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