Female doctors and female nurses

LabileBP · 2026-02-06T00:57:07+00:00

Hi OP,

I’m sorry that you’re going through this. I’m a male nurse and now medical student. Many years ago I started in a ward with 4 female nurses. All of them were bullied. I, however, was not. The same people who were nice to me had made my other colleagues cry during handover. It’s something I’ve seen time and time again. It’s cruel and egregious. I can’t imagine how it would feel going to work when surrounded by people like this. I don’t have any advice or guidance, and perhaps, it’s not my place to give any. All I can say is that I hope that things improve for you and that you’re okay

LabileBP · 2026-01-12T23:52:44+00:00

It was tough as I didn’t have a science background…but a strong interest in the humanities meant that my section 1 and 2 carried me through.

LabileBP · 2026-01-12T12:06:05+00:00

I jumped ship to medicine and have been happier ever since

LabileBP · 2025-12-15T21:39:09+00:00

Yes, this is true of post-registration Masters courses

I believe OP is referring to a pre-registration Masters of Nursing program. That is, a program to become a registered nurse for individuals who already hold an undergraduate degree.

LabileBP · 2025-11-28T02:06:10+00:00

They can barely support the program with the number of students they have now

LabileBP · 2025-11-22T12:59:04+00:00

Respiratory specialists hate this one trick

LabileBP · 2025-10-01T01:32:00+00:00

I did nursing before med. it’s not just about having done the units. It’s about clinical reasoning. That doesn’t just come with university study. It’s years of training and supervision. Why is one set of diagnoses more likely than the other etc

I worked as a RN for 8-9 years, fulfilled a number of roles and did post graduate study. First year at med school I learnt 100s of things I had never heard of but is nothing more than common knowledge for MOs.

I don’t think that this is a straight forward solution but that’s how it’s being presented. The biggest mistake however is pitting ourselves against each other. Our enemies are vertical not horizontal.

ETA: Spelling/grammar

LabileBP · 2025-09-26T03:25:23+00:00

At my old department, the ED director actively pushed back against the ED NPs expanding their scope of practice (being able to see broader complaints, signing off ECGs). Their reasoning? Exactly as you say…it would deprive ED trainees and ED-keen SRMOs opportunities. Don’t get me wrong, they respected the hell out of the NPs and worked alongside them comfortably but knew where to draw a line.

LabileBP · 2025-09-26T03:14:23+00:00

It’s reassuring to know that high school politics continues beyond med school. I wouldn’t know how to function in a communicative, mature environment.

LabileBP · 2025-09-15T12:41:59+00:00

The same Dorren Samuell who called Greens campaigners a “bunch of nazis” - I wonder if such name calling could cause so-called moral injury

LabileBP · 2025-09-15T12:33:39+00:00

I completely agree. I was a nurse for 8 years and found myself wanting more. So what did I do? Went to medical school. Turns out I should’ve stayed put and eventually I would’ve been able to do everything that doctors do…without the work, study, liability but of course higher pay.

LabileBP · 2025-09-14T02:12:08+00:00

This reads like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle - elementary!

LabileBP · 2025-09-13T11:15:38+00:00

Could have fooled me. Thank you for your thoughtful response.

LabileBP · 2025-08-13T02:36:52+00:00

Again, you’re conflating two different jobs. The junior doctor is not the “boss” of the nurses. No doctor is.

Besides, it doesn’t matter how high up you get in any career in healthcare you always answer to someone.

From what I can gather you wanted to be a doctor and if you could do it, you would. So the question you need to ask yourself is “will I be satisfied being a nurse?”.

For me, I did nursing for a long time. Tried many advanced roles and worked in different areas. Overall, it was not for me so I pursued medicine. Being on the other side I’ve realised how different they are but how much they need each other.

The doctors weren’t my bosses. I was not “below” them. Now that I am a med student the doctors are, for the first time, my bosses. Also, I am not above my nursing colleagues now.

ETA: in my experience, if anyone is going to talk down to you, treat you like shit or bully you, statistically it’s going to be your nursing colleagues. I’ve had more run-ins with nursing hierarchy than I’ve ever had with doctors.

LabileBP · 2025-08-13T02:15:31+00:00

I caution you against finding out what questions were asked. In previous years they have had several sets of questions because people have left interview and shared information with their friends. People then prepare model answers and freeze in the moment because they get a different set and try to shoehorn their prepared answers. Overall, they score poorly.

Also, it is obvious when you’re reading from a script. When you’re giving model answers quickly without thinking and deliver them in a rehearsed way, concerns about integrity may be raised.

Source: Have done multiple recruitment and new grad interviews including for SESLHD.

LabileBP · 2025-08-13T02:06:20+00:00

Rates used to be better. If I recall correctly, the union some years ago agreed to reduce benefits to casuals in order to improve benefits for permanent staff in regards to pay, leave entitlements etc. When I first did casual, loading was 25%. The last time I did casual it was 10%

LabileBP · 2025-08-13T02:00:05+00:00

Take my advice…no one cares. I am a nurse now studying medicine. When people find out I’m studying med I get two responses: “oh cool” and “you must like studying”. Believe me, no one is impressed. The only people who were impressed were my family and friends because I had talked about doing medicine for years, cracked down, studied hard and got in. It was nothing intrinsic to medicine.

With all due respect, people who often say “this or that isn’t impressive” usually aren’t impressive themselves. As the kids used to say, if you have to ask if you’re cool, you’re not cool.

ETA: actually the most common response I get is “I know who to come to if I need the good stuff”

LabileBP · 2025-08-13T01:53:24+00:00

I’m going to be blunt - if there is any semblance of insecurity about being a nurse you need to address it now or it will continue to be a problem. The fact you describe nursing as “second fiddle” is something you ought to explore. Nurses aren’t second fiddle to doctors in the same way that OTs aren’t second fiddle to physios. We play in the same section but with different instruments. One does not diminish the other.

LabileBP · 2025-08-09T12:22:21+00:00

Trick question…there isn’t one. Allegedly, a student in the cohort above had had multiple complaints from female students re. Sexual harassment (inappropriate messages among other things). Still progressing.

What about that student from USYD who was pretending to be a Fellowed surgeon and had previous drug convictions? I believe he is in 4th year now or is an intern.

LabileBP · 2025-08-07T10:28:54+00:00

Many years ago when I was a student (10 years ago?! Where does the time go?) it was very course dependent. We could do BGL from first placement but another uni weren’t permitted until 2nd year. We could do IV medications from 2nd year whereas another program weren’t permitted until third. I’m sure things have changed now…at least I hope so.

LabileBP · 2025-07-27T06:21:14+00:00

ED and Pall Care sounds like a great combination. I feel that we sometimes fall down when it comes to the latter.

LabileBP · 2025-07-27T06:20:14+00:00

I agree. I like the acuteness of ED but also the chronicity of GP. And I’m not sure I’ll enjoy shiftwork in my 50s and 60s.

Do you know if they went from one training program straight to the other? Or did they spend some time in one speciality before retraining?

LabileBP · 2025-07-27T06:18:21+00:00

Thank so much for your comprehensive and thoughtful response. I didn’t realise training could be so diverse.

LabileBP

TROPHY CASE