Nigerian Misconception of Male Nurses

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Kunle Emmanuel
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Nigerian Misconception of Male Nurses

Unread post by Kunle Emmanuel »

About Male Nurses, before moving to study Nursing science, seriously I never knew they were and there are male Nurses. Though before becoming a nurse I can mention how many times I've been to the hospital. I despised the smell of the hospital each time I visit the hospital the drug / antiseptic smell in the hospitals makes me nauseate then but with the few times I visited I've never met a male Nurse, maybe there were but I've always thought all females on white are Nurses and males are physicians (doctors). Although Nursing has long been considered as a female-dominated profession, male nurses are now proving that they can do the job just as well.

Their strength as well as skills are valuable in achieving excellent patient care. And just like their female counterparts, male nurses also have the compassionate heart to provide that tender loving care to their patients.
So how well do you know these unsung heroes of the Nursing world?
Getting into Nursing I discovered there are lots of male Nurses in Nigeria and the number kept on increasing.

Most of these male Nurses are not in the regular bedside Nursing room, Nursing being a career with pathways like every other profession, so many of them after their first degree or certificate in general Nursing has taken up specialty in core areas of nursing, you can find most of them around the Accident and Emergency room as Accident and emergency Nurses, intensive and critical care Nursing room as critical care Nurses, operating theater as perioperative Nurses or Nurse anesthetists. Although male nurses only make up 7% of the total nursing population, an estimated 41% of them work as Registered nurse anesthetists (RNAs), one of the highest-paid specialists in the Nursing profession.

You can also find them in the ENT (Ear nose and throat units) as Otorhinolaryngology nurses, you will find most male Nurses in the eye clinic as ophthalmic Nurses, also in the orthopedic units as orthopedic Nurses and Many others in multi-National companies as occupational health Nurses. Male Nurses are preferred in offshore Nursing vacancies than female Nurses, maybe the companies will need to tell us why they prefer male Nurses in due time because I want to work offshore too... There is money in that offshore thing abeg hain

Don't look at me like that, don't you like money too? And then you also find them in the military and paramilitary . I learnt that Male nurses make up one-third of the U.S military nurses. They outnumber the civilians who are within the remaining 4.9% of the population.

Lastly do NOT discriminate against male Nurses.

About 70% of the male nurse population consider stereotypes as their biggest challenge as nurses. Although they can be as caring and reliable as their female counterparts, male nurses still struggle to break some unfair misconceptions especially in Nigeria.

Most, if not all, male nurses experience unfair treatment from time to time from colleagues, patients and their significant others. These include being looked down upon by male doctors, who felt Nursing is cheaper to study (well I wish they could spare out some years too to taste Nursing studies too) and they (male Nurses) probably being unwanted in the maternity ward yet majority of the gynecologist (physicians) who do all the vaginal examinations during labour are men. Another challenge is friends as well as family members asking the never-ending question “Why aren’t you a doctor?” Because in Nigeria, doctors are rated higher than other healthcare professionals but not same can be said outside the country; long duration in the university, male chauvinism, government policies etc are all implicated as factors that have helped to pave the way for such hierachy in the healthcare setting in the country not about the uniqueness of the practice nor who does what and who does what not.

Nursing has advanced, Nursing is not cheap, neither is it free, Nursing is a unique profession very much unique and never the same as medicine.
For nursing to be classified as a profession sui generis it means Nurses were identified as providing specialized care and treatment based upon the principles of nursing. A nurse knowledge and the delivery of nursing care were no longer compared to the standard of an ordinary man or woman.

In the past, physicians or other health care professionals could offer their opinions on the standard of care for nurses i.e tell Nurses how to Nurse, No longer can physicians testify about the standard of care for nurses. Only a nurse is considered to have the special body of knowledge, education/training, and experience to provide testimony regarding what the average nurse would do, in developed nations this group of Nurses are Nurse consultants with doctorate degree in Nursing. Who scrutinize the Job Nurses do under the same or similar circumstances, for a patient presenting in the same or similar manner.

Today i celebrate all male Nurses and specially celebrate Nurse Aghedo Etinosa Princewill as you add a year to your years , wishing you a happy birthday and many more happy returns.

Celebrate him, he is an oracle in Nursing profession in Nigeria.

Written by
Ofejiro Praise Urhefe
Together We Light Up The Profession one candle at a time.
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