To Male Nurses!

Nurses General Nursing

Published

  • by Ted
    Specializes in ICU/CCU (PCCN); Heme/Onc/BMT.

O.K., men, I've got a couple of questions to ask you!

First a little history. I was asked by the vice-president of nursing (a female, by the way), along with a few other male nurses who work at my small rural hospital, to produce a "Recruitment Video" for male nurses. To be honest with you, I haven't a clue why she is singling out the "male species" for nursing recruitment. Apparently this video will be geared towards male 8th graders and will be shown during "job fairs" that these 8th graders would be attending.

Today, actually, we are going to begin the process of discussing the content of this video. Here are some of the questions that we will be exploring:

1) Why do men enter the nursing profession?

2) Why do men remain in the nursing profession?

3) How could "we" (men) encourage other men to enter into the nursing profession?

I already have my own answers. I was wondering. . . curious. . . what your responses might be!

Go for it, fellas! Spill your guts! Why did you enter the nursing profession? Why do you remain in the nursing profession? And, finally, How can we encourage other men to enter into the nursing profession?

Dig deep into your psyches. . . as if you were digging deep into your crotch for a good scratch. . . and share like only men can share! :D (belch, burp, fart. . . .) :chuckle

This is an interesting if not a wierd assignment. Looking forward to it's outcome, though. Hopefully the outcome will be a really neat video that just might get a few more people (male or female) into the nursing profession.

Cheers! :)

Ted

It's great for raising kids...3 days a week and a lot of time off.

Let's face it, all the overtime in the world makes you no less hungry and no better rested than you were before nursing.

Your buddies are running a backhoe or forklift...cracking chests, having virtually no free time, and shouldering every almost every ounce of liability...or grinding it 9-5 w/ 8 days a month off. Each one is running around doing errands, fighting all the crowds, AND keeping the family safe and happy.

12 days working, 18 days off and NO CALL!!!!!

Hmmmmmmm - you do the math.

$60,000/year as a nurse - 3 days a week (yes it can be done!)

$30,000/year (national average) 5 days a week and grinding it out, hardly having energy to spend w/ family.

I've done both and have seen the light.

Overtime is overrated.

Need I say more to a 12 year old?

MattEMT

5 Posts

Ok, this is coming from a guy who is going to be a nurse!

First, I've been doing rescue squad for 2 years now (I'm 19), and I LOVE IT. I love saving lives, and for those patients who aren't in life/death situations, I LOVE putting smiles on their faces, or just making them feel more comfortable with the sitation they are in, knowing they'll be helped.

So, why a nurse?

There aren't enough, first of all. Having been riding with rescue squad for 2 years and seeing how important nurses are, I see how more people need to be nurses!

It'll put me in a hospital setting, and help me decide for sure if I want to become a trauma surgeon one day.

It pays well for something I love to do. Where can I go wrong?

Now, why might I stay with it for my entire career? For all the reasons I stated above! Who knows?

Bottom line is this: helping someone in need is the best feeling in the universe, and where else can you get that feeling and get paid for it? Nevermind the stereotypes of males not being nurses. There are quite a few of them, and it's an excellent career for any gender. It's also an excellent stepping stone for people in my shoes, who might consider med school and becoming a trauma surgeon/surgeon of some sort.

Oh, and jokingly I *HAVE* to add this...since it is a field filled with mainly females, it's a great way for guys to get a date! Not sure if this is appropiate for the 8th graders, though. ;)

great progression thru the "system" Matt! You'll have a more holistic view of the patient.

just a piece of advice though (pardon me!): The Regency (RN) program would be great for you...and don't listen to any Regency "naysayers" out there. It's the PERSON (w/ great past experiences) who makes a good nurse, not the education

Practice on!

Tweety, BSN, RN

34,248 Posts

Specializes in Med-Surg, Trauma, Ortho, Neuro, Cardiac.

I don't think I became a nurse and stay a nurse for reasons different from female nurses: I like to help people, etc. Plus I enjoy the middle income and the variety.

For 8th graders, I would perhaps emphasize that nursing is also an "exciting career" full of action, that lives are saved, like on the TV show ER. (yeah right). (Don't tell them about the poop, they'll find that out later)

Ted

624 Posts

Specializes in ICU/CCU (PCCN); Heme/Onc/BMT.

Thanks for the replies! Keep them coming! :)

Oh. . . and any advice on how to direct the subject of recruiting 8 year olds to the nursing profession will be greatly appreciated! My wife and I have no children. . . except for a 135 pound dog. I do love kids. . . I'm just kid-dumb. . .:o

Keep. . . . burp. . . those replies coming, men! (Beeeeelch!) Reply like only men can do! :chuckle

Cheers! :)

Ted

Rohb

13 Posts

Hi all I'am new to this BB site.I think it's great your doing a video.It's true there's not enough male nurses out there and hopefully you can encourage others to take up this profession.

How did I started,?Been awile since I thought about this.I guest for me it's just a job that I growned to love.I've been doing this for 7 years now and the last 3 years Iam in rehab.The thing that attracted me to it was Travelling and Job stability.I think it's still hard to break the stereotypes and ideas about male nurses but emphasize it's just any other job and it's a great profession.

JohnnyGage

141 Posts

One of the reasons I became a nurse was because I get to do things that doctors (for the most part) don't get to do -- like fly in helicopters and airplanes during transport, riding in ambulances, recovering a fresh open-heart patient figuring out the hemodynamic intricacies, being the first at the bedside defibrillating at a code ... sure, docs may give orders, but I get to get my hands dirty!

Plus, I get the satisfaction of knowing every bit about my patient and it's very rewarding when the physicians come to me for help and information.

JohnnyGage

141 Posts

Originally posted by efiebke

Thanks for the replies! Keep them coming! :)

Oh. . . and any advice on how to direct the subject of recruiting 8 year olds to the nursing profession will be greatly appreciated! My wife and I have no children. . . except for a 135 pound dog. I do love kids. . . I'm just kid-dumb. . .:o

Keep. . . . burp. . . those replies coming, men! (Beeeeelch!) Reply like only men can do! :chuckle

Cheers! :)

Ted

I think the best way to do this for kids (boys or girls) would be to let them see some of what we do first hand. I know you're doing a video ... how about talking to admin (and patients, of course) for permission to videotape an assessment or someone admitted to ER with chest pain. See if you can contact some transport nurses to videotape the inside of a chopper. Actually ... TLC had an episode of "Paramedics" that dealt with flight nurses in Phoenix, maybe you could get permission to borrow some footage.

If you get the chance to go into a classroom, bring resuce-Annie to teach the Heimlich. Have kids listen to each other's hearts. Talk to a local butcher and bring in a cow's heart to explain how it works. The gross factor is a great teaching tool for that age group.

Let us know how it goes! If I have any other ideas, I'll be happy to share.

NMAguiar

128 Posts

In my opinion, a major focus of your video -- especially targeted to an eighth grade male -- will be to portray nursing as a MAN'S occupation. All the little testoserone sponge-heads will probably be giggling initially with the reactions "nursing is a GIRL'S job."

The LAST thing these guys will want to do is anything "girlish" or (in their opinion) "gay." In eighth grade, they will be beyond the "cootie" fear.

All else will follow. But if you do nothing more than shatter that misconception at the get-go, allowing the young tree-climbers to look at nursing in a new light, you've produced a winning video. :D

ANnot4me

442 Posts

Specializes in Psych.

The reasons why I became a nurse are totally different than why I am still in nursing. As a child I had no idea I would ever be a nurse, but my aunt was a nurse and I thought she was cool. I also thought that because she was a nurse that she posessed some special knowledge or magic. When my grandfather was dying, she was the one that took care of him and she was there in a way nobody else could be.

I entered nursing based on idealistic reasons; put simply, I wanted to help people. I stay in nursing for practical reasons: the schedule, the opportunities for travel, job security and the money isn't too bad either.

As far as encouraging other men to enter nursing... I think it would have to be done from a purely practical angle. Most men wouldn't allow themselves to be drawn to nursing for any other reason. I think what we do is still considered taboo for men. Not enough time in a video to change that!

brianpribis

29 Posts

I understand why they are targeting males. Nursing has been and still is promoted as a female only sport. I remember once (yea, once) that one of the neurosurgeons of the hospital I worked at actually asked my advice on a pt. Really! And he wanted to really know what I thought! I almost couldn't speak. But I know that that doctor nurse interaction is important. Let them see that you work with the doctors as a team (o.k., o.k., maybe with the HOPE that it will be more like that when they get older).

Also, eight year old boys are THING oriented. The more things, the better. If you can get life flight in there with a real chopper and crew and even a sim on saving someones life you will have hit the nail on the head.

Most of all show them men can be nurses and still be men. I have nothing against women I just don't like men that act like women or women that act like men because they have something to prove. I have a friend that is a NP. Let me tell you, this guy is a man's man. But he is very knowlegable and very caring. On the other hand I remember my wife was having our fourth child and this guy came in and did my wifes vitals. He proceeding to talk like he was one of the girls and called my wife 'honey'. Maybe it was just the way he was, I have no qualms about that, but 'honey?' There are a majority of men out there that think that is what they need to become to be a nurse. It isn't either (if you are that way then fine, more power to ya, but you don't HAVE to be that way - yes, Harrison Ford and Arnold Schwarzenegger could be nurses and still be superheros -- albeit less paid and unknown:)).

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