Do men really have a better shot at finding a job?

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I am a man and just passed the NCLEX. Although I don't necessarily think it is a fair I am often told that I will have a much easier time finding a job than new grad woman. I can certainly see the benefit for certain units to have a male presence among the nursing staff (especially on psych units where patients can become aggressive and violent).

My question is whether or not this is the case. I am asking because in Massachusetts it is apparently very tough to find good nursing jobs right now. Everyone I know (woman) are having a hell of a time getting into hospitals. I'm considering looking out of state if this ends up being the case for me. I'm just curious about others experiences with this both for hope and just so I don't feel like I'm wasting my time trying to find a solid nursing job where I live.

I have had two bosses at different facilities come right out and say they hire guys to balance out the energy. That's not an opinion just a fact. Men and women are different away from the healthcare world(their personal lives). Why wouldn't they be different in the work setting? Sometimes men are better in a sitution and some situations are handled better by women. Neither sex is better, just often different. Many managers know that and do hire men to balance it out.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

I think being male helps you stand out for obvious reasons, and you should use this to your advantage. Making a good first impression is key. If you make a good or bad first impression during your interview, you WILL be remembered by the interviewer either way. You really have to make it a point to brush up on your interview skills.

I just recently finished my ADN in Southern California where the job market for new grads is terrible. However, there ARE jobs here. I've had 3 new-grad job offers all within 2 months after graduating. I think my LVN experience helped quite a bit though.

Do I think I was offered the positions based solely on the fact that I'm male? H*** NO. However, I do think that being male helped me stand out from the crowd.

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Specializes in Med Surg - Renal.
However, I do think that being male helped me stand out from the crowd.

I think doing well in school, having good healthcare experience, and interviewing well are orders of magnitude more influential in getting hired.

I suspect your member didn't have as much to do with your success as it thinks it did.

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I believe if you are tall and better looking than the avg guy. Yes....

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Hmm. I am trying to remember if anyone I know personaly was asked their GPA.... Now that I think about it the answer is no. I am sure others have had different experiences. I never heard of the interviewer asking about any of my friends member but I do know alot of people that were hired specificaly because they were qualified males. The fact that they were male when competing against equaly qualified females got them the job. I am sure it is not always that way but I personaly know of a number of instances where it was true.

Not because men are better nurses but think about this. Men and women are from two different planets in their personal lives.

The big news is that difference follows into the professional life as well. It is good to have a mixture of female and males because we are in fact different and bring different strengths to the game. Not better, just different. The managers I personaly have spoken to on this subject admit that is the exact reason they try to hire a balance of female and male nurses. At the moment there are more female nurses so it is sometimes easier for qualified males to get hired.

This interesting period in the employment history of nurses won't last forever because eventually there will be a more equal number of males in the nursing work force but for now guys believe it and take advantage of it while you can.

All this said, if the person hiring doesn't consider you to be "qualified" or equal to the other nurses applying, you won't get hired.

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Specializes in Trauma, ER, ICU, CCU, PACU, GI, Cardiology, OR.

Seriously, I don't think that this is a matter of gender, it's a matter of the best qualify individual for the need of a certain facility. With that said, there's no denying that we males standout more, since there are less of us in any given facility. Therefore, this might appears to give us a certain advantage, however, that goes out the window after the first 3 minutes with a recruiter, they seem to be aware of those ideals or myth if you will. So it goes without saying, what truly gets you hired is your qualifications and the ability to portray a high standard of caliber in nursing; to the recruiter during your interview. Wishing all of you guys, the best in your job quest...Aloha~

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Specializes in "Wound care - geriatric care.

If you're looking out of state you have to present yourself as someone who lives there otherwise they'll never give it to you. Men might have a little bit of an advantage in the ED but other than that not much. If you are young and attractive to woman you might have a better chance. All the young good looking class mates of mine got jobs right away after school. Take your time...this nursing glut will last a long...long...time. Those "retiring age nurses" will keep working for another 10 years of so...you got a lot of time.

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Specializes in Anesthesia.

When saying that being male makes you stand out more, I didn't mean that it gives you an advantage. It can work against you as well. If I were a male Police Officer interviewing applicants, and 6 out of 100 of the applicants were female, the female applicants would without a doubt stick out more. If they interviewed well, I would remember it. IF they interviewed terribly, I would remember it.

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