Ha!
On the other hand, what's my blog like - 1 amongst a gazillion? (I'm sure someone will come up with the correct comparison soon enough).
Welcome to the world of "Notamalenurse" - or for those of you with challenged eyesight, that's : "not a male nurse".
That's right. I'm not a "male nurse". I'm a nurse.
When there is no "female nurse", why should there be a "male nurse"? (I frequently answer the question "What made you decide to be a male nurse?" with the response "When I found out the prohibitive medical costs required through surgery to transform myself into a female nurse.").
Yep. Welcome to a pet peeve of mine (amongst others as you shall soon discover).
I'm sure I could post dozens and dozens of supportive data about the long, extensive history of men in nursing. About how it was not a "female profession" until very recently.
But I'll laze and let Wikipedia do some of the talking for me.
Tidbit from Wikipedia article:
Contrary to the perceptions of some, nursing has been a male dominated field for most of human history.Click the link above to read the rest, boys and gals.
Now, truth be told - I don't really give a damn if a profession is "male" or "female". I think it's dumb, stupid, ignorant and asinie to assign "gender labels" to 'professions' and 'careers'. If an individual is up to the mark, s/he should be allowed to do the job. Be it female fire fighters or male nurses. Be it female soldiers or male "single" parents. Et Cetera. Ad infinitum.
You get the drift.
Now I can see some hands at the back of the class: "Well, if you don't give a damn about gender in the work place, why does 'not a male nurse' feature predominantly as the address to your blog?"
Smart question, don't you think?
Simple answer? If I had a dime for every instance where I heard someone remark "Oh, you're a MALE nurse", I could have closed shop years ago, set up a fund and lived the rest of my life in disgusting opulence and wealth.
This isn't to diss my female colleagues in this great, honoured, respected profession. On the contrary, 99% of my female colleagues accept me as I am - my hairy face and gruff voice not withstanding. (What of the other 1% you ask? Well, you are bound to meet shallow idiots any and every where ... profession notwithstanding).
And of course, how could I leave out the whole "male nurses are men who couldn't cut med school" stereotype... followed with a snickering comment about Gaylord Focker?
What can I say, except the fact that people aren't paying attention. Gaylord Focker (of "Meet the Parents" fame) did qualify for Med school - but chose not to pursue the option.
Food for thought folks.
(Again, this isn't to piss on physicians or their profession. I work with some wonderful Docs on a daily basis and the vast, overwhelming majority respect me and my profession - just as we nurses respect physicians and their profession).
Stereotypes make for some hillarious instances (I personally did enjoy the "Meet the Parents" movie. I do however, think that "Meet the Fockers" was a let down).
But "stereotypes" are just that - "stereotypes".
'Unrealistic' portrayal of ordinary humans.
We need something better....
3 comments:
I get it. Thanks for correcting me...it makes perfect sense...I've never heard some say 'that female nurse'...it's automatically assumed that it's female.
And in a lot of other professions...one sex is assumed to be the worker....like you said firefighter, miner, soldier etc.
i totally agree with you. i just started my nursing training and every one asks me why i want to be a male nurse. i dont want to be a male nurse, there is no such thing as a male nurse ... i want to be a nurse! it is soo anoying!! and the jokes about being gay just arent funny and are incredibly imature in my opinion! one of few things that really wind me up is male nurse!!
Perhaps a couple of these new medical shows from the nursing perspective may shed light on what nursing really is.. and why it shouldn't be considered a female career. The only letdown to it is that one of them, HawthoRNe or whichever the other is called, have a male nurse who's description says he hopes to one day make the swap to medicine.. furthering the idea that male nurses simply couldn't cut it as physicians.
All in all, men going into the nursing field is certainly on the rise. Trust me in saying that times are changing.
bis später,
markuskristian
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