Hope to be a nurse and want your suggestions

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Hi,

I am so glad to find this forum that male nurses talk each other (of course, some warm female nurses leave messages here too). I cannot help writing down what I am thinking recently and hope to get some advice from your guys.

I am a Chinese guy working as a programmer for several years already in USA. I have to say that I am not very good at programming and felt boring to it, so I am considering changing to be a nurse. Before I came to USA, I got a Medical degree and worked in a hospital contacting patients directly for seven years. Although I can encourage myself with this background, I still worry something. I don not mean the situation that some guys talked about the society prejudice to a male nurse, the hard work environment and tough patients (and MDs). Neither do I consider that it may not easy for a 39-year-old man to change his career second time. However I care about the future of being a nurse.

I don't want to hide my intention to pursue a secure occupation.

  • Do you guys think that it is easy for a nurse to find a job now and nursing is a secure job during the next ten or twenty years? I believe your feeling.
  • How long can a nurse work here (till their 60's)?
  • Do you have nurse workmates around you coming from a foreign country? I want to know the work atmosphere and attitude to a foreign nurse from his/her work environment. There may be some difficulties I cannot image as a foreigner.

I hope to enter nursing through the accelerated nursing program (accelerated BSN). I'd like to hear some advise from you guys. Thanks for any suggestions from you and female nurses.

Have a good weekend.

Larry

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Specializes in Telemetry, OR, ICU.
Hi,

I am so glad to find this forum that male nurses talk each other (of course, some warm female nurses leave messages here too). I cannot help writing down what I am thinking recently and hope to get some advice from your guys.

I am a Chinese guy working as a programmer for several years already in USA. I have to say that I am not very good at programming and felt boring to it, so I am considering changing to be a nurse. Before I came to USA, I got a Medical degree and worked in a hospital contacting patients directly for seven years. Although I can encourage myself with this background, I still worry something. I don not mean the situation that some guys talked about the society prejudice to a male nurse, the hard work environment and tough patients (and MDs). Neither do I consider that it may not easy for a 39-year-old man to change his career second time. However I care about the future of being a nurse.

I don't want to hide my intention to pursue a secure occupation.

  • Do you guys think that it is easy for a nurse to find a job now and nursing is a secure job during the next ten or twenty years? I believe your feeling.
  • How long can a nurse work here (till their 60's)?
  • Do you have nurse workmates around you coming from a foreign country? I want to know the work atmosphere and attitude to a foreign nurse from his/her work environment. There may be some difficulties I cannot image as a foreigner.

I hope to enter nursing through the accelerated nursing program (accelerated BSN). I'd like to hear some advise from you guys. Thanks for any suggestions from you and female nurses.

Have a good weekend.

Larry

Larry,

I encourage you to pursue a career in nursing. I changed careers [from aircraft electrician to health care] in my mid 30's. The nursing profession, both civilian & military is very rewarding, as well as secure. People are living longer, but at the expense of chronic & sometimes debilitating health. Therefore, as baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond the demand for nurses will increase. A nurse can work all the way to retirement age [civilian age 62]. Throughout my nursing career I've worked with many foreign nurses... IMHO, a nurse is a nurse. ;)

Male RNs may be misunderstood by society, yet I've never had a problem at the workplace related to my gender.

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Specializes in ER/Trauma.
Larry,

I encourage you to pursue a career in nursing. I changed careers [from aircraft electrician to health care] in my mid 30's. The nursing profession, both civilian & military is very rewarding, as well as secure. People are living longer, but at the expense of chronic & sometimes debilitating health. Therefore, as baby boomers reach retirement age and beyond the demand for nurses will increase. A nurse can work all the way to retirement age [civilian age 62]. Throughout my nursing career I've worked with many foreign nurses... IMHO, a nurse is a nurse. ;)

Male RNs may be misunderstood by society, yet I've never had a problem at the workplace related to my gender.

I couldn't agree more!

Larry: Nursing (as is healthcare in general) is a very secure field.

Prejudice against foreign workers run to the same extent as prejudice against foreign programmers and foreign sheet metal workers (just to give a few examples) and is by NO MEANS an "industrial standard".

In simple terms: There is demand and there is great opportunity - if you are willing to work for it! :) Don't concentrate on the "Nay sayers"

cheers,

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Larry,

There are some guys in the forum have IT background as well. And I think we all have the common reasons of why we choose nursing. And one of them is job security, so there is your answer. And I know other guys will tell you that age shouldn't matter, you'll still have 20 some years ahead of you.

I actually handed in my 2-week notice last week and getting ready to go to an accelerated BSN program.

I understand it's a scary place in IT these days, so I feel you.

Hi,

I am so glad to find this forum that male nurses talk each other (of course, some warm female nurses leave messages here too). I cannot help writing down what I am thinking recently and hope to get some advice from your guys.

I am a Chinese guy working as a programmer for several years already in USA. I have to say that I am not very good at programming and felt boring to it, so I am considering changing to be a nurse. Before I came to USA, I got a Medical degree and worked in a hospital contacting patients directly for seven years. Although I can encourage myself with this background, I still worry something. I don not mean the situation that some guys talked about the society prejudice to a male nurse, the hard work environment and tough patients (and MDs). Neither do I consider that it may not easy for a 39-year-old man to change his career second time. However I care about the future of being a nurse.

I don't want to hide my intention to pursue a secure occupation.

  • Do you guys think that it is easy for a nurse to find a job now and nursing is a secure job during the next ten or twenty years? I believe your feeling.
  • How long can a nurse work here (till their 60's)?
  • Do you have nurse workmates around you coming from a foreign country? I want to know the work atmosphere and attitude to a foreign nurse from his/her work environment. There may be some difficulties I cannot image as a foreigner.

I hope to enter nursing through the accelerated nursing program (accelerated BSN). I'd like to hear some advise from you guys. Thanks for any suggestions from you and female nurses.

Have a good weekend.

Larry

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Corvette Guy, Roy Fokker, and jls485, thanks for your encouragement.

I may need to retake some prerequisite courses to be admitted to an accelerated BSN program, they are between 30 ~ 40 semester hours work. But I am seriously considering changing. I also hope to put myself on a right track that is suitable to me apart from job security.

Larry

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would like to input to work VERY VERY HARD on learning to speak English properly, Larry. My only gripe against foreign nurses is healthcare communication is very exacting. It is frustrating to me when I am trying to guess what a foreign nurse is trying to tell me.

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Specializes in ICU, PICC Nurse, Nursing Supervisor.

I hope a female can post here . Just wanted to give you some words of encouragment. I say go for it. I dont think you will have any trouble at all finding a job . I plan on working until about 80 .. I refuse to sit through retirment looking at my husband. Welcome to all nurses and the wonderful world of nursing itself......

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me, me, I am a girl, well , 28 yr old girl. hehe

I am just new and I thought its all native people forum.....

Cool I found Larry is foreigner, chinese!

I am in VA and dream to study nursing and work based on my caring personality.

Larry, you have much better bg than I do, you have been working in hospital and I never touched nursing yet, see? you have much better chance than I!

So, where are you planing to take course?

Sincerely

Roaming

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