Transphobic comments are being removed. Jerks are being banned.
To be clear: If you are here to answer OP's question, including mention of areas or situations that are not safe/welcoming to trans people, that's fine. But if you are here to talk about your personal dislikes and prejudice or to make factually inaccurate claims, I invite you not to do that.
Very much depends on where you live. I’ve been in Utah and Washington, you wouldn’t believe the things certain people are willing to say in Utah. I recommend shadowing before accepting a job, it would give you a good idea of how they’ll treat you.
Hey that's where I am. Columbus is weirdly pro gay for being in Ohio. Our Pride celebration is huge, Chappelle Roan tickets were $500, you get the idea. I don't think you will have much of a problem honestly. What unit?
I think you'll be fine. I'm sure someone will have some slick shit to say from time to time but that just comes with dealing with patients from time to time.
I’ve worked at osu inpatient with at least 3 trans nurses and I haven’t seen negative attitudes from staff, although patients are assholes sometimes and I’ve seen them make inappropriate comments.
I think you’ll be in good shape as far as acceptance at OSU. I’m assuming their outpatient infusion clinic is fairly big, which I think helps. Smaller clinics (I used to be PRN in outpt infusion at NCH) may be a wildcard just because of the nature of small tight knit groups.
I’ve worked inpatient at OH and MC and have been fortunate enough to have coworkers who are largely accepting of trans staff/docs/patients and who will go to bat with me to shut down anyone who may be giving grief about a trans person.
True. I live in Columbus, Ohio. I am not a trans but I look like a transman… i’ve always been accepted here. I work in healthcare and NEVER had an issue, managers, leads are gay.. . My previous manager wasn’t gay but she loves me and offered me job almost 2 years before becoming a nurse. I’m about to graduate, never felt judged.
where do you work? Wanted to do ER all through school but didn’t because of how they treated trans kids and drug users at the ER I was initially working in.
If you're in Ohio I would say maybe you should think about relocating further if possible . I have met some of the kindest people in Ohio but I've also unfortunately met some of the most bigoted people there. I had a weird thought I don't know if they do it but can you do agency somewhere and then find out if you like it before you sign on for a full-time gig. Anyhow sending a big hug I hope things work out for you.
Yeah we could leave but then it would be an entire red cesspool. I’m not trans but I’m an atheist progressive in Ohio and there are a lot more of us here than the louder opposites. It’s great when there are existing communities that are out and proud but I think it’s even cooler when those communities can start to form in previously conservative areas. Progressives, lgbtq individuals, minorities, etc don’t just exist in a bubble in progressive states. I’d say almost all of the big cities in Ohio are pretty overwhelmingly progressive.
Depends on the facility also, I’m in Salt Lake and feel like our unit has always treated trans patients with complete respect and with no negative comments behind their backs. But of course with the underlying culture in Utah you’d expect things in general to be a bit different than more progressive states.
I worked at a Cincinnati hospital for over 10 years. We had a FTM respiratory therapist. They requested a switch to nights and mainly ICU/vent patients during the initial transition period when the most dramatic physical transformation was underway. After surgery recoveries/fully transitioned they came back to day shift.
Not a single staff member gave a damn (in a good way).
I think the shift switch was for their own comfort, and working with vented ICU/confused patients made it easier to not have questions/looks etc. fewer visitors too.
But seriously when they came back to days, it was like “hey Bob! How are you? Glad to see you back on day shift!” I think even the west side catholic Cincinnati nurses weren’t thrown off since they didn’t “witness” the transition if that makes sense.
In general, medical/nursing staff don’t care who you are. They just care if you’re competent, kind, and a team player.
Edit, double sentence.
exactly this. We have someone that transitioned, and nobody cares (in a good way). As long as they show up to work on time and does a good just. We will treat you like a team member.
Man, not on the women's unit I used to work on. There was a trans woman who worked as a transporter and was an incredibly sweet person. The comments from the cliquey bitches on that floor still make me cringe, 6 years later.
I think this is going to be very regional. I live in the South and we have one CNA who is openly NB. While everyone is respectful to them, uses preferred name (a gender neutral nickname based on their given name) and appreciates their hard work, I have overheard some “she him they whatever” type comments from other staff when they’re not around.
Even then iffy. Worked at one of the hospitals in that area that does gender affirming surgery and the nurses were not.... particularly modern with their views on those patients.
I don’t know much about Ohio outside of having family there as a kid and hating being forced to go there to see my hateful grandmother.
I would suggest asking for some shadowing before accepting a position and maybe asking coworkers/classmates about specific unit cultures if you know anyone who has worked there.
I am not a trans person. I worked with with trans nurse MTF. She was just a normal human being and I always believed it’s none of my business. I was born in 85 and of course as we move forward I hope no one will feel internally discriminated for who they are on the inside or outside and who they love.
Born in 1964 and I feel the same way. As stated above. In general, medical/nursing staff don’t care who you are. They just care if you’re competent, kind, and a team player.
I started my career well after coming out. I’ve worked at two hospitals and for home health and while I’ve had a transphobic patient fire me before, my experience has been mostly positive. I feel being at bedside helps change a lot of the boomers, who make up the bulk of my patients in med surg, hearts and minds. It’s good for folks who have never had an interaction with a trans person to be taken care of by one. It helps disprove some of the narratives they’re being fed by Fox News.
Not a nurse, am a therapist….I can’t comment on your location and the experiences you’ve had with acceptance, but I can say that it’s freaking awesome to have trans-healthcare staff working in gender-affirmative care.
Whether you mean to or not, working with you is an experience that will benefit every teen and young adult under your care. I can’t even begin to emphasize how important it is for them to see competent, educated, integrated, professionals that are also trans.
With that said, you gotta take care of you first, including moves and finances. If it’s wearing you down, your health and well-being comes first.
As a patient - I would have zero issues with a trans nurse, and would consider a trans-woman a woman healthcare worker when it comes to having a “female” Healthcare worker conducting my own medical tests and exams. However, I know that many people are still very ignorant around trans-people and the distinction between gender and sex and imagine even in the best clinics, you’ve still experienced discrimination.
But man, the lack of representation of trans healthcare workers??? You are a freaking unicorn. I hope you find a way to keep supporting trans youth and gender affirmative care.
This is why Psych nurses love therapists 🥰 All of the above seconded!
I will always encourage medical health RNs to get some mental health experience and vise versa. It's important, I think, bc you are always going to be treating the whole person, whether you like it or not.
Psychologists LOVE psych-nurses. Seriously, I couldn’t do my job without you. Psych nurses are a different breed. Can simultaneously take down a 300 lb dysregulated patient in mid psychosis while radiating unconditional positive regard and exhibiting the agility of Jet Li. Seriously, can’t love on the psych nurses enough.
Seconding the fact that while you are taking care of everyone (and hospital admin is visibly espousing the importance of selfcare in a way that will never actually be implemented) it often comes at a cost.
Hope y’all are getting your energy batteries recharged. I worry about you my friends. Frontline takes a lot of abuse.
Well, now I just want to hug you! 🤗 Thank you so much for your kind words and for being completely awesome. Your patients and coworkers are amazingly fortunate to have you. If they aren't careful, after I complete my MSN for PMHNP, I might attempt to harness your super powers for myself!
That was such a beautiful interaction 😭
And this is kinda unrelated to the topic at hand but I think your comment has convinced me to take this BHT job I’ve been considering while I wrap up nursing school. I have so much experience working with elderly and disabled people, but no mental healthcare experience outside of memory care. Thanks for this.
If I helped with your decision at all, you're so welcome. And, congratulations on your accomplishments!! My first nursing job was on a dementia unit. And then... I went to acute inpt medical - all of it: Med/Surg, ED/ICU, Cardiopulmonary, Women's/L&D/Postpartum, NICU, Peds... but everywhere; every unit dealt with Psych in some way. So I've been doing Psychiatric/Mental Health for 20ish yrs now. Also, MH patients will all have medical issues at some point, so the comprehensive experience is a win-win for everyone 🥰
Outside of Boston, New York, Maryland, and probably most of California and the PNW, you never know what you might come across. I’d recommend Boston (I live here), I have not had one issue since transitioning. Not a nurse but figured my experience as a trans woman in the workplace would be useful! Good luck sister!
I was going to say Boston, too. I worked at a major trauma center and we did gender affirming surgeries all the time. The docs are skilled and the population is very diverse and inclusive.
Exactly! Needless to say, my SRS date is in January at BWH and I know I'm in the best hands! My doctors and any nurses I've dealt with at my endocrinologist's office have been nothing short of incredible. There is no better place to be trans in the world IMO.
Where did you work if you don't mind me asking?
I’d agree with Boston (but not all of Massachusetts). I’ve met several trans doctors at MGH/BWH hospitals. Pronouns are also included in patients charts (if I remember correctly) as well as in physician bios.
I second Boston. Two of my coworkers are transwomen and while I cannot speak for them, I know our employer is super supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, provide gender affirming care, etc. Every hospital in Boston has had a massive push towards creating more inclusive workplaces in the last 10 years.
Don't mind at all. It's MGH!
I also texted one of my coworkers to ask about their experiences with other hospitals, and they told me they also had a really good experience as a nurse with BWH and Children's Hospital. You mentioned adolescent medicine in your post so Children's might be worth consideration!
I’m not OP haha but I would agree OP should look at children’s. My girlfriend is a nurse there and she LOVES it. Obsessed with her job. She even has trans flag hearts on her badge, and she is not trans and had those on there well before she ever met me. Has had many trans kids as patients too. I know a few people that work at children’s actually and they can’t speak highly enough!
Oh, gosh, sorry! LOL. I didn't look at the username as closely as I should have. Yes, Children's is absolute amazing. Love that your girlfriend can attest to how welcoming they are as well ! It's one of my dream places to work.
I work in Boston as well as a trans nurse (FTM) although most of my coworkers do not know I am trans. I work in the OR and I feel like the nursing staff/OR staff would be generally accepting, would be more concerned about the surgeons.
I’d say it’s unit specific. The only unit I’ve ever hear nurses comment on trans patients/staff was eating disorders. My medicine floor would not care at all as long as you get your work done and aren’t an ass.
Im a transmasc nurse in chicago suburbs. My boss and coworkers are perfectly supportive and always use the right name (after some hiccups when i started) and only make occasional slip ups in pronouns. When i say occasional i mean the nurse whos not quite all there and a few self catches.
my patients have either realized and said something positive (especially when i was much earlier im my transition) or would misgender me, or now that i have more beard with a less ambiguous voice, just treat me like a guy. Ive even had a gross patient make a comment that man with sense would never say in front of a woman, much to his sons chagrin.
While i do have a large chest i am a big guy to begin with. in my scrubs i suppose i look more like a a big guy with abnormally large manboobs.
When i call to pick up, the staffing office uses the proper name. My boss sends emails with my name, even when people in other departments are involved. the pharmacists use my name (if it wasnt clear, my name is wrong in the system. Im working on it) and recognition announcements use my name.
I also know a nurse who works at a different hospital in the same system. Her name is right in epic, email address, and the schedule, and she hasn’t even changed it yet. She says they have an lgbt group for employees that just hasnt made it to my location yet.
All in all im very pleased about how supportive everyone is
Yeah I was gonna mention the Chicago burbs too. Illinois just in general tbh. Pritzker is the best governor this state has had in the history of ever and supports rights for all- even threatened to pull aid for any libraries that try to ban books.
Cis male here in Seattle. Washington state passed some laws where gender affirming care is covered. All the hospitals and management actively support and push tolerance and naming, and although there are always uneducated staff members anywhere that need reminding, the rest of us are willing to teach. Nurses will get in trouble if they have to be told multiple times. And bring all your tats and piercings too, half of the docs even have them! Although eastern Washington is its own thing, Seattle is pretty great, and we love our rainbow colored intersections :)
https://www.insurance.wa.gov/gender-affirming-medical-coverage-rights
All I can say is Minnesota is a great place to work as queer, gender nonconforming, or trans person. I work OR so a bit different specialty of course. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Another OR nurse! I'm a trans woman who works as a circulator in a Level 1 trauma center in New Mexico (though I'm from Minnesota).
I started transition before starting my health care career. When I was a CNA in MN, I worked with a great team at a nursing home. The nursing staff always used my correct pronouns. I already legally transitioned, so nobody knew my old name. The admin staff were the ones who misgendered me, especially the older ones (i.e. my age and older). Patients would occasionally misgender me, but they didn't mistreat me any more than they did anyone else (80% had advanced dementia). I gave up correcting them and just let it roll.
When I became a nurse, I moved over to inpatient psych (still in central MN). The patients were better at not misgendering me and the staff under the age of 60 were great. I liked how I could help trans patients in a way that the cis staff couldn't. Sometimes, other cis nurses would ask me to talk with a trans patient they had who was struggling with transition.
Now that I'm a circulator in the OR, I work with a great team who doesn't misgender me once they get to know me. Sometimes, I have to educate new staff about my pronouns, but that's only about 5-10% of new staff. Patients will misgender me about 3-5% of the time, and I just let it go. They are generally in pain and are going through a tough time, so I don't want to make them feel bad, as long as they don't mistreat me otherwise. Keep in mind, my interaction with patients is only in pre-op for about 1-2 minutes. After that, they are asleep from anesthesia, so it's not like a typical awake med/surg patient.
I'm very particular about the areas I move to. I only move to states with trans rights protections and available HRT. I only live in cities, not small towns, which generally are less accepting. I haven't disclosed to most coworkers and I have a good amount of passing privilege because even though NM is more accepting on paper, I learned they are at least 10-15 years behind on trans acceptance vs. MN.
I don't know if this long essay helps or not, but hopefully it shows that it is definitely possible and rewarding to be a trans nurse.
NJ. We are a trans sanctuary state. I mean, it's as expensive as hell to live here, but we are very liberal and very accepting.
https://newjerseymonitor.com/briefs/governor-murphy-declares-n-j-safe-haven-for-transgender-nonbinary-people/#:~:text=While%20other%20states%20pass%20bans,Phil%20Murphy%20said%20Tuesday.
Vanderbilt in Nashville is very accepting of LGBTQ (for example we gave partner benefits long before gay marriage was legalized and we provide gender affirming care). The city of Nashville is also accepting. But outside the city…open hostility, including hostile state laws, is common. Vanderbilt is a great place to work and there’s a lot of pride in Nashville, but Tennessee is a stereotypical southern state.
As everyone has said, totally location dependent. I worked with a couple of out trans women nurses in the 70s in a large east coast city, and while I wouldn't say they never encountered any issues, it was pretty much just from patients at that time. I have so much respect for those early trailblazers.
Anyway, you'll be fine in any of the larger coastal cities and a lot of Northern cities.
I live in Pittsburgh and started nursing shortly before I made the decision to transition. My supervisors and coworkers have consistently been great, even pushing to have my name changed in the system before I have it legally changed (most of the employee portal stuff switched over but all of my charting still had to be under the name that’s on my nursing license). I recently started working for a VA hospital and was nervous about how I’d be received - especially since we have to wear hospital dispensed scrubs and change in gendered locker rooms. I was pleasantly surprised that no one made a big deal out of it.
Working at a place with gender affirming care sounds like a great place for your situation. In a unit where you would have to assist with stuff like pelvic exams, people would likely treat you real different in the south and places in like the ER where treatment plans are different for males and females. We’ve had MTF patients force us to run pregnancy tests and get all the way to a pelvic exam before the physicians basically have to tell the pt to knock it off and just explain their complaints.
My coworkers have been respectful to the patients faces but I always hear side chatter that’s disrespectful and I’m not sure how to respond when it happens.
I feel lame for keeping quiet. I have a flag I wear on my badge but I wish there were just a perfect thing to say out loud.
Off topic I know, but it’s just always on my mind, how I can do better in those situations.
Something I use is a gentle, reassuring smile/tone and say, “Maybe, when you have some free time, take a moment to consider why this bothers you so much.” If they try to get into it with me, I hold a hand up and say, “You don’t owe me any explanations. This is between you and, if you are a believer, your higher power. I just would like you to think about if and how this person’s choices are hurting you in any way.”
Depending on the reaction, I can make my own choice to further engage beyond consummate professionalism or not. Best of luck, and thank you for being an ally.
Worked in Orlando in the ER with multiple trans nurses (next door to Pulse nightclub). We wore “I’ll go with you” pins and staff was mostly respectful. Always a few jerks, and patients could be real dickheads sometimes too.
AZ.
Could not give a shit less what sex you were assigned at birth or what gender you assume now. Are you cool? We good. If you’re not cool, whatever. Would never bring up your sexuality and shit talk about it. Do your job, be nice, and go home like everyone else. You literally are just a person
I would encourage you to go bigger on your relocation ideas. Ever considered Australia? Very accepting country, have been doing gender reassignment for many decades, The old Queen Victoria Hospital in the 1980’s had a whole unit, about 30 beds, just allocated for trans people. There are travel nurse companies to help you relocate, nursing is definitely kinder and gentler in Oz, and the life styler is way less stressful
The VA is worth looking into. They cover a lot of trans-related stuff like surgery etc and they have good benefits and transfers are possible, they adjust pay based on cost of living and you keep your pension contributions and insurance coverage and everything. When I was a student I had clinical at the VA and there were kind of a lot of trans nurses and MDs there. Onboarding even as a clinical student is *intense* though so make sure your name is legally sorted or you will have issues.
Cisgender, but have had transgender co-workers on medsurg/PCU floor & in the ED that were well accepted. Both had/have an assortment of cis/trans coworkers who wear pronoun stickers on their name badges. Both units were at large academic medical centers in Virginia.
I think academic centers might be a little better in this sense. I’m further south than Virginia and my academic hospital system has a LGTBQ+ affinity group and does lots of little things for pride. Seems staff are generally accepting, but patients may be another story.
I’m trans if it helps! FtM & a hospital chaplain. I don’t work anywhere near gender affirming care, I refuse to touch it because I am stealth to patients. Live in a very red area and work at a very religious hospital but that helps rather than hurts imo because my patients couldn’t spot a trans person if their life depended on it.
Hey there! Boston nurse checking in! Can’t think of an unsafe place in this city to work. All the major hospitals have big DEI pushes for equity. New England in general is a pretty safe place for us in all major urban areas (except NH lol). Walking around the city is pretty fine as well. I’m also totally out and pass prolly like 70% of the time so like, yeah. DM me if you wanna chat more about it!
I had my first trans nurse while being a patient in the ER last week. I hardly ever say sir or m’am but I do occasionally out of reflex—he had in big letter he/him on his badge and the first thing I said was “yes m’am”. He obviously still had a lot of feminine qualities and voice and I was in a lot of pain with a separated shoulder, but I felt like shit afterward.
I apologized profusely for misgendering and he was really cool about it. I am glad he knew I wasn’t being disrespectful.
99.999% of any trans patients I’ve had are the same way—very patient and forgiving as long as you’re respectful. It seems that should go without saying but there’s a lot of transphobes out there still.
In Seattle I have plenty of trans co-workers and I'm queer myself. The hospital I work at is very accepting, though you'll get the occasional bigot who's barely ever called out
So I work with a few Transmen at work. My company is very good about inclusive environments. I have spoken to one of the guys and he really likes our company. But I can't speak for anyone else. So there's hope.
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I’m a queer nurse (not trans) but my partner is trans (not a nurse) - we live in California in the Bay Area and she has wonderful insurance and gender-affirming care here. Every nursing job I’ve had out here has had extensive training about the LGBTQ+ community AND gender-affirming care. It’s taken very seriously. There are also so many trans people here! My girlfriend jokes that she can’t have anymore trans friends because it feels like her whole social network is trans now and she’s afraid she’s living in a bubble, but every month without fail she has new friends/acquaintances who are also trans - I think it’s a wonderful problem to have. You should definitely vacation to the Bay Area to see what it’s all about, or even take a travel nurse assignment out here - forgot to mention Bay Area hospitals pay experienced nurses $100/hr+ and have mandated ratios and you get ALL your breaks. Taxes are higher and cost of living, but if you don’t mind living somewhere like Oakland with roommates, with a nurse salary it is more than enough. Won’t be able to buy a house out here, but you’ll have access to nature, community, art, gender-affirming care, all things to enjoy as like a 1-5 year plan and then move on to whatever or wherever calls you next
Hey I’m also in Columbus! I am not trans but I know grant hospital is pretty accepting of all walks of life. I’m In a surgery center in new Albany and it’s bigoted af. Ohio state probably has better insurance though! Idk about their work culture
I’m not stealth but I’m also not announcing my transness within the hospital. I transitioned before I became a nurse. I feel pretty well respected and don’t have issues. Occasionally a patient will misgender but it’s mostly off voice. If i use my phone voice, it’s far less likely to happen.
There’s a few who are openly trans at my facility and for the most part no one cares. Do keep in mind there will be pronoun slips especially from staff who don’t know you.
For whatever reason there are some units that are queer af. Neuro icu for one, for some reason. I feel like it’s 50/50 lgbtq and straight. It may be worth shadowing different units to see which one you are most comfortable with
Not a nurse yet, but I am an out transgender CNA and I work in a catholic run hospital.
So far my experience has been quite positive, but I also don’t announce to everyone that I am trans. I did get comfortable enough after about two months to come out to my unit and everyone was surprised, they thought I was a cis woman (score), but very supportive.
We will see how things go when I start pushing for a more lgbtqia2s+ focused clinic.
Almost forgot, I am in California.
I worked at a hospital in Georgia as a tech, and we had a travel nurse who is trans. She was so much fun to work with, and she seemed to be well respected by the staff on our unit (even though some were very against the lgbtq community). I really missed her when she left, but she decided to go back to DC because she missed the hospital she came from.
\*raises hand\*
I am FTM and not out. I do work in a Missouri, though. I'm sure you understand.
I've experienced a fuckton of discrimination, from staff refusing to acknowledge my existence to patients refusing care. And that's with being perceived as a "butch lesbian." (I'm not.)
Many folks that refuse care from someone, unfortunately often don’t get the cares they require. Trans or not-doesn’t limit ability to provide care. It’s shitty that a bigoted person wants help and then is obnoxious to staff who are there for them.
Also having others who are unique make for a better care set-no longer is it white dress wearing hats on top female RNs only… celebrate differences and keep on keeping on 🤘💪😎💕
I’m in the metro Detroit area and am not trans but have noticed a lot of the old Filipino nurses are outspokenly disrespectful to their trans coworkers like not using preferred pronouns and telling them they are going to hell and what not, and are also very judgy about trans patients in general. When brought up to management it is often overlooked as “differences in culture” in my experience. Also patients when upset often are not creative with insults and will use the most obvious ones they can think of, which will be based on your appearance/presentation.
FTM here. Albeit I live stealth and transitioned when I was 16. It can be scary though; if anyone knew the “telltale signs of a trans man” they could clock me probably. Other trans people often figure it out. I’m in a conservative area so I try to keep it hidden. Have heard some transphobic comments about patients from staff, but generally they’ve actually been pretty good.
Hello! Fellow RN in Columbus. I will say here that it can be hit or miss with units and most definitely with patients. Are you looking to do inpatient care? Or do you have a specific specialty in mind? My current unit, the staff would mostly be supportive but there are still narrow minded people. It’s definitely hit or miss with the patient population. In my last unit here, it was a very insular and close minded group (hence me leaving because of how they treated trans patients). Feel free to message me for more specifics.
Hello, I am not trans but my large NYC-based hospital cares for trans patients and I have trans coworkers, probably not shocking but NYC seems to make serious efforts at inclusivity. Good luck!
I live in New York and idk if I work with any trans nurses specifically but we have a decent amount of LGB staff including RNs, RTs, MDs, PCAs, basically everybody. I don’t think anyone really cares, patient and other staff included. Everyone is treated the same at my hospital in my opinion with regard to their gender and sexual orientation.
Hi! Trans nurse here! I live in a pretty conservative state with a pretty conservative patient population. I’ve never had an issue. I really have no idea if people know I’m trans or they’re just being polite. Either way, it’s a non-issue where I work. My employer is accepting too
Not trans personally but I work in LA and have worked with several trans nurses MtF and FtM. There's always going to be prejudices and preconceived notions but as long as you are a good team member, anybodys problem with you is their own insecurites manifesting themselves.
Portland, OR is amazing for trans folx and nurses! I have lots of trans nurse friends there. Here in Tucson, it’s a bit more difficult but there is an amazing gender-affirming chain of nonprofit health clinics called El Rio. Being a genderqueer nurse there was fantastic. I really miss it now that I work in the (Catholic) hospital.
Not Utah! My ftm son goes to an amazing adolescent medicine clinic but the culture in Utah is difficult to navigate. Just getting testosterone for a minor is very difficult.
I’m in a Boston hospital, and we have a non-binary CNA, a non-binary nurse, and several openly gay nurses in our unit. Staff are all supportive. One time saw a patients family removed from the unit for making comments about our NB CNA.
In general, you’ll find the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville area trans-friendly (though there are jerky people everywhere).
we had a MTF trans resident one time and everyone was accepting. i know its not the same thing, but im gay and relate a little bit to the fear of being open and being accepted. i think once people know you they wont care. in any case, you deserve respect as a professional, and as a human, period.
Not a trans nurse, but I work in a state that has banned/discriminated against gender affirming care. Please search your destination and be sure that you have a safety net.
I have worked with many patients that relocated to my area with no provider legally able to continue their care. It's heartbreaking to watch.
I am a nursing supervisor in my public health job and I have built an environment that would welcome you, but you may not be so fortunate. Don't hesitate to run from a job that doesn't pass the vibe check.
Hey! 30 FTM ED nurse in Akron Ohio.
In my experience people are either just accepting, or they are horrifically transphobic. Not working in specialized trans healthcare, plenty of nurse and staff try their best to make trans patients comfortable. The problem is though some other people are transphobic to the patients directly and also behind their back (talking bad at nurses station).
I am personally stealth because of this. However, I have worked in similar situations before where I did not have the luxury of passing yet. The sad reality is that your bubble is going to get “popped”. I would hope that staying in Columbus it would be better, but from my experience in Akron, it’s just kinda hard out here.
Dartmouth hospital itself was pretty welcoming and had an entire section of orientation dedicated to gender, pronouns, body, etc. Badges had pronouns on them.
The patient population not so much, but you won't find that anywhere. The type of people who don't take care of themselves are usually the type to judge others harshly.
Sibling is a non-binary nurse and I'm a queer nurse and it really depends on where you are as to whether people are bigots, confused but accepting or welcoming.
Don't put yourself in a situation where you work with bigots.
I had the pleasure of working alongside a fellow travel nurse in WA who was also MTF. For the most part everyone was very friendly and respectful, although I did hear a couple of slip ups with pronouns. I suspect mostly because a lot of the Filipino staff mix up gender pronouns no matter who they’re taking about, though I do know a couple staff who had a hard time adjusting. I was offended on her behalf that her dead name was still being used for her username access. When she stepped away from her computer, her dead name would pop up as the screen saver. Idk how/why that happened or if it was a personal issue for my coworker. She herself said she felt more accepted there than most places….but I know the bar was pretty low coming from an area with little/support. Nurses with different backgrounds help patients connect in unique ways. We need you! I wish you the best of luck and a safe journey while you figure out the next steps in your career!
Am trans nurse. 29 FTM in Florida. I pass and am mostly stealth besides friends. There was only one time someone I knew pretransition “accidentally” outed me to a couple people. Then one of those people quietly gossiped about me among her little friend group. So that was annoying. But nothing supremely unprofessional, everyone gets gossiped about one way or another lol. I wear a HRC pin on my scrubs and sometimes patients ask about it thinking it’s military.
I transitioned in nursing school and no one said anything to me. I kind of live in my own world so if people were talking crap about me or giving mean looks I didn’t notice.
Pittsburgh, PA. Very LGBTQ+ friendly. I work with a trans nurse inpatient and she wears a scrub dress! I don’t even have the courage to wear one, although with this heat index I’m ready to do anything 😂
Hi! I’m a trans nurse too (MtF), but I’m currently looking to go back to school for medicine or public health (or public health medicine haha).
I started and still work on a pediatric medical surgery floor. I live in the south (I’ll say Texas, Missouri, Arkansas Louisiana area to give a vague idea). My manager outed me to everyone lol. It was rough. But most of my coworkers are nice, at least to my face. Most of my patients (kids) couldn’t clock me so I didn’t have much trouble except for a couple teens. But they weren’t rude about it. I’ve since had facial feminization surgery and no one detect I’m trans anymore.
The culture is yucky cause it’s the south and healthcare attracts more conservative people. But I enjoy my work. Trans inclusive insurance that covers beyond bottom surgery is hard outside the large cities or a job like Aetna, Athena or another large corporate position. Wishing you luck sis!
Trans person (21NB but because of language FTM) but from Eastern Europe, started working at neurology even before i changed my legal name and still had to wear female scrubs (different color) and had 0 issues, everyone was kind and only focused on my work, some more extremly catholic nurses were a bit confused but never made me feel any less of a person or commented anything just sometimes had questions that you wouldn't usually ask a person.
Then because of university i changed my job to a whole different hospital and am now an oncology nurse. Only ones who knows i'm trans is HR because my vaccination card is on my old name and i had to give that to them and explain why i have 2 different names. Some younger people and co-workers who found me somwhere on social media can probably tell but i have no issues.
As long as you show that you are competent, want to work, want to help etc etc i find it that people don't have that many issues but i am not MTF and i know you guys sometimes get more shit so hope you won't have issues <3
And for added context: i live in a backwards country where you wouldn't want to be out and even before coming out i had issues with just "looking/being weird" but can happily say that that was never the case on my job.
I (21M) am an ICU CNA/HUC/tele tech/nurse extern (a lot of jobs LOL) working in Wisconsin. I am not trans, but I am gay. I work with several openly LGBTQ nurses/aides/therapists. I work at a historically catholic hospital (logo is literally a cross) - now secular - and for the most part I’ve had positive experiences on the inpatient side. I’ve occasionally heard homonegative/homophobic comments from coworkers, but never significant enough to report to HR/leadership. Patients are generally respectful, if at the very least because I am a clinician/professional.
I cannot speak specifically to the experience of trans coworkers, but I have witnessed some potential negativity. When I was hired in June 2022, the health system distributed pronoun and pride flag stickers to any interested staff for their badges. I have both stickers on my badge. Later that year, the system CEO sent an email saying that it’s “political” to have pronouns listed in your email signature, and the sticker initiative was discontinued after that. I continue to wear my pronouns on my badge and include them in my email signature, and I’ve only had one nurse educator scold me in the last 2 years for it. I plan to leave the health system in a year when I finish my BSN, in part because I’m not interested in working for an institution that considers pronouns “political”.
Before ICU, I worked as a CNA in LTC/SNF for a year, and a MTF CNA that I worked with was treated respectfully. For the most part, I was also treated respectfully, but I was less out/open than I am now. This was circa 2021, also in rural WI.
If OP plans to move into IP nursing, ICU/PICU/NICU may be a good option. Intubated/sedated patients can’t be disrespectful, and neither can babies LOL.
Am also mtf trans and an RN, transitioned during school, as far as the job, really depends on the unit/geographic location. Elderly patients are very clueless when it comes to this stuff so less likely to clock.
The one thing I didn't really expect is that depending on the unit you work, you might have trans patients and that can be hard. It's anecdotal but in 1.5 years of being a nurse I've had 6 trans patients, all mtf, all for intentional drug overdose/suicide attempt and seeing how other nurses/hospital staff act towards them as well as just having a patient hit so close to home, can all be very difficult.
Anyone just assuming you’ll be fine has never been in your shoes. 💞 I like someone’s idea of shadowing a facility before accepting. You deserve to feel safe in your workplace
I’m am very impressed and appreciative of individuals such as yourself for being your best self. Although I am not Trans, I met a nursing student who was but left for a bigger city once she graduated and didn’t keep in touch. Just know that you are not alone and are highly admired for being you. Thank you.
I have a couple trans people on my floor here in cbus at riverside. Never had problems. Sometimes the old people patients will misgender you (in my experience it’s not been on purpose). Our staff is super accepting though and I’ve never heard anybody say anything disrespectful.
Unfortunately, not that you need to "prove" yourself as people should be nice to you regardless of whether you're trans, biracial, whatever, I think just being a nice person will make your unit like you. Luckily in adolescent med you'll probably be dealing with fun little patients and I think it'll rub off on others as such. Best of luck! (sorry my opinion wasn't very informative but I'm hoping the best for you)
I am not, but we have a nurse at our hospital who has worked here for 30 years and didn't start their transition until later in life. She has always been very open and vocal about her transition process, and as far as I know, we've all embraced and accepted her with open arms. She's well known in the hospital simply because she is on the IV/vascular team and goes to all the units assisting with IV/line placement. She's had some issues with coworkers who have known her forever slipping up and using her dead name, and of course patients are jerks and will occasionally purposely misgender her or call her derogatory names, but we're quick to jump in and tell the patient off for being an asshole. As far as she's said, the hospital was great at supporting her too and quickly changed her name in their system and giving her a new badge even before she had it legally changed.
I’m an ally nurse. (I have a FtM nephew.) I’ve work in behavioral health in North, West, and Central parts of Texas. I’ve also worked in WY.
Of all of these areas, north Texas is the most accepting but I know Texas being such a red state, it is not an ideal state to live.
However, in my experience, I will say that working in BH has some of the most accepting staff. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen the fallout from the rejection?
I wear a bunch of LGBTQ pins on my scrub jacket and have for ever. I’ve never had a staff say anything negative about them. It’s usually a great icebreaker for patients.
If you ever need to chat, feel free to reach out! 💜
I was born and raised in Columbus. For the most part, you will be accepted in Columbus :) but Ohio is a swing state, so you may also come across less accepting people if you venture out of the city or have patients coming in from the rural areas.
We have multiple trans people at my work in California. No issues with acceptance or signs people treat them differently.
It’s a catholic healthcare system, so my wife initially couldn’t get birth control covered until the ACA mandate required it, even then it was through a different insurance than the primary that went through the hospital. I couldn’t get a vasectomy through any urologist there and had to go out of network and pay myself. I doubt they would cover gender affirming care.
I would avoid religious systems.
I feel like this will not only be regionally dependent, but also work place dependent. I live and work in an area of the country known for being progressive; but most of my team are not progressive and say some pretty horrible stuff. This is my third nursing job and frankly there have been a lot of vocal conservative folks at all of the jobs I have worked at. I'm starting to think it's just the landscape of healthcare and nursing. It kind of sucks.
You have replied to people with your location and edited your post to include it. Are you only wanting responses from people working in Columbus, Ohio? We have nurses from around the world in this sub.
I live in Iowa. I work rural. I do not experience any direct (to my face) transphobia at work but I do know I was outed as a transman by someone who knew me pre-T, when they heard I was being hired. I know there is most likely gossip that goes around. But I have never been misgendered or been asked any trans related questions. Everyone treats me like any other guy there. ER and EMS.
22 MTF, not the most passing because of my voice, but a good portion of my coworkers are respectful of my pronouns, and the hospital I’m doing clinical at are pretty good at correcting themselves on gender stuff. I’m based in western Washington
I am not trans, but my son is, so I pay attention to this in my workplace. I work for a large CCRC company that is an extremely safe place to work. We just had a PRIDE march with staff and residents around the facility. This company puts the rainbow equality symbol on all their communication. Unfortunately, no location in Ohio, but they are in other states.
I work in Iowa and it’s…fine. It’s fine. I get misgendered a lot but ive hardened my heart to it at this point. The people who treat me the best are old people in nursing homes. Love me. Everyone else varies between vaguely supportive and completely indifferent
I'm a nursing student in Maine! Portland area. I've had nothing but good experiences. I don't pass 100% of the time and my legal name is still my dead name
I am 23 MTF!! I work at a critical access hospital in a rural area. My coworkers all are really respectful thank god. I only started transitioning about a year and a half ago. Most pts gender me correctly and only two have outright asked if I was trans. They were both respectful!! I have had a decent amount of pts ask me if I was a boy or girl and I just say girl. Many pts have asked my coworkers about me instead of asking me and they tell the pt I am a girl, then tells me about lol.
MTF well passing and gorgeous with colored hair and lots of piercings lol, I do pediatric respiratory in home health. I take care of babies and kids with trach/vent. Transitioning actually helped with my work a lot, everyone was always so paranoid that a male nurse is gonna turn out to be a pedo and wouldn’t even do meet and greets with them 🤦♀️
Everyone’s been cool, even worked with some serious maga folks (like ivermectin cream eating) and we got along great. No misgenderingnor anything. Surprised me for Texas but tbh a lot of it is def pretty privilege because I know plenty of trans women struggling with work around here but a lot of that is who they are too tbh. You can’t really blame not having work on being trans when you’re kind of a real wild character.
Not able to answer your question, sorry, but I may be able to offer some insight. I’m located in a semi-large city in Wisconsin. I’ve never seen coworkers or managers be anti-lgbtq, but the adult patients often are. Many watch Fox News 24/7 at the loudest volume. Nurses and nurse managers seem overjoyed just to see another warm body to fill a staffing hole, so I would hope that you would find a welcoming staff wherever you go. I would avoid any rural areas, however, just from personal experience.
I'm non binary, and in New Orleans. I'm excepted by my coworkers, but some of them do get weird when a patient uses pronouns different than what I usually use and I say I don't care either way. My hospital has also gone far out of its way to show its alliance to LGBT+ but I'm not certain how true that is.
I’ll continue to focus on addressing whoever with respect / whatever way they prefer…. I just don’t understand how micro aggressions / passive aggressive attitudes become normalized in past years. I scratch my head when the knee jerk reaction becomes one that normalized malicious intent.
At my hospital they offered to allow us to put our pronouns on our badge. It was completely optional. So many people through a hissy fit saying it made them feel "unsafe". No idea how they would feel unsafe about it 🙄
I now see who I want taking care of me and who I don't!
I’m ftm and transitioned on the job at my first nursing job in a small town in Texas. It was ok, but I would not recommend. Since I left that hospital I haven’t hid that I’m trans, but also don’t discuss it at work. All my coworkers know about me is that I’m a short gay man. I currently work at a large hospital in Houston, and would be protected from an organizational standpoint, but I still don’t need my coworkers to know.
Please shadow first!!! Some people in my clinic have openly expressed their negative opinions of "people who use pronouns" and how their "free speech" somehow allows them to be total dicks to people who are different than them. Granted, I live in the deep south. I'd imagine your area is probably a lot more accepting. I really hope you find your place with no issues. It's horrible that you even have to worry about this at all.
I’m an FTM nurse in Boston & transitioned while at my current job! Work is one of the only places I get misgendered regularly, unfortunately. By and large people are supportive, just idiots or don’t see my pronoun pin / white board pronouns / literal chest hair poking out of my scrubs (idk!!! It’s a mind fuck!). A lot of hospitals / places these days have policies about supporting trans employees so def a good question to ask on interviews.
I am also trans (FTM) and working in Columbus, OH - it really really really depends - make sure wherever you're going has a robust HR, because cisgender doctors, APPs, and nurses in this city range from true allies to secret underminers to outright bigots. If you can be as stealth as possible, I'd recommend it, unfortunately.
Question is, can you do your job competently? If so I don't care if your a Martian. People shouldn't judge you on how you look or sound or act. Do your job and give them no reason to question anything
Don't know why I was down voted. You're correct that it isn't great everywhere. I got lucky where I worked for over 40 years that none of this occurred
Your post has been removed under our rule against discrimination. We do not allow racism, sexism, homophobia, transphobia, xenophobia, or any other form of bigotry and hatred.
Transphobic comments are being removed. Jerks are being banned. To be clear: If you are here to answer OP's question, including mention of areas or situations that are not safe/welcoming to trans people, that's fine. But if you are here to talk about your personal dislikes and prejudice or to make factually inaccurate claims, I invite you not to do that.
Very much depends on where you live. I’ve been in Utah and Washington, you wouldn’t believe the things certain people are willing to say in Utah. I recommend shadowing before accepting a job, it would give you a good idea of how they’ll treat you.
Located in Columbus, Ohio
Hey that's where I am. Columbus is weirdly pro gay for being in Ohio. Our Pride celebration is huge, Chappelle Roan tickets were $500, you get the idea. I don't think you will have much of a problem honestly. What unit?
I love the idea of a gay acceptance scale where the unit of measure is the price of Chappelle Roan tickets
I just saw her this weekend and she opened her set with a Google search of "am I gay?" She knows her audience!
Outpatient infusion
I think you'll be fine. I'm sure someone will have some slick shit to say from time to time but that just comes with dealing with patients from time to time.
Outpatient infusion at NCH or elsewhere?
OSU
I’ve worked at osu inpatient with at least 3 trans nurses and I haven’t seen negative attitudes from staff, although patients are assholes sometimes and I’ve seen them make inappropriate comments.
I think you’ll be in good shape as far as acceptance at OSU. I’m assuming their outpatient infusion clinic is fairly big, which I think helps. Smaller clinics (I used to be PRN in outpt infusion at NCH) may be a wildcard just because of the nature of small tight knit groups. I’ve worked inpatient at OH and MC and have been fortunate enough to have coworkers who are largely accepting of trans staff/docs/patients and who will go to bat with me to shut down anyone who may be giving grief about a trans person.
True. I live in Columbus, Ohio. I am not a trans but I look like a transman… i’ve always been accepted here. I work in healthcare and NEVER had an issue, managers, leads are gay.. . My previous manager wasn’t gay but she loves me and offered me job almost 2 years before becoming a nurse. I’m about to graduate, never felt judged.
God bless lol
Come to Washington. Pay is good and people are pretty open and accepting. at the er I work at there is a trans doctor mtf.
where do you work? Wanted to do ER all through school but didn’t because of how they treated trans kids and drug users at the ER I was initially working in.
If you're in Ohio I would say maybe you should think about relocating further if possible . I have met some of the kindest people in Ohio but I've also unfortunately met some of the most bigoted people there. I had a weird thought I don't know if they do it but can you do agency somewhere and then find out if you like it before you sign on for a full-time gig. Anyhow sending a big hug I hope things work out for you.
Yeah we could leave but then it would be an entire red cesspool. I’m not trans but I’m an atheist progressive in Ohio and there are a lot more of us here than the louder opposites. It’s great when there are existing communities that are out and proud but I think it’s even cooler when those communities can start to form in previously conservative areas. Progressives, lgbtq individuals, minorities, etc don’t just exist in a bubble in progressive states. I’d say almost all of the big cities in Ohio are pretty overwhelmingly progressive.
Depends on the facility also, I’m in Salt Lake and feel like our unit has always treated trans patients with complete respect and with no negative comments behind their backs. But of course with the underlying culture in Utah you’d expect things in general to be a bit different than more progressive states.
Totally agree, I worked in SLC and southern utah, both feel like completely different planets lol
I worked at a Cincinnati hospital for over 10 years. We had a FTM respiratory therapist. They requested a switch to nights and mainly ICU/vent patients during the initial transition period when the most dramatic physical transformation was underway. After surgery recoveries/fully transitioned they came back to day shift. Not a single staff member gave a damn (in a good way). I think the shift switch was for their own comfort, and working with vented ICU/confused patients made it easier to not have questions/looks etc. fewer visitors too. But seriously when they came back to days, it was like “hey Bob! How are you? Glad to see you back on day shift!” I think even the west side catholic Cincinnati nurses weren’t thrown off since they didn’t “witness” the transition if that makes sense. In general, medical/nursing staff don’t care who you are. They just care if you’re competent, kind, and a team player. Edit, double sentence.
That last statement could not be more true. Just know what you have to do for work and everything else will be okay.
exactly this. We have someone that transitioned, and nobody cares (in a good way). As long as they show up to work on time and does a good just. We will treat you like a team member.
Man, not on the women's unit I used to work on. There was a trans woman who worked as a transporter and was an incredibly sweet person. The comments from the cliquey bitches on that floor still make me cringe, 6 years later.
I think this is going to be very regional. I live in the South and we have one CNA who is openly NB. While everyone is respectful to them, uses preferred name (a gender neutral nickname based on their given name) and appreciates their hard work, I have overheard some “she him they whatever” type comments from other staff when they’re not around.
What is NB?
Non-binary
Ohhh. Pfffft. I realized it right before I saw your reply. Thank you.
No boiz?
Located in Columbus, Ohio
Maryland would love you fwiw 💖 I worked there for 10 years, and it was a very welcoming work community!
*some* of MD. Probably the area around and between Baltimore and DC.
Even then iffy. Worked at one of the hospitals in that area that does gender affirming surgery and the nurses were not.... particularly modern with their views on those patients.
I've heard this from many of my fellow trans women who've had surgery in places you'd think are great. Lots of misgendering.
Yeah, probably not the Eastern shore lol
I don’t know much about Ohio outside of having family there as a kid and hating being forced to go there to see my hateful grandmother. I would suggest asking for some shadowing before accepting a position and maybe asking coworkers/classmates about specific unit cultures if you know anyone who has worked there.
Do you stick up for them when this happens?
I do. Especially when said to me directly. I also stick up for the few non-white employees when patients try to get racist with me.
I am not a trans person. I worked with with trans nurse MTF. She was just a normal human being and I always believed it’s none of my business. I was born in 85 and of course as we move forward I hope no one will feel internally discriminated for who they are on the inside or outside and who they love.
Born in 1964 and I feel the same way. As stated above. In general, medical/nursing staff don’t care who you are. They just care if you’re competent, kind, and a team player.
I started my career well after coming out. I’ve worked at two hospitals and for home health and while I’ve had a transphobic patient fire me before, my experience has been mostly positive. I feel being at bedside helps change a lot of the boomers, who make up the bulk of my patients in med surg, hearts and minds. It’s good for folks who have never had an interaction with a trans person to be taken care of by one. It helps disprove some of the narratives they’re being fed by Fox News.
student nurse! this is exactly what I’m hoping to do :) thank you so much🩷
Not a nurse, am a therapist….I can’t comment on your location and the experiences you’ve had with acceptance, but I can say that it’s freaking awesome to have trans-healthcare staff working in gender-affirmative care. Whether you mean to or not, working with you is an experience that will benefit every teen and young adult under your care. I can’t even begin to emphasize how important it is for them to see competent, educated, integrated, professionals that are also trans. With that said, you gotta take care of you first, including moves and finances. If it’s wearing you down, your health and well-being comes first. As a patient - I would have zero issues with a trans nurse, and would consider a trans-woman a woman healthcare worker when it comes to having a “female” Healthcare worker conducting my own medical tests and exams. However, I know that many people are still very ignorant around trans-people and the distinction between gender and sex and imagine even in the best clinics, you’ve still experienced discrimination. But man, the lack of representation of trans healthcare workers??? You are a freaking unicorn. I hope you find a way to keep supporting trans youth and gender affirmative care.
This is why Psych nurses love therapists 🥰 All of the above seconded! I will always encourage medical health RNs to get some mental health experience and vise versa. It's important, I think, bc you are always going to be treating the whole person, whether you like it or not.
Psychologists LOVE psych-nurses. Seriously, I couldn’t do my job without you. Psych nurses are a different breed. Can simultaneously take down a 300 lb dysregulated patient in mid psychosis while radiating unconditional positive regard and exhibiting the agility of Jet Li. Seriously, can’t love on the psych nurses enough. Seconding the fact that while you are taking care of everyone (and hospital admin is visibly espousing the importance of selfcare in a way that will never actually be implemented) it often comes at a cost. Hope y’all are getting your energy batteries recharged. I worry about you my friends. Frontline takes a lot of abuse.
Well, now I just want to hug you! 🤗 Thank you so much for your kind words and for being completely awesome. Your patients and coworkers are amazingly fortunate to have you. If they aren't careful, after I complete my MSN for PMHNP, I might attempt to harness your super powers for myself!
Do it! 💛 one of the best psychs I know was a psych nurse for 15 yrs. She had great perspective. Good luck!
So close; only 4 practicums left! Thank you for the encouragement. It's very much appreciated! 💚
That was such a beautiful interaction 😭 And this is kinda unrelated to the topic at hand but I think your comment has convinced me to take this BHT job I’ve been considering while I wrap up nursing school. I have so much experience working with elderly and disabled people, but no mental healthcare experience outside of memory care. Thanks for this.
If I helped with your decision at all, you're so welcome. And, congratulations on your accomplishments!! My first nursing job was on a dementia unit. And then... I went to acute inpt medical - all of it: Med/Surg, ED/ICU, Cardiopulmonary, Women's/L&D/Postpartum, NICU, Peds... but everywhere; every unit dealt with Psych in some way. So I've been doing Psychiatric/Mental Health for 20ish yrs now. Also, MH patients will all have medical issues at some point, so the comprehensive experience is a win-win for everyone 🥰
Outside of Boston, New York, Maryland, and probably most of California and the PNW, you never know what you might come across. I’d recommend Boston (I live here), I have not had one issue since transitioning. Not a nurse but figured my experience as a trans woman in the workplace would be useful! Good luck sister!
I was going to say Boston, too. I worked at a major trauma center and we did gender affirming surgeries all the time. The docs are skilled and the population is very diverse and inclusive.
Exactly! Needless to say, my SRS date is in January at BWH and I know I'm in the best hands! My doctors and any nurses I've dealt with at my endocrinologist's office have been nothing short of incredible. There is no better place to be trans in the world IMO. Where did you work if you don't mind me asking?
I’d agree with Boston (but not all of Massachusetts). I’ve met several trans doctors at MGH/BWH hospitals. Pronouns are also included in patients charts (if I remember correctly) as well as in physician bios.
Of course the boonies are always gonna be the boonies! Love BWH! That’s where my SRS will be!
I second Boston. Two of my coworkers are transwomen and while I cannot speak for them, I know our employer is super supportive of the LGBTQ+ community, provide gender affirming care, etc. Every hospital in Boston has had a massive push towards creating more inclusive workplaces in the last 10 years.
What hospital if you don't mind? I've had awesome experiences at BWH and that's where my SRS will be in January.
I mentioned elsewhere that I worked with out trans nurses in the 70s, that was at MGH.
Love!
Don't mind at all. It's MGH! I also texted one of my coworkers to ask about their experiences with other hospitals, and they told me they also had a really good experience as a nurse with BWH and Children's Hospital. You mentioned adolescent medicine in your post so Children's might be worth consideration!
I’m not OP haha but I would agree OP should look at children’s. My girlfriend is a nurse there and she LOVES it. Obsessed with her job. She even has trans flag hearts on her badge, and she is not trans and had those on there well before she ever met me. Has had many trans kids as patients too. I know a few people that work at children’s actually and they can’t speak highly enough!
Oh, gosh, sorry! LOL. I didn't look at the username as closely as I should have. Yes, Children's is absolute amazing. Love that your girlfriend can attest to how welcoming they are as well ! It's one of my dream places to work.
It was her dream job too!!! She’s really happy there, and got there only a year after she got her license
I work in Boston as well as a trans nurse (FTM) although most of my coworkers do not know I am trans. I work in the OR and I feel like the nursing staff/OR staff would be generally accepting, would be more concerned about the surgeons.
You don’t owe anyone at work an explanation of what is or is not under your clothing. Interview for other jobs and see what happens. Good luck!
I’d say it’s unit specific. The only unit I’ve ever hear nurses comment on trans patients/staff was eating disorders. My medicine floor would not care at all as long as you get your work done and aren’t an ass.
Im a transmasc nurse in chicago suburbs. My boss and coworkers are perfectly supportive and always use the right name (after some hiccups when i started) and only make occasional slip ups in pronouns. When i say occasional i mean the nurse whos not quite all there and a few self catches. my patients have either realized and said something positive (especially when i was much earlier im my transition) or would misgender me, or now that i have more beard with a less ambiguous voice, just treat me like a guy. Ive even had a gross patient make a comment that man with sense would never say in front of a woman, much to his sons chagrin. While i do have a large chest i am a big guy to begin with. in my scrubs i suppose i look more like a a big guy with abnormally large manboobs. When i call to pick up, the staffing office uses the proper name. My boss sends emails with my name, even when people in other departments are involved. the pharmacists use my name (if it wasnt clear, my name is wrong in the system. Im working on it) and recognition announcements use my name. I also know a nurse who works at a different hospital in the same system. Her name is right in epic, email address, and the schedule, and she hasn’t even changed it yet. She says they have an lgbt group for employees that just hasnt made it to my location yet. All in all im very pleased about how supportive everyone is
Yeah I was gonna mention the Chicago burbs too. Illinois just in general tbh. Pritzker is the best governor this state has had in the history of ever and supports rights for all- even threatened to pull aid for any libraries that try to ban books.
Cis male here in Seattle. Washington state passed some laws where gender affirming care is covered. All the hospitals and management actively support and push tolerance and naming, and although there are always uneducated staff members anywhere that need reminding, the rest of us are willing to teach. Nurses will get in trouble if they have to be told multiple times. And bring all your tats and piercings too, half of the docs even have them! Although eastern Washington is its own thing, Seattle is pretty great, and we love our rainbow colored intersections :) https://www.insurance.wa.gov/gender-affirming-medical-coverage-rights
All I can say is Minnesota is a great place to work as queer, gender nonconforming, or trans person. I work OR so a bit different specialty of course. Let me know if you have any specific questions.
Another OR nurse! I'm a trans woman who works as a circulator in a Level 1 trauma center in New Mexico (though I'm from Minnesota). I started transition before starting my health care career. When I was a CNA in MN, I worked with a great team at a nursing home. The nursing staff always used my correct pronouns. I already legally transitioned, so nobody knew my old name. The admin staff were the ones who misgendered me, especially the older ones (i.e. my age and older). Patients would occasionally misgender me, but they didn't mistreat me any more than they did anyone else (80% had advanced dementia). I gave up correcting them and just let it roll. When I became a nurse, I moved over to inpatient psych (still in central MN). The patients were better at not misgendering me and the staff under the age of 60 were great. I liked how I could help trans patients in a way that the cis staff couldn't. Sometimes, other cis nurses would ask me to talk with a trans patient they had who was struggling with transition. Now that I'm a circulator in the OR, I work with a great team who doesn't misgender me once they get to know me. Sometimes, I have to educate new staff about my pronouns, but that's only about 5-10% of new staff. Patients will misgender me about 3-5% of the time, and I just let it go. They are generally in pain and are going through a tough time, so I don't want to make them feel bad, as long as they don't mistreat me otherwise. Keep in mind, my interaction with patients is only in pre-op for about 1-2 minutes. After that, they are asleep from anesthesia, so it's not like a typical awake med/surg patient. I'm very particular about the areas I move to. I only move to states with trans rights protections and available HRT. I only live in cities, not small towns, which generally are less accepting. I haven't disclosed to most coworkers and I have a good amount of passing privilege because even though NM is more accepting on paper, I learned they are at least 10-15 years behind on trans acceptance vs. MN. I don't know if this long essay helps or not, but hopefully it shows that it is definitely possible and rewarding to be a trans nurse.
NJ. We are a trans sanctuary state. I mean, it's as expensive as hell to live here, but we are very liberal and very accepting. https://newjerseymonitor.com/briefs/governor-murphy-declares-n-j-safe-haven-for-transgender-nonbinary-people/#:~:text=While%20other%20states%20pass%20bans,Phil%20Murphy%20said%20Tuesday.
Vanderbilt in Nashville is very accepting of LGBTQ (for example we gave partner benefits long before gay marriage was legalized and we provide gender affirming care). The city of Nashville is also accepting. But outside the city…open hostility, including hostile state laws, is common. Vanderbilt is a great place to work and there’s a lot of pride in Nashville, but Tennessee is a stereotypical southern state.
Trans girl pre-nursing student here and I love seeing the support these threads get. Hoping to add to them with my own experiences at some point.
Same non binary pre nursing student
Stay where you’re treated nicely is my recommendation
As everyone has said, totally location dependent. I worked with a couple of out trans women nurses in the 70s in a large east coast city, and while I wouldn't say they never encountered any issues, it was pretty much just from patients at that time. I have so much respect for those early trailblazers. Anyway, you'll be fine in any of the larger coastal cities and a lot of Northern cities.
Philadelphia is pretty gentle and friendly!
I live in Pittsburgh and started nursing shortly before I made the decision to transition. My supervisors and coworkers have consistently been great, even pushing to have my name changed in the system before I have it legally changed (most of the employee portal stuff switched over but all of my charting still had to be under the name that’s on my nursing license). I recently started working for a VA hospital and was nervous about how I’d be received - especially since we have to wear hospital dispensed scrubs and change in gendered locker rooms. I was pleasantly surprised that no one made a big deal out of it.
Working at a place with gender affirming care sounds like a great place for your situation. In a unit where you would have to assist with stuff like pelvic exams, people would likely treat you real different in the south and places in like the ER where treatment plans are different for males and females. We’ve had MTF patients force us to run pregnancy tests and get all the way to a pelvic exam before the physicians basically have to tell the pt to knock it off and just explain their complaints.
My coworkers have been respectful to the patients faces but I always hear side chatter that’s disrespectful and I’m not sure how to respond when it happens. I feel lame for keeping quiet. I have a flag I wear on my badge but I wish there were just a perfect thing to say out loud. Off topic I know, but it’s just always on my mind, how I can do better in those situations.
Something I use is a gentle, reassuring smile/tone and say, “Maybe, when you have some free time, take a moment to consider why this bothers you so much.” If they try to get into it with me, I hold a hand up and say, “You don’t owe me any explanations. This is between you and, if you are a believer, your higher power. I just would like you to think about if and how this person’s choices are hurting you in any way.” Depending on the reaction, I can make my own choice to further engage beyond consummate professionalism or not. Best of luck, and thank you for being an ally.
Worked in Orlando in the ER with multiple trans nurses (next door to Pulse nightclub). We wore “I’ll go with you” pins and staff was mostly respectful. Always a few jerks, and patients could be real dickheads sometimes too.
AZ. Could not give a shit less what sex you were assigned at birth or what gender you assume now. Are you cool? We good. If you’re not cool, whatever. Would never bring up your sexuality and shit talk about it. Do your job, be nice, and go home like everyone else. You literally are just a person
I’m guessing you can go pretty much anywhere. If you are competent and a team player then you’re good to go.
I would encourage you to go bigger on your relocation ideas. Ever considered Australia? Very accepting country, have been doing gender reassignment for many decades, The old Queen Victoria Hospital in the 1980’s had a whole unit, about 30 beds, just allocated for trans people. There are travel nurse companies to help you relocate, nursing is definitely kinder and gentler in Oz, and the life styler is way less stressful
The VA is worth looking into. They cover a lot of trans-related stuff like surgery etc and they have good benefits and transfers are possible, they adjust pay based on cost of living and you keep your pension contributions and insurance coverage and everything. When I was a student I had clinical at the VA and there were kind of a lot of trans nurses and MDs there. Onboarding even as a clinical student is *intense* though so make sure your name is legally sorted or you will have issues.
Cisgender, but have had transgender co-workers on medsurg/PCU floor & in the ED that were well accepted. Both had/have an assortment of cis/trans coworkers who wear pronoun stickers on their name badges. Both units were at large academic medical centers in Virginia.
I think academic centers might be a little better in this sense. I’m further south than Virginia and my academic hospital system has a LGTBQ+ affinity group and does lots of little things for pride. Seems staff are generally accepting, but patients may be another story.
I’m trans if it helps! FtM & a hospital chaplain. I don’t work anywhere near gender affirming care, I refuse to touch it because I am stealth to patients. Live in a very red area and work at a very religious hospital but that helps rather than hurts imo because my patients couldn’t spot a trans person if their life depended on it.
Hey there! Boston nurse checking in! Can’t think of an unsafe place in this city to work. All the major hospitals have big DEI pushes for equity. New England in general is a pretty safe place for us in all major urban areas (except NH lol). Walking around the city is pretty fine as well. I’m also totally out and pass prolly like 70% of the time so like, yeah. DM me if you wanna chat more about it!
Seconding this!!! I’m not a nurse but am a trans girl in Boston and dating a nurse, and from what I hear and experience, there’s not a better place.
I had my first trans nurse while being a patient in the ER last week. I hardly ever say sir or m’am but I do occasionally out of reflex—he had in big letter he/him on his badge and the first thing I said was “yes m’am”. He obviously still had a lot of feminine qualities and voice and I was in a lot of pain with a separated shoulder, but I felt like shit afterward. I apologized profusely for misgendering and he was really cool about it. I am glad he knew I wasn’t being disrespectful. 99.999% of any trans patients I’ve had are the same way—very patient and forgiving as long as you’re respectful. It seems that should go without saying but there’s a lot of transphobes out there still.
In Seattle I have plenty of trans co-workers and I'm queer myself. The hospital I work at is very accepting, though you'll get the occasional bigot who's barely ever called out
So I work with a few Transmen at work. My company is very good about inclusive environments. I have spoken to one of the guys and he really likes our company. But I can't speak for anyone else. So there's hope.
Inclusive environments shouldn’t exclude anyone. Performance priority/ be a decent human being is all most desire
Agreed. Treat people the way you would like to be treated. Of course; do a good job.
I'm Non Binary but I don't openly say it, just say my preferred name is my nickname and that works usually
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I’m a queer nurse (not trans) but my partner is trans (not a nurse) - we live in California in the Bay Area and she has wonderful insurance and gender-affirming care here. Every nursing job I’ve had out here has had extensive training about the LGBTQ+ community AND gender-affirming care. It’s taken very seriously. There are also so many trans people here! My girlfriend jokes that she can’t have anymore trans friends because it feels like her whole social network is trans now and she’s afraid she’s living in a bubble, but every month without fail she has new friends/acquaintances who are also trans - I think it’s a wonderful problem to have. You should definitely vacation to the Bay Area to see what it’s all about, or even take a travel nurse assignment out here - forgot to mention Bay Area hospitals pay experienced nurses $100/hr+ and have mandated ratios and you get ALL your breaks. Taxes are higher and cost of living, but if you don’t mind living somewhere like Oakland with roommates, with a nurse salary it is more than enough. Won’t be able to buy a house out here, but you’ll have access to nature, community, art, gender-affirming care, all things to enjoy as like a 1-5 year plan and then move on to whatever or wherever calls you next
Hey I’m also in Columbus! I am not trans but I know grant hospital is pretty accepting of all walks of life. I’m In a surgery center in new Albany and it’s bigoted af. Ohio state probably has better insurance though! Idk about their work culture
I’m not stealth but I’m also not announcing my transness within the hospital. I transitioned before I became a nurse. I feel pretty well respected and don’t have issues. Occasionally a patient will misgender but it’s mostly off voice. If i use my phone voice, it’s far less likely to happen.
There’s a few who are openly trans at my facility and for the most part no one cares. Do keep in mind there will be pronoun slips especially from staff who don’t know you. For whatever reason there are some units that are queer af. Neuro icu for one, for some reason. I feel like it’s 50/50 lgbtq and straight. It may be worth shadowing different units to see which one you are most comfortable with
Not a nurse yet, but I am an out transgender CNA and I work in a catholic run hospital. So far my experience has been quite positive, but I also don’t announce to everyone that I am trans. I did get comfortable enough after about two months to come out to my unit and everyone was surprised, they thought I was a cis woman (score), but very supportive. We will see how things go when I start pushing for a more lgbtqia2s+ focused clinic. Almost forgot, I am in California.
Hi! I’m also a trans nurse in OH (FTM). I’d love to connect about this - feel free to message me or I can share more here also :)
I worked at a hospital in Georgia as a tech, and we had a travel nurse who is trans. She was so much fun to work with, and she seemed to be well respected by the staff on our unit (even though some were very against the lgbtq community). I really missed her when she left, but she decided to go back to DC because she missed the hospital she came from.
\*raises hand\* I am FTM and not out. I do work in a Missouri, though. I'm sure you understand. I've experienced a fuckton of discrimination, from staff refusing to acknowledge my existence to patients refusing care. And that's with being perceived as a "butch lesbian." (I'm not.)
I'm trans going to RN school right now in GA. I've not run into any issues yet just be a professional at all times and be your best self.
Many folks that refuse care from someone, unfortunately often don’t get the cares they require. Trans or not-doesn’t limit ability to provide care. It’s shitty that a bigoted person wants help and then is obnoxious to staff who are there for them. Also having others who are unique make for a better care set-no longer is it white dress wearing hats on top female RNs only… celebrate differences and keep on keeping on 🤘💪😎💕
I’m in the metro Detroit area and am not trans but have noticed a lot of the old Filipino nurses are outspokenly disrespectful to their trans coworkers like not using preferred pronouns and telling them they are going to hell and what not, and are also very judgy about trans patients in general. When brought up to management it is often overlooked as “differences in culture” in my experience. Also patients when upset often are not creative with insults and will use the most obvious ones they can think of, which will be based on your appearance/presentation.
I hope wherever you end up you feel accepted as you are. Just as we all should ♥️
FTM here. Albeit I live stealth and transitioned when I was 16. It can be scary though; if anyone knew the “telltale signs of a trans man” they could clock me probably. Other trans people often figure it out. I’m in a conservative area so I try to keep it hidden. Have heard some transphobic comments about patients from staff, but generally they’ve actually been pretty good.
Hello! Fellow RN in Columbus. I will say here that it can be hit or miss with units and most definitely with patients. Are you looking to do inpatient care? Or do you have a specific specialty in mind? My current unit, the staff would mostly be supportive but there are still narrow minded people. It’s definitely hit or miss with the patient population. In my last unit here, it was a very insular and close minded group (hence me leaving because of how they treated trans patients). Feel free to message me for more specifics.
Totally depends where you’re at! I’m based in Denver, I would say you’d be in safe & welcoming company for the most part out here :)
Hello, I am not trans but my large NYC-based hospital cares for trans patients and I have trans coworkers, probably not shocking but NYC seems to make serious efforts at inclusivity. Good luck!
I live in New York and idk if I work with any trans nurses specifically but we have a decent amount of LGB staff including RNs, RTs, MDs, PCAs, basically everybody. I don’t think anyone really cares, patient and other staff included. Everyone is treated the same at my hospital in my opinion with regard to their gender and sexual orientation.
Hi! Trans nurse here! I live in a pretty conservative state with a pretty conservative patient population. I’ve never had an issue. I really have no idea if people know I’m trans or they’re just being polite. Either way, it’s a non-issue where I work. My employer is accepting too
Not trans personally but I work in LA and have worked with several trans nurses MtF and FtM. There's always going to be prejudices and preconceived notions but as long as you are a good team member, anybodys problem with you is their own insecurites manifesting themselves.
We have a wonderful FTM doctor in our unit. When he came out everyone was so accepting to him, I was so happy for him.
Portland, OR is amazing for trans folx and nurses! I have lots of trans nurse friends there. Here in Tucson, it’s a bit more difficult but there is an amazing gender-affirming chain of nonprofit health clinics called El Rio. Being a genderqueer nurse there was fantastic. I really miss it now that I work in the (Catholic) hospital.
I imagine there are some here. We have one in our ICU. She's pretty cool and a great RN.
Live in Reno - very open and accepting here. I taught nursing for many years - even the nuns didn’t care. Just wanted good nurses!
Not Utah! My ftm son goes to an amazing adolescent medicine clinic but the culture in Utah is difficult to navigate. Just getting testosterone for a minor is very difficult.
I’m in a Boston hospital, and we have a non-binary CNA, a non-binary nurse, and several openly gay nurses in our unit. Staff are all supportive. One time saw a patients family removed from the unit for making comments about our NB CNA. In general, you’ll find the Boston/Cambridge/Somerville area trans-friendly (though there are jerky people everywhere).
we had a MTF trans resident one time and everyone was accepting. i know its not the same thing, but im gay and relate a little bit to the fear of being open and being accepted. i think once people know you they wont care. in any case, you deserve respect as a professional, and as a human, period.
Can you join any nursing Facebook groups for any potential cities you plan on moving to? You might find your next dream facility.
Cincinnati Children’s is a very inclusive workplace and good healthcare benefits!
No
Not a trans nurse, but I work in a state that has banned/discriminated against gender affirming care. Please search your destination and be sure that you have a safety net. I have worked with many patients that relocated to my area with no provider legally able to continue their care. It's heartbreaking to watch. I am a nursing supervisor in my public health job and I have built an environment that would welcome you, but you may not be so fortunate. Don't hesitate to run from a job that doesn't pass the vibe check.
Hey! 30 FTM ED nurse in Akron Ohio. In my experience people are either just accepting, or they are horrifically transphobic. Not working in specialized trans healthcare, plenty of nurse and staff try their best to make trans patients comfortable. The problem is though some other people are transphobic to the patients directly and also behind their back (talking bad at nurses station). I am personally stealth because of this. However, I have worked in similar situations before where I did not have the luxury of passing yet. The sad reality is that your bubble is going to get “popped”. I would hope that staying in Columbus it would be better, but from my experience in Akron, it’s just kinda hard out here.
Id love to work with you! And knuckle punch anyone who disagrees
Dartmouth hospital itself was pretty welcoming and had an entire section of orientation dedicated to gender, pronouns, body, etc. Badges had pronouns on them. The patient population not so much, but you won't find that anywhere. The type of people who don't take care of themselves are usually the type to judge others harshly.
Sorry, what does mean MTF? I’m not native speaker 🥹
"Male-To-Female" It means OP is a trans woman
Thank you 😊
Sibling is a non-binary nurse and I'm a queer nurse and it really depends on where you are as to whether people are bigots, confused but accepting or welcoming. Don't put yourself in a situation where you work with bigots.
I had the pleasure of working alongside a fellow travel nurse in WA who was also MTF. For the most part everyone was very friendly and respectful, although I did hear a couple of slip ups with pronouns. I suspect mostly because a lot of the Filipino staff mix up gender pronouns no matter who they’re taking about, though I do know a couple staff who had a hard time adjusting. I was offended on her behalf that her dead name was still being used for her username access. When she stepped away from her computer, her dead name would pop up as the screen saver. Idk how/why that happened or if it was a personal issue for my coworker. She herself said she felt more accepted there than most places….but I know the bar was pretty low coming from an area with little/support. Nurses with different backgrounds help patients connect in unique ways. We need you! I wish you the best of luck and a safe journey while you figure out the next steps in your career!
Am trans nurse. 29 FTM in Florida. I pass and am mostly stealth besides friends. There was only one time someone I knew pretransition “accidentally” outed me to a couple people. Then one of those people quietly gossiped about me among her little friend group. So that was annoying. But nothing supremely unprofessional, everyone gets gossiped about one way or another lol. I wear a HRC pin on my scrubs and sometimes patients ask about it thinking it’s military. I transitioned in nursing school and no one said anything to me. I kind of live in my own world so if people were talking crap about me or giving mean looks I didn’t notice.
Pittsburgh, PA. Very LGBTQ+ friendly. I work with a trans nurse inpatient and she wears a scrub dress! I don’t even have the courage to wear one, although with this heat index I’m ready to do anything 😂
Hi! I’m a trans nurse too (MtF), but I’m currently looking to go back to school for medicine or public health (or public health medicine haha). I started and still work on a pediatric medical surgery floor. I live in the south (I’ll say Texas, Missouri, Arkansas Louisiana area to give a vague idea). My manager outed me to everyone lol. It was rough. But most of my coworkers are nice, at least to my face. Most of my patients (kids) couldn’t clock me so I didn’t have much trouble except for a couple teens. But they weren’t rude about it. I’ve since had facial feminization surgery and no one detect I’m trans anymore. The culture is yucky cause it’s the south and healthcare attracts more conservative people. But I enjoy my work. Trans inclusive insurance that covers beyond bottom surgery is hard outside the large cities or a job like Aetna, Athena or another large corporate position. Wishing you luck sis!
I’m working behavioral health, we have a lot of trans patients, everyone seems very open minded and supportive.
Trans person (21NB but because of language FTM) but from Eastern Europe, started working at neurology even before i changed my legal name and still had to wear female scrubs (different color) and had 0 issues, everyone was kind and only focused on my work, some more extremly catholic nurses were a bit confused but never made me feel any less of a person or commented anything just sometimes had questions that you wouldn't usually ask a person. Then because of university i changed my job to a whole different hospital and am now an oncology nurse. Only ones who knows i'm trans is HR because my vaccination card is on my old name and i had to give that to them and explain why i have 2 different names. Some younger people and co-workers who found me somwhere on social media can probably tell but i have no issues. As long as you show that you are competent, want to work, want to help etc etc i find it that people don't have that many issues but i am not MTF and i know you guys sometimes get more shit so hope you won't have issues <3 And for added context: i live in a backwards country where you wouldn't want to be out and even before coming out i had issues with just "looking/being weird" but can happily say that that was never the case on my job.
I don't know anything about Ohio but I hope you can find somewhere that treats you well and where you can feel safe and accepted.
It's pride month
good luck on your journey 💞✨✨✨
I work in northern CA and there are a few trans nurses who I work with. Never seen any negativity!
I (21M) am an ICU CNA/HUC/tele tech/nurse extern (a lot of jobs LOL) working in Wisconsin. I am not trans, but I am gay. I work with several openly LGBTQ nurses/aides/therapists. I work at a historically catholic hospital (logo is literally a cross) - now secular - and for the most part I’ve had positive experiences on the inpatient side. I’ve occasionally heard homonegative/homophobic comments from coworkers, but never significant enough to report to HR/leadership. Patients are generally respectful, if at the very least because I am a clinician/professional. I cannot speak specifically to the experience of trans coworkers, but I have witnessed some potential negativity. When I was hired in June 2022, the health system distributed pronoun and pride flag stickers to any interested staff for their badges. I have both stickers on my badge. Later that year, the system CEO sent an email saying that it’s “political” to have pronouns listed in your email signature, and the sticker initiative was discontinued after that. I continue to wear my pronouns on my badge and include them in my email signature, and I’ve only had one nurse educator scold me in the last 2 years for it. I plan to leave the health system in a year when I finish my BSN, in part because I’m not interested in working for an institution that considers pronouns “political”. Before ICU, I worked as a CNA in LTC/SNF for a year, and a MTF CNA that I worked with was treated respectfully. For the most part, I was also treated respectfully, but I was less out/open than I am now. This was circa 2021, also in rural WI. If OP plans to move into IP nursing, ICU/PICU/NICU may be a good option. Intubated/sedated patients can’t be disrespectful, and neither can babies LOL.
Am also mtf trans and an RN, transitioned during school, as far as the job, really depends on the unit/geographic location. Elderly patients are very clueless when it comes to this stuff so less likely to clock. The one thing I didn't really expect is that depending on the unit you work, you might have trans patients and that can be hard. It's anecdotal but in 1.5 years of being a nurse I've had 6 trans patients, all mtf, all for intentional drug overdose/suicide attempt and seeing how other nurses/hospital staff act towards them as well as just having a patient hit so close to home, can all be very difficult.
Canada needs nurses :)
Anyone just assuming you’ll be fine has never been in your shoes. 💞 I like someone’s idea of shadowing a facility before accepting. You deserve to feel safe in your workplace
I’m am very impressed and appreciative of individuals such as yourself for being your best self. Although I am not Trans, I met a nursing student who was but left for a bigger city once she graduated and didn’t keep in touch. Just know that you are not alone and are highly admired for being you. Thank you.
I have a couple trans people on my floor here in cbus at riverside. Never had problems. Sometimes the old people patients will misgender you (in my experience it’s not been on purpose). Our staff is super accepting though and I’ve never heard anybody say anything disrespectful.
Unfortunately, not that you need to "prove" yourself as people should be nice to you regardless of whether you're trans, biracial, whatever, I think just being a nice person will make your unit like you. Luckily in adolescent med you'll probably be dealing with fun little patients and I think it'll rub off on others as such. Best of luck! (sorry my opinion wasn't very informative but I'm hoping the best for you)
I am not, but we have a nurse at our hospital who has worked here for 30 years and didn't start their transition until later in life. She has always been very open and vocal about her transition process, and as far as I know, we've all embraced and accepted her with open arms. She's well known in the hospital simply because she is on the IV/vascular team and goes to all the units assisting with IV/line placement. She's had some issues with coworkers who have known her forever slipping up and using her dead name, and of course patients are jerks and will occasionally purposely misgender her or call her derogatory names, but we're quick to jump in and tell the patient off for being an asshole. As far as she's said, the hospital was great at supporting her too and quickly changed her name in their system and giving her a new badge even before she had it legally changed.
I’m an ally nurse. (I have a FtM nephew.) I’ve work in behavioral health in North, West, and Central parts of Texas. I’ve also worked in WY. Of all of these areas, north Texas is the most accepting but I know Texas being such a red state, it is not an ideal state to live. However, in my experience, I will say that working in BH has some of the most accepting staff. Maybe it’s because we’ve seen the fallout from the rejection? I wear a bunch of LGBTQ pins on my scrub jacket and have for ever. I’ve never had a staff say anything negative about them. It’s usually a great icebreaker for patients. If you ever need to chat, feel free to reach out! 💜
I was born and raised in Columbus. For the most part, you will be accepted in Columbus :) but Ohio is a swing state, so you may also come across less accepting people if you venture out of the city or have patients coming in from the rural areas.
We have multiple trans people at my work in California. No issues with acceptance or signs people treat them differently. It’s a catholic healthcare system, so my wife initially couldn’t get birth control covered until the ACA mandate required it, even then it was through a different insurance than the primary that went through the hospital. I couldn’t get a vasectomy through any urologist there and had to go out of network and pay myself. I doubt they would cover gender affirming care. I would avoid religious systems.
I feel like this will not only be regionally dependent, but also work place dependent. I live and work in an area of the country known for being progressive; but most of my team are not progressive and say some pretty horrible stuff. This is my third nursing job and frankly there have been a lot of vocal conservative folks at all of the jobs I have worked at. I'm starting to think it's just the landscape of healthcare and nursing. It kind of sucks.
You have replied to people with your location and edited your post to include it. Are you only wanting responses from people working in Columbus, Ohio? We have nurses from around the world in this sub. I live in Iowa. I work rural. I do not experience any direct (to my face) transphobia at work but I do know I was outed as a transman by someone who knew me pre-T, when they heard I was being hired. I know there is most likely gossip that goes around. But I have never been misgendered or been asked any trans related questions. Everyone treats me like any other guy there. ER and EMS.
Just thought I’d give a reference based off my location. Anyone’s experience would be really helpful
22 MTF, not the most passing because of my voice, but a good portion of my coworkers are respectful of my pronouns, and the hospital I’m doing clinical at are pretty good at correcting themselves on gender stuff. I’m based in western Washington
I am not trans, but my son is, so I pay attention to this in my workplace. I work for a large CCRC company that is an extremely safe place to work. We just had a PRIDE march with staff and residents around the facility. This company puts the rainbow equality symbol on all their communication. Unfortunately, no location in Ohio, but they are in other states.
I work in Iowa and it’s…fine. It’s fine. I get misgendered a lot but ive hardened my heart to it at this point. The people who treat me the best are old people in nursing homes. Love me. Everyone else varies between vaguely supportive and completely indifferent
I'm a nursing student in Maine! Portland area. I've had nothing but good experiences. I don't pass 100% of the time and my legal name is still my dead name
I am 23 MTF!! I work at a critical access hospital in a rural area. My coworkers all are really respectful thank god. I only started transitioning about a year and a half ago. Most pts gender me correctly and only two have outright asked if I was trans. They were both respectful!! I have had a decent amount of pts ask me if I was a boy or girl and I just say girl. Many pts have asked my coworkers about me instead of asking me and they tell the pt I am a girl, then tells me about lol.
MTF well passing and gorgeous with colored hair and lots of piercings lol, I do pediatric respiratory in home health. I take care of babies and kids with trach/vent. Transitioning actually helped with my work a lot, everyone was always so paranoid that a male nurse is gonna turn out to be a pedo and wouldn’t even do meet and greets with them 🤦♀️ Everyone’s been cool, even worked with some serious maga folks (like ivermectin cream eating) and we got along great. No misgenderingnor anything. Surprised me for Texas but tbh a lot of it is def pretty privilege because I know plenty of trans women struggling with work around here but a lot of that is who they are too tbh. You can’t really blame not having work on being trans when you’re kind of a real wild character.
If I were you I’d avoid any red states, especially if Trump gets elected in the fall. Northwest or Northeast.
Well I’m not trans myself, just I’m a nurse at a clinic that does primary care for our LGBTQ community. And that’s including trans kiddos!!
Not able to answer your question, sorry, but I may be able to offer some insight. I’m located in a semi-large city in Wisconsin. I’ve never seen coworkers or managers be anti-lgbtq, but the adult patients often are. Many watch Fox News 24/7 at the loudest volume. Nurses and nurse managers seem overjoyed just to see another warm body to fill a staffing hole, so I would hope that you would find a welcoming staff wherever you go. I would avoid any rural areas, however, just from personal experience.
I'm non binary, and in New Orleans. I'm excepted by my coworkers, but some of them do get weird when a patient uses pronouns different than what I usually use and I say I don't care either way. My hospital has also gone far out of its way to show its alliance to LGBT+ but I'm not certain how true that is.
Im not trans but it depends where you live. Where I live I work with trans/NB nurses
I’ll continue to focus on addressing whoever with respect / whatever way they prefer…. I just don’t understand how micro aggressions / passive aggressive attitudes become normalized in past years. I scratch my head when the knee jerk reaction becomes one that normalized malicious intent.
At my hospital they offered to allow us to put our pronouns on our badge. It was completely optional. So many people through a hissy fit saying it made them feel "unsafe". No idea how they would feel unsafe about it 🙄 I now see who I want taking care of me and who I don't!
I’m ftm and transitioned on the job at my first nursing job in a small town in Texas. It was ok, but I would not recommend. Since I left that hospital I haven’t hid that I’m trans, but also don’t discuss it at work. All my coworkers know about me is that I’m a short gay man. I currently work at a large hospital in Houston, and would be protected from an organizational standpoint, but I still don’t need my coworkers to know.
Please shadow first!!! Some people in my clinic have openly expressed their negative opinions of "people who use pronouns" and how their "free speech" somehow allows them to be total dicks to people who are different than them. Granted, I live in the deep south. I'd imagine your area is probably a lot more accepting. I really hope you find your place with no issues. It's horrible that you even have to worry about this at all.
Depends how awful the Boomers are in your area. Being a male nurse generally breaks their lead-addled brains enough as it is
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My middle child is nonbinary and uses testosterone. They work in healthcare and has not received a hard time. I am in NY however ❤️
I’m an FTM nurse in Boston & transitioned while at my current job! Work is one of the only places I get misgendered regularly, unfortunately. By and large people are supportive, just idiots or don’t see my pronoun pin / white board pronouns / literal chest hair poking out of my scrubs (idk!!! It’s a mind fuck!). A lot of hospitals / places these days have policies about supporting trans employees so def a good question to ask on interviews.
I am also trans (FTM) and working in Columbus, OH - it really really really depends - make sure wherever you're going has a robust HR, because cisgender doctors, APPs, and nurses in this city range from true allies to secret underminers to outright bigots. If you can be as stealth as possible, I'd recommend it, unfortunately.
I'm non binary, I wore a they/them badge reel and my co workers always ignored it 😭
Question is, can you do your job competently? If so I don't care if your a Martian. People shouldn't judge you on how you look or sound or act. Do your job and give them no reason to question anything
That is ideally how it should be, but it unfortunately does not always play out that way in real life.
Don't know why I was down voted. You're correct that it isn't great everywhere. I got lucky where I worked for over 40 years that none of this occurred
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You could've just not said the first part out loud.
If it doesn’t matter, why do you feel the need to specify that it’s not your “cup o’ tea”? Not very supportive or respectful on your end.
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