GRRR - The Gender Bias Continues

[mercynurse]

Pat,
Although I'm a female nusre (only specifiy so you know I'm not a guy) I want you to know I have a pretty good understanding as my significant other is a nurse. He's been in nursing for about 10 years after a business career...what a difference the 2 professions have proven to be for him!

I do have to tell you however, that gender bias is only one of the problems....
as a group, nurses have historically been protrayed as "bimbos" in the media. I distinctly remember a campaign in the 80's . by the nursing associations, to change the way nurses were protrayed on various TV programs. Things have gotten better...by it's taken some time...give it time.
I've been in nursing for 27 years and continue to believe that "eating our young" is still one of the biggest problems. As a seasoned nurse, how can one feel a new nurse is a "PIA" or threat? I don't know but I've seen to many times when the inexperienced nurse is treated poorly, or as stupid simply because they ask a question or haven't experienced a certian situation and are unfamiliar as to how to handle it.

Know that most of us simply want educated, dedicated, people to enter the nursing field. Those who practice gender bias, eating the young, etc don't count anyway. Hopefully you can develope a tough skin and let it roll off your back...learn to take the good things about nursing to heart and forget or ignore the bad things if you can't change them. Although I still haven't given up on my attempt s to make changes! I'm just old and stuburn!!

[Generation2]

I was just reading on the ANA website where a school in Oregon was advertising for nurses on the sports page, and male-type magazines. Their posters were of guys looking like guys, "Some are dressed to show their interests outside of nursing, such as snowboarding or motorcycle riding. Other accompanying information concentrates on work settings and backgrounds, such as serving as a U.S. Navy seal." My school started an EMT to RN program that's drawing a lot of guys. It's cool. I just wrote a 500 word essay to get into University of Michigan about the shortage in nursing, and speciafically how men could contribute to its alleviation, so I'm still geeked on the subject .