Forum: Story Discussion and Feedback

"male" nurses

Amosbayou 🚫

Having been a registered nurse for 40 years I feel that my input should carry no small amount of weight when addressing the area of nurses and nursing care.
It was with dismay but no real surprise to find that one of my favorite author, Banadin, had used the age-old derogatory term of "male" nurse.
The very last bastion of sexual job discrimination of which I am aware!
we don't say "male" hairdresser any more. Nor do we refer to "male" housekeepers.
It's against the law to refer to "female" police or "female" physicians.
yet, this one designation continues with impunity!
Couldn't you just put a mister before his name? Or refer to the nurse as "he" or "him?
It takes a bachelor's degree to be a registered nurse. It takes passing the state board requirements. Over 40 years it takes endless study to remain current in my field.
All that time. effort and work reduced to one word..."male".
Shame on you.

Replies: Ernest Bywater

Ernest Bywater 🚫

@Amosbayou

Without seeing the context, it's hard to say if he's being sexist or not. In a couple of my stories I've had a nurse threaten a patient with a bed bath given by a male nurse instead of herself. In each case the use of male was intended simply to refer to a gender change not a skill difference.

Banadin 🚫
Updated:

It probably redundant to call the nurse a male as he was arrested for raping patients. No insult intended. I will blame it on the newscaster reporting the story. Besides if I tried to be politically correct in everything I wrote, no words would be written....

Ban

Replies: Vincent Berg Invid Fan

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Banadin

No insult intended. I will blame it on the newscaster reporting the story.

That's the typical problem with sexist/racist/homophobic and other insensitive language. It's the lack of awareness of others you may not come into contact with on a regular basis (and shopping in the same store doesn't count). It isn't the language or political correctness that people get upset about, but the feelings of insignificance the language generates. What's required, and what's so hard to do, is to place yourself in the role of others, not just your characters, but your readers too.

We all slip up, the key is to remember the reaction, and apply it going forward (or better yet, remember it when crafting minority characters (men in nursing and teaching, in this case).

Invid Fan 🚫

@Banadin

"It probably redundant to call the nurse a male as he was arrested for raping patients."

Why? You don't think a woman would take advantage of a patient who may not be able to resist?

Replies: Switch Blayde Dominions Son

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Invid Fan

Why? You don't think a woman would take advantage of a patient who may not be able to resist?

Yeah, look at all the female teachers in the news lately that were convicted of having sex with male students.

Dominions Son 🚫

@Invid Fan

You don't think a woman would take advantage of a patient who may not be able to resist?

I'm not going argue that a woman can't rape a man in general.

However, I think it would be a little difficult with a female nurse and a male patient in a nursing home. I would think that any man in poor enough health generally to be in a nursing home would also be having a little trouble with the reproductive plumbing.

Replies: Switch Blayde Vincent Berg Bondi Beach

Switch Blayde 🚫

@Dominions Son

I would think that any man in poor enough health generally to be in a nursing home would also be having a little trouble with the reproductive plumbing.

He could be in the nursing home because he has Alzheimers. The problem being the mind, not the body.

Vincent Berg 🚫

@Dominions Son

I think it would be a little difficult with a female nurse and a male patient in a nursing home. I would think that any man in poor enough health generally to be in a nursing home would also be having a little trouble with the reproductive plumbing.

DS, while many have erectile issues (of both ages), you'd be surprised just how much does occur in nursing homes! The biggest problem with ED (erectile dysfunction) is diabetes, which affects the circulatory and nervous system, rather than simple age. Many of those in their 90s are in much better shape than the 60 year olds of my youth!

Bondi Beach 🚫

@Dominions Son

I'm not going argue that a woman can't rape a man in general.

Why assume that a female only rapes males, in a nursing home or anywhere else?

richardshagrin 🚫

I read the story and "male nurse" did not seem unusual. That the nurse was an RN would have been unusual. The vast majority of staff at nursing homes are not. Even LPNs are fairly scarce. Most of the attendants are minimum wage or very close to it who can't get jobs anywhere else. The work is very hard, with lots of back injuries moving patients, or turning them to help avoid bed sores. On the whole, males with more upper body strength would be better suited to the work than smaller females. I think males with RNs find it easier to get better paid jobs than in a nursing home.

My wife worked in Nursing Homes, not as a nurse, but in recreation, volunteer services and fund raising for many years. We socialized with some of the staff and very few of them stayed in the same job very long, if they could find anything else.

Amosbayou 🚫

unfortunately, when someone uses that all-inclusive generic sort of term it splashes all of us. Which is my objection. However, I love Ban's stories, and will probably cancel this thread shortly. Just that now i will refer to him as male Ban. Btw. I worked in a nursing home as a student nurse for about 3 months. I decided that before I did that as a career, I would sooner farm. Also the thought of sex in a nursing home makes me want to throw up, although those pretty nurses aides provided great fun!

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"male" nurses

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