Does being a Male open more doors in the nursing profession

There has been quite a few extensive threads on this. Try using the search function and see if you get any satisfactory results.

I personally think it's because having a man around can help with the lifting. If it'll land us a job quicker, why not. Make sure you lift properly though!

Sure being a male opens doors - there is always a need for someone to take the combative or heavy patients. Don't believe the hype about more opportunities for males...

I have no doubt, as a male nurse, that being a male when applying for employment is an advantage. None of my male friends (LVN and RN) had a problem getting jobs whereas many of the females did. I am a male LVN in SNF and I have had multiple offers to go to work at other facilities. Even though I consider myself a good nurse I know female nurses much more qualified than I and they don't get the same offers. It seems clean cut guys have an advantage. Having SNF/LTC work experience I can see the advantages to having a few men around. My current facility has several males on the floor at all times except NOC they only have at least one.

The only doors it will open is:

door for ridicule by others (Eg. Meet the parents)
door for being a human fork lift at work.

Greg?

Are you a nurse already and is this from prior experience???


The only doors it will open is:

door for ridicule by others (Eg. Meet the parents)
door for being a human fork lift at work.[/quote]

I am a woman (just thought I should state that here) ... who has been involved in the hiring process for many years.

Yes, it's true that sometimes men are asked to do more than their fair share of the physically demanding work. But on the flip side, women are sometimes asked to do more than their fair share of other types of work -- providing emotional support to people who need sensitive handling, etc. Neither "discrimination" is exactly right, but a certain amount of that is inevitable.

As for opportunities for advancement, etc. -- I believe that being a man does open a few more doors, but is not guarantee that you will be invited to go through that door and stay there. Being a man might get you the interview or might get you a job if all other things are equal, but you won't move up the career ladder and stay there unless you actually perform up to a satisfactory level. I believe the instinct is to give the "minority" job applicant a chance in order to be sure you are not discriminating against that minority. That might get you a little extra consideration on the front end. But that extra consideration won't go far. You need to interview reasonably well to get the job -- and perform well to keep it.

Just my $.02

Well Stated!