"My husband is a male nurse"

[chipmonkey]

Was said by a lady on a radio show the other day. Why not just a nurse? If he's her husband, the chances are that he's male. We don't say "My husband is a male software engineer" or "a male teacher". The debate was nothing to do with gender by the way, just to emphasise that in these times, there wasn't much money coming in.

'Male nurse' seems to be the official title if you ask anyone on this planet with a penis.

It's such a stupid and pointless classification.

Its like saying my wife is a WPC.

Ugh we have older men in our course who call us 'women police officers' instead of policewoman. But sadly the older men are very sexist and not interested, even though half the bloody lectures are about tolerance in the force.

All the children I teach who have parents who are nurses just use the word nurse, as do their parents.

Seems like an odd thing to say. Its hardly unusual to be a nurse who is also male.

All the men I know (including DP) will automatically say male nurse. At least it's not met with the same vitriol 'male nanny' seems to receive.

I always hear the police saying WPC, Are you a policewoman or guard Lurking?

I'm in training to become a policewoman. Still tossing up what position I want to try for, one of my teachers suggested being the policewoman who teaches police how to deal with female victims, another suggested being deported to Africa to help the child soldier/sex slave situation, another suggested I go to Africa BUT to help mothers who have been mutilated by war (breasts cut off, symbolic they literally can't feed their children )

Sorry to ramble I'm thinking out loud. I'm only in my first year so I have awhile to decide.

Oh Ok, saw you on the other thread and just wondered. Why Africa though, are you African or is that the place for police at the moment?

It's a place of interest for me. They're trying really hard to get new cops on the force, there's been a LOT of changes in regard to women, homophobia , accepting police thugs who bully people in the streets etc and they're trying to push the old school of thought out by encouraging all not just to become foot cops, but to find our niche, study more and be..Well, a lot more useful.

*Us all

When a man is a sister, I think he's called a charge nurse? If he is a matron, he's still called a matron . Why not have gender neutral titles?

Please correct me if the above is wrong, btw.

that makes sense lurking, if you dont want a rotten apple, pick one from the tree.

thats really shocking about africa ! the stuff that go's on in this world!

That's crazy. I'm surprised at the issues with your role Lurking. I work for the prison service and in the prisons I know there is just the role of prison officer, not female prison officer for women.

This is just my course, so I try to be optimistic and think they're there for being such asshats, but in Aus it's still only 40% women. Which may sounds like a lot but really it's not. We did a lot of lectures early in the year in Criminal Justice Administration about women not having a 'set role' n the force and how we're such valuable tools, all the usual PC stuff. A pleasant surprise twist was when my male teacher passionately added n how women are so needed to help bump up the abysmal rape report stats, and how he personally was so frustrated seeing 'fat old white men' callously not trying to relate to a young mixed race girl who is slinking away from him. What made him my favourite teacher was saying that all of us think..

"The police aren't here to rape the victim all over again."

If he wasn't a happily married adorable little man who reminds me of a hobbit, I may have developed a crush then and there!

Lemonturd

All the nurses I know at that grade use the titles 'charge nurse'or 'senior charge nurse'

The only time that 'sister'and 'matron' gets used is when people are having a bit of a laugh and being jokily over-formal.

When a man is a sister, I think he's called a charge nurse? If he is a matron, he's still called a matron . Why not have gender neutral titles?
Please correct me if the above is wrong, btw.

I've been a (male) nurse since 1990 and mostly just seen the titles of Student Nurse/Staff Nurse/Charge Nurse etc. regardless of gender. Can't speak for all health authorities/private hospitals/care homes of course.

In the early days there were still a lot of nurses in charge who were addressed as "Sister" but that has changed over the years IME. There were very few male nurses then and they were all called Charge Nurses.

I have on several occasions in my career been asked "So, are you one of those male nurses then?" It's usually said out of nevousness or maybe just for something to say.

Unfortunately it is waaaayyy down on the list of offensive things I've been called by patients/relatives over the years

isn't the term 'murse' gaining currency? And doctress?

fireice and pornmonkey glad to hear that's changed. Admittedly, I was going by what female relatives who are close to retiring had told me

That's sad about receiving abuse no one should have to put up with that.

I was at my own GP's today and noticed that the 2 Practice Nurses that work there go by the title of Sister. And colleagues have reminded me today that actually there ARE quite a few Sisters in our hospital, maybe it's through choice because some are called Charge Nurse. Matron has gone out of usage.

The abuse thing doesn't happen too much thankfully. Other public-facing jobs will have the same problem, sad to say.

I hear a lot of people talk about male nurses and lady doctors. It's as if people round here can't believe that people of both genders can do both jobs. I do live in quite a sexist area :( and am constantly having to challenge the ideas pupils in my classes have about 'appropriate' jobs for men and women. They mostly seem to think that boys become farmers and women become farmer's wives :(

My DP was a student nurse when i met him...as was i.

He went on to become a Charge Nurse.

I was a staff Nurse.

I would never have referred to him or any of the other men who were also doing their Nurse training as 'Male' Nurses anymore than i would ask for a 'Lady' Doctor if i wanted to see a woman rather than a man who is a Doctor.

I would ask to see a woman if it bothered me that much.