As you may have guessed from my name I am a male and I am also a nurse. Over the years there have been many representations of male nurses on TV and in the movies.
My earliest memory is of a male nurse on TV was probably Michael on “A Country Practice” who from what I can remember of the show seemed to do a decent job in representing male nurses as it was back in the 80′s (not that there was many back then). Well at least he didn’t put me off pursuing nursing as a career.
No offence to the many fans that keep this show on air but I personally dislike immensely the Aussie TV show “All Saints” as it has metamorphosed so much I don’t even recognise it anymore…so as I don’t watch it I can’t comment on its cast of male nurses. Maybe you can bring me up to speed as to if you think they are accurately represented or not?
My 11 year old son loves the TV show “Scrubs” but they seem to have only done one episode that I could find a review of that covered the stereo-types of male nurses. In that episode some of the doctor characters mock the male nurse’s character as doing “women’s work” but fortunately the episode’s overall representation of the character playing a male nurse is that he is “smart, witty, secure, and fearless” (so that’s pretty darn accurate woudn’t you say?).
I did laugh when I saw “Meet the Parents” where Ben Stiller plays “Gaylord Focker” a RN and how his father-in-law played by Robert DeNiro plays a retired CIA agent who struggles with the perceived lack of masculinity with his son-in-law’s chosen profession. So thankful my father-in-law is not like that!
I am sure there are many female and male nurses who have been shocked or disappointed with how they have been portrayed over the years in the movies and on TV. I suppose for me, personally, I don’t take the portrayal of nurses on TV shows and movies too seriously, after all it’s only a TV show or a movie its not real life.
The good news is that if by chance you DO take offence at how a nurse’s role has been portrayed. Nowadays there is the internet, where you now have a voice and can jump onto a blog like this one and start a thread to check how other nurses felt about the same portrayal. If there was a growing groundswell of negative feedback coming out of a blog, the media would take note as this is often how mainstream stories in the media start and such how our opinions do matter and can be heard.
So to finish with a laugh, check this out…get your kids (or colleagues) a “Male Nurse Action Figure”. I love the synopsis of this “action figure” I found on the web.
“Armed with a stethoscope and a clipboard holding an X-ray, this 5-1/4″ (13.3 cm) tall, hard vinyl Male Nurse Action Figure is ready to treat your symptoms and fix what ails you.
Male nurses make up six percent of the nurses in the United States and only slightly more in Australia and the UK, but this number is growing. These men are blazing the trail as role models and mentors for generations to come. Thank a male nurse today!”
What do you think? Have the actors and script writers that have been representing both male and female nurses been doing a good job on the big and small screen? What is the best and worst example you have seen?
Rich
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Here I thought That I always follow:…….. I been Nursing for 26 years, I’m also a Midwife, child and Family Nurse and Lactation Consultant now working in ED. I always tell people when they ask “Are you a male nurse?” I tell them no “I’m a nurse/midwife who is male”
MALE NURSE In the AGED CARE sector we are finding that we have a few more male members of staff these days .This can be interesting because some of the ladies just refuse to be showered by a male so you have to juggle things round a bit.
Male nurses can be handy.. It often surprises me how keen our female colleagues are to have even a scattering of male staff around. I work permnent nightwork at an aged care facility and I guess having a male on board may give a measure of reassurance to the other female staff. I am also totally used to being regarded as “one of the girls”. Some of the residents get surprised when they ask for the ‘sister’ and I tell them that I am the ‘sister’. It is essentially the essence of the nurse that counts and not whether they are male or female.
Is Midwifery the last fronteer? I am also a midwife (non practicing now) who is male and have felt that this was the last fronteer (in nursing) for us guys to be accepted into. I never felt that I was treated any differently from the female midwives and no patients have ever declined my services or said that they felt awkward because I am a “male” midwife or nurse.
Does anyone know of any Midwives that are male that have been portrayed in the media?
Rich
theatre I have been a nurse for more than twenty years in the theatre.I was generaly assumed as the doctor. When on duty I am expected to do the heavy lifting being a male ,also remove the linen and rubbish.Push patients back to the ward.
The majority of actors appearing as male nurses seem hard working, intelligent, modest, compassionate, honest and professional so in that respect to that I certainly have no qualms about how the public view male nurses. I actually feel that there are so many different types of male nurses, it makes it very hard to make a stereotype of them.
I have been a male RN for 3 years and an AIN for 2 and over my short career I love my job and work in the operating theatres as Scrub/Scout, Recovery, Day Surgery and Anaesthetics. Typically I have only come across one stereotype which is of course the ‘gay’ jibe.
Obviously something a lot of male nurses come across is the “are you gay or what?” I’ve copped it from mates and workmate that think it’s funny to try and wind me up but in particular there is one time that stands out. It happened at a local pub after a horror shift my 8th of 8 from memory.
I was introduced to a bloke by one of my other mates who works on the mine. I live in a small mining town where blokes are blokes and women are Sheila’s. My father was a miner so I have some understanding of the industry. I’ll try and write it how he said it for effect.
‘What are ya a homo mate?’ said the hairy bloke standing next to my mate.
I said ‘You spend your day with 100’s of other men, in hot confined spaces shower and eat together. I work in an air conditioned hospital with 100’s of women and you think I’m gay!’
‘I tell you what next time you’re having a shower next to a big hairy butt just think of me having morning tea with a bunch of nurses and you tell me who’s smarter?’.
He didn’t take it too well but later came over and offered his hand saying ‘Jesus maybe I should have been a nurse that sounds bloody alright to me’. So although I wore the Nurse Nancy jibe a couple of times when I explain the benefits of nursing most blokes turn around wide eyed and say ‘jeez that sounds better then digging trenches in 40 degree heat!’
As for the male nurse action figure, there is one standing not three feet from where I sit. My wife bought it for me for $24.50 when I first became a nurse. The package is emblazoned Physician prescribe nurses provide
It goes on to say ‘While men have been nurses for thousands of years the nursing profession is still almost completely made up of women. The modern day male nurse is a tribute to equality and a challenge to the stereotypes of masculine and feminine traits. Many male nurses say their jobs are more meaningful because they are battling old fashioned cultural ideas while helping people’.
Truth be known I’ve never been happier in my job however with the new funding issues it sounds like they may be trying to target theatre for job cuts, another battle looms.
Great Comment Thorgils I really enjoyed the story about the hairy miner in the pub. I did my nursing training in Lithgow a mining town so I could relate and laugh about this story. When my mates used to come out with me they were always envious that their workmates weren’t as attractive as mine. Rich