6 replies to this topic

[NawlinsGirl]

In the healthcare system, nurses must provide everyday care to patients. Many of these caregivers deal with a common problem in the workplace, sexual harassment. While most of this harassment is from co-workers and physicians, a large portion comes from patients. A new study by a University of Missouri-Columbia researcher examined how these professionals handle these situations and the effect it has on job performance."

see article for more....http://www.endonurse.com/hotnews/5ah614505436035.html

[mattsmom]

Much of this stems from the mass media, who continues to perpetuate stereotypes of female bimbo nurses.
When I was young and gorgeous sexual harassment was a daily esperience. Now that I'm...ahem...'mature' it has dwindled to an occasional 'Look Daddy, you have a pretty nurse' spoken by a 30 yo to her 70 yo Daddy. I just smile and try not to be offended.

I still overhear young males complaining to their buddies 'Now why couldn't I have the pretty young thing as my nurse instead of the battleaxe' when I walk into the room. I usually say "I guess you're just lucky." rather than be offended; then try to educate them about our role. The mass media has perpetuated this battleaxe stereotype as well and its up to us to dispell their misinformation.

I experience more problems from male respiratory therapists and radiology techs who think because we are women they can tell us what to do; that they are somehow superior and have the right to talk down to us. A percentage of docs do this as well; less in my new job than in my last position in another state. I choose to be very assertive and in time this stops in most cases.

Every nurse should join the Center for Nursing Advocacy..an organization that fights media stereotyping by letter writing campaigns. Only when the public knows what we really do will they respect us...right now we are seen as handmaidens, somewhere around servant status, in too many cases.

[tracy9559]

i can't say i have been harrassed per se, but just last week i was helping another nurse, less experienced, to assist the docs doing a bedside trachy. and this extremely posh, always by the book, attending/consultant, called us "girls". as in "girls are we ready to proceed?" i was so offended!!! i think had i not been in shock i would have said "i'm 47 years old, i am NOT a GIRL!!!!!!!!"
sorry i'm here in england and losing my american terminology........

[NawlinsGirl]

HI TRACY,

YOU COULD HAVE REPLIED OK BOY LETS PROCEED (LOL)

[mattsmom]

Stereotypes are interesting...there is always a 'kernel of truth' behind them. and yes, there is always one nurse in a facility who has a bad reputation. It is much less, I'd wager, than the percentage of the general female population that sleeps around.

This mysterious sexuality that the male public likes to equate to nurses always has bugged me. Men love to fantasize and it seems the female dominated profession gets caught up in their collective fantasy life. I believe whenever we encounter it we need to dispel it. Its against the law for our bosses/coworkers to do it and we shouldn't put up with it from others either.

As I said previously, the public needs to be re-educated, and it needs to be done BY nurses as we are the only ones who care. As long as we accept sexual innuendos as part of the job, this stuff it will always be status quo.

[Abbeygirl]

Well I can't say that I have to deal with alot of sexual harrassment, unless you consider the poor drunk man who could hardly talk. He told me he loved me and wanted to marry me. Oh, well. In the area I work, which is Emergency Cardiac the poor men are more worried about me saving their lives than how I look.

I will have to admit though that I have gotten my share of compliments from male patients, but most are given in such nice ways that I am flattered rather than angry. It does let me know that even though I am a more mature nures (not saying older) I still can turn some heads. Maybe some of the heads I would not normally want to turn, but I treat one patient same as the other. Well about 99% of the time. After all I am no saint. Every now and then I will walk out of the room and shutter, but that is just between us, ok.