In defense of nurses

During a recent ambulance assignment, my partner made an offhanded comment that I found deeply interesting. He was telling me about his son, who is currently working full-time as an EMT but who would like to go back to school and "become a male nurse." My question is, since when was "male nurse" a distinct profession? He'd already told me this was his son, so why the qualifier?

Sexism lies at the root of this phenomenon. I have heard the phrase "male nurse" before, in a variety of settings, and almost always it is uttered with a hint of a sneer. Underlying this derision is the belief that nursing is intrinsically "woman's work." (Whatever that is.) We don't speak of "female bus drivers" or "female lawyers," and it is disturbing to hear nursing treated differently.

Nursing is a demanding profession that constitutes a vital component of the healthcare infrastructure. Often, the relationship between nurses and EMS workers is one of cats-and-dogs antagonism, but we're all on the same side in the end. Speaking disparagingly about nursing and associating denigrating work with females is a compound insult that reflects poorly on those who espouse it. I didn't say anything to my partner at the time, but now I wish I had. Ignorance and sexism unconfronted will not themselves dissolve.