Men in L&D

3 posts · started Jul 28, 2008

fireandrescueboi Jul 28, 2008, 6:31 PM
Hello everyone out there!
I am a paramedic in florida right now and I am working through my pre-reqs for nursing school that should be starting soon. My favorite clinical time during medic school was in L&D and was seriously looking into becoming an L&D nurse. After reading some posts in here i am seeing that it may not be the easiest dept to get into.
As a guy, I was wondering how that would affect getting hired as well as others perception of guys in L&D.

It's still all up in the air so I'm looking forward to some advice!!

Thanks!

Ryan
SoldierNurse Jul 28, 2008, 7:48 PM
fireandrescueboi wrote:Hello everyone out there!
I am a paramedic in florida right now and I am working through my pre-reqs for nursing school that should be starting soon. My favorite clinical time during medic school was in L&D and was seriously looking into becoming an L&D nurse. After reading some posts in here i am seeing that it may not be the easiest dept to get into.
As a guy, I was wondering how that would affect getting hired as well as others perception of guys in L&D.

It's still all up in the air so I'm looking forward to some advice!!

Thanks!

Ryan
Hello Ryan,

IMHO, you should not be concerned with perceptions. Heck, some ignorant folks already have misconceptions about male nurses, anyway. I say sexual orientation has nothing to do with job performance as a nurse. Yet, I believe nursing should be non-gender specific, too.

However, I remember both as a CST working prn in L&D, as well as when I was a nursing student some of the [female] Docs & soon to be dads did not like male staff in the room prior/during delivery. I will say I enjoyed my clinical nursing rotation in the nursery. As a single dad I enjoyed taking care of the newborns.

LOL, did that answer your question?
lmattheiss Jul 28, 2008, 9:18 PM
As a clinical instructor for a local community college ADN program, and L&D nurse for 20+ years, I found that my male nursing students were well received in the L&D rotation. In fact, I guess it helped that the particular hospital had an exceptional charge nurse on evenings that was a man and that all his peers looked to him for guidance and his caring bedside manner. Good luck!