I'm over fifty, and am just beginning the arduous journey to RN-dom.... It's such a well worn path, with few creative branches, for the first few years.... given that, here are my questions:
1. How "in shape" do you need to be to perform all the stepping and fetching that will be demanded of you
2. How much "eye candy" do you have to be?
3. I guess we can reduce 1 and 2 to "is there endemic ageism?"
4. How much of a requirement is a flexible, stainless steel spine, because I hear all males are automatically movers of beastly patients, even if your back doesn't tremble at the thought of lifting a 400 lb, semi-conscious combative ex pro-wrestler....?
5. Do you have to have a unnaturally happy expression on your kisser all the time....?
6. Are there some who come from the office world, who just can't make the change, with all the bodily realities, I know you desensitize to bad things, but I run when my dog farts....(or cat, so as not to discriminate)
7. Will I need a nurse before I get to a point where I will have some career latitude?
8. Why am I asking all these stupid questions......I am a male!!!
I laughed out loud reading your post. If you choose nursing your sense of humor will apprecited by many. The days of being a human forklift are for the most part over. There are many new lifting devices and the culture of not asking for help is dissipating with a couple of new generations coming on board who don't equate asking for help with weakness, like I and many of my cronies were raised with. I find new nurses with life experience wonderful to work with.
1. how "in shape" do you need to be to perform all the stepping and fetching that will be demanded of you.
you need to be in reasonable shape, so if you're in poor condition, you can work on that. nurses come in all shapes and sizes, and unfortunately like the rest of america nurses are not in the best of shape.
2. how much "eye candy" do you have to be?
maintain a sense of professionalism and self respect in your appearance, with clean uniforms and with a neat haircut (no nose or ear hairs, and please no chest or back hair over the t-shirt and no plumber's crack please.
3. i guess we can reduce 1 and 2 to "is there endemic ageism?"
2/3rds of the workforce are baby boomers, so probably not. note that many people of middle age whom are used to giving orders and being in charge and suddenly find themselves at entry level, with youger people in charge often have a hard time. don't ever let the expression "young people these days........." or "when i was a kid, i was raised to......." come out of your mouth.
4. how much of a requirement is a flexible, stainless steel spine, because i hear all males are automatically movers of beastly patients, even if your back doesn't tremble at the thought of lifting a 400 lb, semi-conscious combative ex pro-wrestler....?
if you have a pre-existing bad back, nursing isn't for you. females do fine without males in 99% of their care, as they've been doing it long before you arrived. however, do be prepared to be a team player and help with the larger cases.
5. do you have to have a unnaturally happy expression on your kisser all the time....?
no because people will think you're on drugs and make you drop a urine. sour puss seriousness with negativity isn't a good expression either. find balance appropriate to the situation.
6. are there some who come from the office world, who just can't make the change, with all the bodily realities, i know you desensitize to bad things, but i run when my dog farts....(or cat, so as not to discriminate)
yes there are those whom can't make that adjustment, or it's hard. it's hard on a lot of us at first.
7. will i need a nurse before i get to a point where i will have some career latitude?
that's all up to you. depends on how long you intend on working also.
8. why am i asking all these stupid questions......i am a male!!!
I went to school back when you decided not to. I could care less about the stigma because I wanted to do it and I couldn't get a slot to med school. I'm mostly glad I did it. The responses here are a good example of what you'll see at work. Some will love you, others will say WHAT were you thinking and you'll definitely find your man haters all over.
Body mechanics, I must echo are number one. If you've ever taken Judo, you can kick someone's rear and slam them onto the ground with hardly any effort. Why? It's the art of balance and body mechanics. Listen to what they tell you about lifting like your holy book. Ask for help and don't be a hero. You're one of them, not a male one of them.
Eye candy? Who's got time to worry about that except newbies with extra time who don't realize they're being derelict in their duties?
My most recent physical I had to RUN on a treadmill for 15 minutes, lift weights repeatedly, move them quickly over and over, run up and down a loooong ramp with a 450 pound wheelchair, etc. You don't have to be tip top; the job will get you into shape IF you put patients first. My early days I was in my early 20's; I'd lay down on my bed with my legs up the wall trying to get the blood back to my body...they hurt for weeks and I was in the military! We'd average 5-7 miles a night; it was a double wing unit where ice was opposite the cups.
ICU was far better but mentally stressful. If you want it, why are you waiting? I've seen 45 year olds die of heart attacks...get it on before you go! I may be dead tomorrow but I'm not done doing what I want, either. I'm looking for the fastest route possible no holds barred. I'm gonna die soon!
You crack me up. lol Great advice already given...you are a nurse not a male nurse, be neat and clean, DON'T lift more than you should, etc. Let us know what you decide.
OP, not a thing wrong with your post, you made me laugh. I'd say just about every second career nurse has the same questions (generally speaking). Just ease up on him everybody, sheesh.
OP, some folks love the smelly part, I am with you... I really don't enjoy that part.
1. How "in shape" do you need to be to perform all the stepping and fetching that will be demanded of you
Not that in shape. But you definitely need to have the stamina to be able to handle 8-12 hours constantly on your feet and moving. But that's one of those things that you can whip yourself into after a month or two I guess.
2. How much "eye candy" do you have to be?
Judging by the majority of my coworkers, not so much. Shower, keep you nails neat, shave (and trim your beard/mustache/sideburns/goatee/whatever), don't wear wrinkly clothes, and get a haircut every 2 weeks...that's about the extent that I go to.
3. I guess we can reduce 1 and 2 to "is there endemic ageism?"
No. I work with a lot of 50-60 year olds that could run circles around my 29 year old self. Its a mix, and depends on where you work. I have two jobs, one job is all RNs that are my age. The other is all RNs that are at least 15-25 years older than I am.
4. How much of a requirement is a flexible, stainless steel spine, because I hear all males are automatically movers of beastly patients, even if your back doesn't tremble at the thought of lifting a 400 lb, semi-conscious combative ex pro-wrestler....?
No matter where you work there is going to be a lot of repetitive lifting, bending, stooping, walking, and even crawling at times. Yes as a male you will probably be asked to help move people more often. But generally it is always a team effort with the 400lbers - the more hands the better. Throw the macho thing out the window, no one expects that.
5. Do you have to have a unnaturally happy expression on your kisser all the time....?
Hopefully you'll have a happy expression because you love your job. I don't smile very often, myself. My coworkers mention that a lot. However, my patients love me, I save my smiles for them, so whatever works for you!
6. Are there some who come from the office world, who just can't make the change, with all the bodily realities, I know you desensitize to bad things, but I run when my dog farts....(or cat, so as not to discriminate)
Don't worry about being the RN that can't tolerate "bad things." You'll acclimate very quickly. If not, you'll never make it through nursing school anyways - they'll weed you out if you can't hack it.
7. Will I need a nurse before I get to a point where I will have some career latitude?
It depends on what kind of degree you're going for, what kind of area you're interested in, how well you get along with people, your motivation/initiative, where you end up working, etc etc.
8. Why am I asking all these stupid questions......
Specializes in CCU, SICU, CVSICU, Precepting & Teaching.
i'm over fifty, and am just beginning the arduous journey to rn-dom.... it's such a well worn path, with few creative branches, for the first few years.... given that, here are my questions:
1. how "in shape" do you need to be to perform all the stepping and fetching that will be demanded of you
2. how much "eye candy" do you have to be?
3. i guess we can reduce 1 and 2 to "is there endemic ageism?"
4. how much of a requirement is a flexible, stainless steel spine, because i hear all males are automatically movers of beastly patients, even if your back doesn't tremble at the thought of lifting a 400 lb, semi-conscious combative ex pro-wrestler....?
5. do you have to have a unnaturally happy expression on your kisser all the time....?
6. are there some who come from the office world, who just can't make the change, with all the bodily realities, i know you desensitize to bad things, but i run when my dog farts....(or cat, so as not to discriminate)
7. will i need a nurse before i get to a point where i will have some career latitude?
8. why am i asking all these stupid questions......i am a male!!!
thanks in advance (don't ya hate that phrase?)
the more in shape you are, the better off you are -- especially the back. stainless steel spine or no, make sure you always get help repositioning patients. my spine is stainless steel now (or contains it) thanks to a lifting mishap requiring surgery . . .
eye candy? i'm glad you have a sense of humor. believe me, that will help you more than the stainless steel spine and the abs of steel!
endemic ageism? only if you're at the top of your payscale, which you won't be.
unnaturally happy expressions are only expected of the female nursing staff, and usually only expected by males.
some folks from the office world just cannot adjust. it's not always the bodily fluids and unnatural intimacy with the toileting habits of perfect strangers that inhibit the adjustment. apparently very few people learn in nursing school or in their subsequent job interviews that hospital nursing is a 24/7/365 job. i've seen several second career nurses crash and burn over the idea that it was unnatural to work nights, weekends, or holidays.
I too am over 50 and I have noticed that people give me credit for way more experience than I actually have! Which can be scary...you are expected to perform at a level far beyond your nursing years because everyone will expect that you have been doing this for donkey's years. In some situations this can be good (a job interview, for instance). In others, it is scary, because you are just a newbie. Very weird...
springfieldrn
40 Posts
I laughed out loud reading your post. If you choose nursing your sense of humor will apprecited by many. The days of being a human forklift are for the most part over. There are many new lifting devices and the culture of not asking for help is dissipating with a couple of new generations coming on board who don't equate asking for help with weakness, like I and many of my cronies were raised with. I find new nurses with life experience wonderful to work with.
Best of luck to you.