A NEW LOOK IN PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING

A NEW LOOK IN PUBLIC HEALTH NURSINGAuthor(s): Dave McLachlanSource: Canadian Journal of Public Health / Revue Canadienne de Sante'e Publique, Vol. 63, No.6 (November/December 1972), pp. 527-529Published by: Canadian Public Health AssociationStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/41985684 .

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HEALTH TOP/CS

A NEW LOOK IN PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING1

Dave McLachlan2

Look in Public Health Nursing". I have never really considered myself a

trend-setter in the field of "looks" but I suppose when you consider it, I do present a new "look" as far as uniforms are concerned. The fact that my uniform is different is a blessing since I'm quite slack about shaving my legs and my knees are a bit on the knobby side.

As far as I am concerned, however, my uniform and physical appearance are about the only differences that I as a public health nurse present to the public. In performance and capability, I feel that I, or any other male nurse, am no different from those nurses of the female variety. But I'll discuss that in greater detail a little later.

In my seven years in nursing it has been my experience that when new acquaintances learn my occupation, they frequently react with anything from outright horror to hys- terical giggling. Invariably, the question "How did you happen to get into nursing?" arises. It would be very noble to say things like "I wanted to help my fellow man" or "It was my calling". Unfortunately, those kind of statements would be an outrageous lie. The fact of the matter is that I was a dirty old man. The idea originated one night dur- ing a typical dull session in the men's dormitory at Brandon College. These profoundly intellectual discussions had a

1. Presented at the 63rd annual meeting of the Canadian Public Health Association held in Saskatoon, Sas- katchewan, June 7-9, 1972. 2. Public Health Nurse, Buffalo Narrows, Prince Albert Health Region, Saskatchewan.

strange way of frequently focusing on the in- habitants of the nurses' residence at the Gen- eral Hospital School of Nursing. Someone mentioned the fact that there were no male students in that school and wouldn't it be great to enroll there - sort of become the rooster in the chicken house.

About a week later the Christmas exams rolled around and I was a smashing failure, so, acting on a dare from some of my ding- a-ling dormitory friends, I wrote out an ap- plication. I can assure you that nobody was more surprised than I when I was accepted.

And so, that following autumn, that vener- able school of healing arts which for 75 years had built its facilities, program and policies around females, opened its doors to its first and only male student. It was with more than a little nervous apprehension that I went to the school that day and the first problem I had to solve was how to fill out a form for physical examination that asked at what age menses had occurred. And you can imagine the confusion and consternation of the school's administrators when they pon- dered such world shaking questions as "What kind of a uniform will he wear?" and "Will he live in the nurses' residence?"

A little shamefacedly I will admit, it was my distinct intention to stay in the school only until such time as I was dismissed for profoundly immoral behaviour. However, fortunately or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, that did not occur. I was

527



only a few weeks into my course, when I discovered much to my amazement, that I really enjoyed it, did reasonably well at it, and made a decision to stick with it. Happily, and to this day, I still think I made the right decision; I do not regret it; and would do it all over again if I had the choice - only this time it would be with more honourable in- tentions.

My training years were good years although not without problems presented by my anatomical and biological differences. The maternity supervisor in our hospital was convinced that instead of the usual obstetri- cal and gynecological training block, I should be given a special course in urological nursing. Thank goodness she was overuled because I would likely have emerged a spe- cialist in catheterization, who thought that pregnancy resulted from man and wife using the same bathwater. Seriously though, my own experiences proved that male nurses can and should function just as effectively, and if I may say so, sometimes better than females when dealing with female patients. And 1 shall never forget graduation when, instead of the traditional bouquet of roses, I was presented with a magnum of champagne from the faculty.

Let me mention one particular occupa- tional hazard we male nurses frequently en- counter. Many, many times it has become painfully obvious to me that a large segment of the general population, and health profes- sionals as well, retain the stereotype of the male nurse as the swishy, limp-wristed fellow with the high pitched voice and the seductive walk. I will admit that there are some of the gay set among us - but so what! I regard a person's sexual preferences as his or her own business, and I defy anyone to show me a profession which doesn't have its share of homosexuals.

It seems I frequently find myself involved in discussion and debate as to whether or not a male nurse can do the same type of work as a female. I must admit I wasn't always

528 Canadian Journal of Public Health

sure of the answer to this thorny question, «especially in the cases of pre- and post-natal care, family planning counselling, gynecological nursing and infant care. I used to ap- proach these situations with a fair amount of trepidation and fear, but I soon discovered that the nervousness and awkwardness of the situation were more often than not, my fault and not the patients'. If the male nurse con- ducts himself with an attitude of impersonal concern, genuine competence and matter of fact professionalism, there is really no problem. I find that, in general, female patients are not embarrassed to discuss birth control techniques and gynecological symptoms with me. In the area of infant care, although I don't particularly shine at breast-feeding, 1 usually manage to put the diaper on the right end of the baby.

Are there any fields of nursing where a male nurse is actually better than a female? Well, in this age of mounting militancy in the feminist movement, I must tread softly for fear of being accused of being a male chauvinist pig, but in all honesty, I must say that in certain cases a male nurse is a defi- nite asset. And I hope this does not come off sounding like a lot of self-administered back- patting because that's not the way it is in- tended.

I'm sure you know as well as I that a goodly percentage of male patients, despite a façade of bravado and exhibitionism, are just as modest, if not more so, than women. These patients really do appreciate the services of a male nurse such as in urological or venereal disease cases. They feel as though they are talking to "one of their own kind" and tend to be a little more honest and com- plete in describing symptoms.

I feel too that a male nurse in the psy- chiatric field can often better handle a vio- lent patient and can usually establish a good rapport with both male and female patients.

I feel that a male nurse is a distinct advan- tage in public health nursing, especially so in a geographic area like I'm in in northern

Vol. 63



Canada. It never ceases to amaze me how many female nurses would be unwilling to travel when the temperature is colder than 30 degrees below zero. In my area this would mean the nurse would spend the better part of the winter in her office. And how many nurses would refuse to make home visits if they had to travel several miles by ski-doo or canoe or would appreciate riding in the back of a thundering beaver aircraft in close quar- ters with 500 pounds of fish and five quar- relsome sleigh dogs?

Now, please don't get me wrong. I'm not saying females can't do it - all the other nurses in northern Saskatchewan are females - and very competent nurses - every one of them. But I'm saying that due to the unique work and social climate and responsi- bilities involved in isolated northern commu- nities, males generally fit in better and are more adaptable to the situations which arise. And in the other situations I mentioned, I do not wish to imply that males do better because they are more competent or smarter - they do better simply because they are males.

My presence in Buffalo Narrows has given rise to some curious situations. In the north, nurses, school teachers and stenographers are traditional prey for pilots, RCMP constables and conservation officers. In that respect I have been a severe disappointment to the young single men in our area. I have also oc- casionally found myself called upon to pro- vide services not usually within the scope of a public health nurse. I have been asked to pull porcupine quills from a dog's nose, give rabies and distemper shots to dogs and I shall never forget the initiation I got to public health nursing in the north. I had only been at Buffalo Narrows a few days when I had to fly out to a nearby Indian reservation

November/ December 1972

to pick up an emergency case. While there, the chief introduced himself to me and asked if I would be willing to help with a particular problem the Indian Band had. Being young and keen, I leaped in with both feet and volunteered all my professional skills. What was the problem? Well it seems the band has a small herd of cattle and they had a bull who was in need of a minor surgi- cal procedure which I suppose would come under the heading of family planning. Well, having never read a nursing text which de- scribed that particular procedure, I grace- fully declined the chief's invitation to do the honours.

I am somewhat of an oddity to the natives in my area. Also, since any doctor they have ever known is male and any nurse they've seen is female, it only naturally follows that I must be a doctor. This is very flattering to me but also has given rise to the fact that they sometimes expect more of me than I am capable of or qualified to do.

In closing I would like to direct my words in particular to anyone in the health educa- tion field or the field of employment of health personnel. There is very definitely a place for men in nursing and I do feel that the masculine viewpoint and the masculine 'touch' will certainly add a 'new look' to nursing. A training school's program can usually be adapted to include male students without too much trauma to the old guard of administrators who believe that nursing is an exclusively female profession. And to those in the personnel management field, I would like to draw your attention to this fact - despite all the noise about equal personnel policies for both sexes, you will never have a male nurse demanding his privileges for maternity leave.

Health Topics 529



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A NEW LOOK IN PUBLIC HEALTH NURSING