Yesterday was my general hospital orientation, and today started the orientation for the nurses. Fifty girls and me. And I mean that literally, there are 51 of us. Just one other girl will be working on my floor, so I expect I'll never see most of them again once classes are over. Another group starts in another month, which includes most of the ICU units, so I imagine there will be more boys there. But still. This morning, one of the girls looked at me and all the other girls and said, in a very self-flattering tone, "Well aren't you lucky!". I was a perfect gentleman and laughed at her "joke". (Was she flirting with me? I'm not always good at picking up straight girl vibes.) Actually she was probably just being nice, I was just crabby because I'd just gotten poked with a PPD, which was painless but two minutes later inexplicably started to bleed all over my arm. Just obnoxious. Then practically every speaker came in and said "Good morning ladies...(long pause)...and gentleman!" Thank God I was an actor and don't mind always being the one-of-these-kids-is-doing-his-own-thing-kid.
My fellow alumni will be glad to know that while the building we were in was gorgous (I mean, it is fricking Georgetown) the room was about half the size of our classrooms at UNM. And problems with the overhead projector is clearly a universal problem.
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I seriously can't believe that you are the ONLY guy out of 51 people!?!? What the? I know nursing is traditionally a female profession, but I thought the tides were a changin'. I've been in and out of hospitals here in Pittsburgh a lot as of late. The boyfriend was in a motorcycle accident last Nov. They put him back together and everything is pretty good now aside from some permanent numbness in his foot. Anyways, in all that time I spend in hospitals, there were a ton of male nurses. I kept thinking you'd have a lot of male company when you started, but I guess I was wrong. Or perhaps, Pittsburgh is just WAY more progressive :) Good luck all the same. Oh, and yeah, she probably was flirting. I mean, have you SEEN you?! ;)
ReplyDeleteIt is an unusually small number. Male nurses make up 6% of the nursing workforce in the US right now. That means there should be two more guys in there with you. Or is it 8%? It's too early for this kind of math.... I'm excited that you're finally starting. Can't wait to hear how your orientation progresses.
ReplyDeleteRobb, I totally know the feeling. I get the whole "Hello ladies...um, and Colin!" thing, Allll-the-Tiiiiime. I guess fortunetly for me, I don't mind being in a room full of young, freindly, attractive girls. Yup, it's a tough profession. But someone has to do it.
ReplyDeleteThe other thing I get asked a million times is the whole "Do you have kids? No? Are you married? NO?!?!"-thing whenever a (girl)nurse see me consoling a little baby that won't stop crying/bradying/desating/nearly dieing. Is it too hard to imagine that a single, straight, kid-less guy would be good at working with babies/kids?
Like you, this is my favorite occupation. ofcourse, it is also my first and only occupation... but what other 24y.o. has a retierment account, health plan, shared security, and actual savings? Being a Nurse F-ing rocks.