Any Guys in school now?????????

zacarias, ASN, RN · Nov 18, 2001

hey,

i'm a male nursing student from seattle. i am 23 and have always been interested in medicine, how the body works, and helping people.

i know that nursing is a female dominated field but and even though there are only 3 guys total in my class of 36, i don't feel out of place. we all get along great and i haven't noticed any negative feelings either in clinical.

of course you're wondering about your ego. well, i first too was thinking about that and thought about being a medical assistant as it seems there are more men doing that. but then i realized that it was stupid to settle for less just because of nursing being mostly female. the rumors about male nurses being all gay is wrong. just like not all waitors are gay. if you're worried about having control over your practice, in nursing you can go on to advanced practice. in fact, more males are nurse anesthetists than females.

anyway, if you want more info, just contact me.

zach

[email protected]

Robin61970 · Nov 18, 2001

I agree about the Nurse Anthesiologists remark.....I always thought it was justice for men....women talk so much....one way to shut them up? lol.......I am female and we don't have many male nurses here, but the ones I have met have been wonderful! My ex mother-in-law has alot of health problems and we spent 5 months or so at the hospital out of each year.....I got to know many of the staff....even now(and I have been divorced from her son for 3 years) when I am at that hospital they all know me and ask how she is......luckily we still talk alot and I know,lol. There are a couple of gentlemen in my pre-req classes that I believe will be wonderful nurses and I hope to work alongside them someday. I think the one piece of advice I might give though(being female) is if you are single......DO NOT date anyone in your current class....if it did not work out.....women stick up for one another and it could be very hard on you.....more stress you will not need at that time. Good luck and I hope all goes well for you!

And the male ego comment? Sheesh....think about women who find out what a caring person you are and what a big heart you have to do such a thing......it will work out......

V SPN · Nov 18, 2001

I'm a male in school (RN) and I love/hate it.

Although it is not why I decided to go to nursing school, being surrounded by loving compassionate women is a very nice place to be. About one fifth of my class are males. We've all become very close to each other regardless of our sex.

From my experience, being a male nursing student is irrelevant at worst and possibly an advantage because there are still so few of us.

What ever slams I may experience from joining a sterotypically female profession is more than made up for by being welcomed by my female classmates and workmates.

Frankly, It's an honor to be allowed to sit at the table with them.

Mito · Nov 18, 2001

I started as a nurse's aide in 1986 and didn't really have any problems. I am currently a 2nd year nursing student and everything is going fine. If you conduct yourself in a professional manner your gender won't be a problem. (and it shouldn't be anyway)

HTH

Mito

MonthsTillNCLEX · Nov 18, 2001

If you are male and want to be a nurse .. go for it!!

I am curretnly in a BSN program which had one male until a month ago when he simply decided that nursing wasn't his thing.. it had nothign to do with his gender.

I can't think of a scenario where male nurses have run into problems anymore than female nurses as far as collegues (sp?), fellow students, employers etc. The only concern you may have is with the patient. The male we had had problems on the OB rotation with patients not feeling comfortable wtih him as their RN...but don't take it personnaly. As long as you have a good backbone...GO FOR IT!! And that doesnt necesarily have to do with being male.. you just need that to survive nursing school!

GOOD LUCK!

LJoyW_27 · Nov 19, 2001

guys in nursing school are great....gives us girls somethin to look at!! :p :rolleyes:

but seriously....i'm in a class of 35 and 3 of them are male..one is 19, one is mid-thirties, and one is 60.

all three of them are great, no discrimination against them by staff, students, instructors, just a couple OB pts...but that's to be expected i suppose.

best of luck to you guys..we need more of you with us!

shyviolet78, LPN, LVN · Nov 19, 2001

My husband is a soon-to-be student nurse. He's mostly a "lurker" here, but I'll try to get him to post! I work in a CV ICU and about half of the nurses are male. I haven't started my nursing classes yet, but I think the nursing program here is 30% male.

essarge · Nov 19, 2001

Our class has 39 students and only one guy. I enjoy it because I am an older student and he is like a breath of fresh air. Secretly, I think he really likes being in class with 38 female students of all ages. We have become friends and with him being 19 and me 46 it's a great friendship. He talks to me about his relationships, school, and things he really likes to do. When he talks to the other students it's pretty superficial.

Anyway!! I say go for it. It would be a challenge whether you were male or female. Have fun!!

laurab2jb2 · Nov 20, 2001

In our class of 39 students, we have 7 males (and only 1 is gay - not a reason he's becoming a nurse!). I have had many conversations with our guys in class, and I can tell you that none of them have a problem with the male ego thing. They are as "manly" as the next guy, but did figure out that the nurse is the one who does the day in-day out care of the patient (and the one who the patients remember best!).

One thing I have seen, though. If one of us women are with the male student, it seems as though others (patients, family members) think the guy is the resident! Talk about gender discrimination! Oh, well - old habits die hard!

Hang in there, and never fear about what others may think about a guy in a female dominated profession. Hold your head high, as we all do!