospital, rehab center, long term care, education, public health, physician office, advanced practice, and so on. Travel nursing companies are aplenty too. Nurses can move all over the country while working for the same company. Healthcare institutions offer the usual benefits like shift differential, retirement, health coverage, tuition reimbursement, pretax spending accounts and so on. It's not uncommon to see onsite child care too. What other profession offers these benefits? The appeal for anyone male or female, should be clear.

You asked how men adjust to working in a female dominated field. While it can sometimes be awkward for the new male nurse, most experienced men function as well as their female conterparts. The more at ease the man is, the easier his patients feel. Male/female ratios in schools and in the workplace are still heavily slanted toward female but I notice at least one male in every nursing class I encounter. A few years ago, that wasn't the case. On average, I find at least one male nurse working on any given unit as well. About ten years ago, I worked the evening shift on a telemetry floor and there were so many men there that it was common to have NO female staff scheduled. The secretary was male, the aids were male and the nurses were male. However rare, it was the unfortunate patient who requested female staff because sometimes there weren't any.

While it's common knowledge that in the business world males are paid a higher wage than females, I don't think that's the case in healthcare. Pay differences are based on seniority, work experience, specialty certifications and so on. Units where specialized training is needed like critical care, emeregency and surgical services generally pay better too. Hope this helps.

Good luck

R

[CHPNA]

Thanks R for the reply. I hope someone else chimes in with their .02

Cindy

[bakpakr]

I really don't have much to add other than I graduate from my CNA program tomorrow. I am the only male in the class and have not seen any discrimination at all based on my gender. I am starting my third career at 46 and have no regrets at all about my new profession. As a matter of fact I love what I am doing now. My first profession was soldier which was ok but did not leave much time for family. I then moved onto industrial mechanics. I got pretty far in that profession as I was a supervisor. I liked it but it did not give me any satisfaction. I have now entered the nursing ranks and plan on going for my BSN and am now the most happy I have been in a very long time. My only regret is that I had not entered nursing sooner.

[abbamh]

Hi,
I am a male RN with 15 years experience. My career began as an airborne infantry combat medic. After discharge I began pre-med studies but was offered a full scholarship to an RN/BSN program and went into nursing. I have never really felt that my gender has opened or closed doors for me. I have definitely found however that male and female nurses often have very different communication methods and ways of attacking problems. Learning how to deal with those different approaches is a never ending challenge.
As far as the history of male nursing goes, check out the origins of nursing starting with the crusader knights (Templars for example) up to modern male nurses such as Walt Whitman, Hemingway and others. Look also at the history of the armed forces medical corps.

Good luck,
Ken RN, BSN, MPA

[orionseal]

Fyi: First And Formost I Am A Nurse Then A Husband And Father Then A Man. That Is How I View Myself. Answers To Your Questions Are As Follows To The Best Of My Knowlege
1) Men Were The First Nurses, Do The Knights Templar Ring Any Bells?
2) I Am A Charge Nurse At A Nursing Home And My Residents Claim That They Feel More Secure With Me As The Duty Nurse And Beg Me To Work Rather Than Some Of The Women. On The Other Hand Some Of The Cena's I Work With Dread Working With Me Because They Can't Slough Off On The Job.
3) I Will Let Others Answer That Question Rather Than State My Opinion Of My Own Work Other Than To Say I Feel Very Self Consious And Worry That I May Make The Wrong Call Some Day.
4)a) I Became A Nurse Because That Is What I Kept Being Redirected Back To After Being Bullied By My Guidence Counceler In Highschool Over My Decision To Go Into Nursing. This I Hear Is Still Going On Today.
B) My Residents Treat Me Like A Nurse.
C) Doctors Say I Have A Good Clinical Knowledge Base And They Feel Confident That I Can Cary Out Almost Any Task They Set For Me.
D) The Other Nurses I Work With "say" They Like Me And Respect Me, And Some Call Me For Advice.
E) Two Men Graduated With Me For A Total Of Three Out Of Thirty-five.
5) I Will Not Answer The First Part Of This Question Because I Don't Do The Hiring At My Workplace.
(a) Out Of The Seven Nurses I Work With One Other Is A Man.
(b) Gender, And The Amount Of Facial Hair We Can Grow.
(c) The Only Difference In Our Pay Is Based On Our Education Level, L P N Verses R N. Those Are The Only Differences We Have To Contend With.

Hope This Helps And F Y I: I Live In A Small Backwoods Comunity Where They Still Think I Must Be Quear To Be A Nurse, Even Though I Have Forgotten How Long I Have Been Married As Well As Having Seven Children.
My Mother Is A Nurse,
One Of My Sisters Is A Nurse
And Two Of My Sons Are Well On The Way To Becomming Nurses
And My Youngest Daughter Wants To Be A Nurse.

GOOD LUCK AND I HOPE YOU CAN HELP DISPELL SOME OF THE STERIOTYPES AND SUCH ASSOCIATED WITH MEN WHO CHOOSE TO BE NURSES.