Reply With QuoteI like the term, "murse". I think it has a ring to it.
Male nurses? They're simply nurses (WREG)
Male nurses? They're simply nurses - WREG
The days of referring to a nurse who happens to be a man as a "male nurse" have come and gone.
They're simply nurses. After all, we don't differentiate our attorneys, bus drivers and fast-food workers when we speak about them in general terms. We don't say, "That male chef makes amazing pasta" or "Have you seen our male doctor?" We simply put aside mentioning gender unless it actually plays a role in our discussion.
Still, it's no secret that most nurses are women. But little by little, the demographics may beginning to change.
According to Mary McNamara, a representative from the American Nurses Association, men make up 6.6 percent of the registered nurse population nationwide. In 2006, the number was 5.7 percent.
In the field
Nine percent of the University of Chicago Medical Center's patient-care nurses are men, according to Katherine Pakieser-Reed, director of Center for Nursing Professional Practice and Research. The percentage excludes nurses in leadership roles such as managers and directors.
As National Nurses Week continues, two men from the U of C Medical Center share their insights on nursing. Both say they entered into the field because of a desire to help others, are happy with the flexible working hours and know that there are a number of job opportunities in their field.
Johnny Tazbir, 46, has been a staff nurse at the UCMC since 1994 in the intensive care setting. He feels that in order for the number of men in the field of nursing to increase, a great deal of marketing needs to be done.
"I don't see the numbers getting much better than they are," says Tazbir. "The guys that fall into it, they just fall into it by accident. I think it needs to be pushed harder by the nursing profession."
Marlito Arquillano, 32, thinks the number is improving because any stigma society has of a man as a nurse is slowly fading. After considering many options in health care, Arquillano decided that going into the nursing industry would give him more flexibility than being a doctor on call everyday. He says his job is well structured and fits his lifestyle accordingly. Most importantly, he is able to help others.
"For the most part, when you tell people that you're a nurse and that you're there to take care of them, it's pretty much out the window whether you're a guy or you're a women, as long as you're doing the job that you need to do," says Arquillano, who has been working with Comer Children's Hospital at the University of Chicago for more than nine years.
Though he loves his job, he admits that being a nurse has its challenges, especially when it comes to taking care of female patients and teenage girls.
"Some people still feel like you can only be motherly and caring if you're a women," says Arquillano. [However], I think society in general is starting to accept [male nurses] more. I think slowly society is changing."
Re: Male nurses? They're simply nurses (WREG)
I like the term, "murse". I think it has a ring to it.
Hi!
Discrimination on male nurses are quite common to some hospitals since the stereotype nurses are females. Seldom people can see male nurses and they tend to think that a male nurse is a gay or homosexual. Well this is the stereotype view however I do agree with Arquillano that the society is starting to change its view towards male nurses. Maybe in the future people's view on male nurses will change(but it doesn't change overtime eh) since one of the problems of our society today is lack of nurses. Additional nurses could help a lot whether they are female or male nurses.
Check out this article: Bringing in More Males in the Nursing Profession. This is an article about male nurses also.
Truly,
nurserebecca
No discrimination towards male nurses in my department ... the Army Medical Department, Army Nurse Corps.
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