Dating for Men in Nursing/Nursing School

Nursing Students Male Students

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Hi everyone, I'm delighted to read all of these real and heartfelt posts on this male forum!

Let me introduce myself. I am a former chemical engineer/software consultant who will start in a top 12-month Accelerated BSN program next January. Changing from a male-dominated field to a female-dominated field has been enlightening and enjoyable, and I wonder what kind of experiences the rest of you guys have had.

In changing from the male world of engineering and business to the touchy-feely world of nursing, I've sometimes missed the more analytical, let's-get-the-job-done attitude we had in our startup companies. But since I plan to enter critical care, I know I will find the right balance of analysis and empathy in my future job! :)

My question: how has your dating/social life been, for those single men out there?

The nursing school I will be attending will have a ratio of 10 women to every man. In preparing for nursing school, I also worked as both a medical assistant and a nursing assistant, and I have gotten used to being one of the few men in my classes and activities.

Has dating been easier for you, now that you are a minority in a field of women? Have you learned and grown from your more frequent contact with women? What pros and cons have you seen as a man dating in nursing school or nursing?

In several of my classes, many of the women already have husbands or boyfriends. The female majority and women in general do not bother or intimidate me in the least, and I welcome the experience. I've always been curious about how women think and have had long, great experiences with many female friends. I truly enjoy dealing with women. :)

Let's hear your dating/relating stories!

Specializes in General Med.

Hey guys.

I'm a nursing student in New Zealand and just joined up here. I am 1 of 5 men out of 97 nursing students and I think it's great! There are so many beautiful woman in our year, it sounds like some of you lot are missing out haha.

The problem with dating student colleagues is that yes if it goes bad then you have to see that person pretty much every day of class and yes you may have to face the fact that if you make a bad name for yourself through someone you've been seeing then yea your reputation could be somewhat tainted, but at the same time its only 3 years of study (for me anyway), 3 years might sound like a long time but not compared to 20-30 or how ever many years of professional nursing in the real world you know. (thats not an excuse to do anything bad haha)

A male colleague and friend of mine and me have this joke that goes something like this: 'Don't mess around with any of the nurses, cos if you do something bad then they will all turn on you' haha.

The other problem that one of you has mentioned is that there isn't any time to date, while that may be true (especially me as I'm so busy with the study involved!) for others it can be quite manageable, depending on whether or not you work part time to provide for yourself. I work 3 part time jobs and as well as full time study which makes things a bit of a challenge at times, but I still make time to sustain an active social life (especially those nursing parties wooo!)

I have made some really good female friends who are always there for me and who I hang out with quite a lot, which is probably the biggest upside of entering into nursing.

I guess at the end of the day you have to assess the risks with dating within nursing, there will always be issues where you are dating within one small area or profession and it is up to you whether you choose to do that or not.

Specializes in again school experience.

Wow how could I resist all these women 10:1 ratio!! I even promised myself before going into nursing school I would never date anyone from the program......so much for promises. I ended up dating a great girl for a year of my school and now we no longer date but still are friends. Be careful of what you do in nursing school because you'll be with the same peeps for about 2 years.

Specializes in LTC.
Ok, let's broaden the discussion. My original questions were:

Has dating been easier for you, now that you are a minority in a field of women? Have you learned and grown from your more frequent contact with women? What pros and cons have you seen as a man dating in nursing school or nursing?

I entered nursing school as a single 19yr old male, met a classmate, married her the year after grad and now have been married 17 years, with a 16 yr old daughter planning to persue nursing as a nurse practitioner.

As for contact with predominantly women, I've been nursing in a female environment for 18 yrs and wouldn't know how to act around men. I have a very few guy friends, with most of my closest friends being women, and also nurses. When I have to spend any significant time around a male-dominated task or activity, I can barely stand it - men are juvenile idiots. Honestly.

Pros/cons with dating or having long-term relationships with another nurse?

Living with 2 shift-workers in the house can wreak havoc on any consistancy in your life, particularly if young children are involved. The stress can be hard to handle for some. On the pro side, only another nurse, or someone closely tied to the nursing/medical profession, can truly relate to you. It makes for outrageous dinner conversations with non-nurses...we've made people turn literally green at the table talking about our workdays. It's also great to have a peer you trust as a sounding board to bounce ideas off of when second-guessing yourself.

Specializes in general surgery/ER/PACU.

I met my wife in nursing school and our 1 year wedding anniversary is coming up next month. She was a year ahead of me in college so it worked out great for me because she helped me study. It is great being married, especially when your wife is an RN too. When I come home and have had one of those physically/emotionally killer days and don't know whether to laugh/cry or punch the wall, my wonderful wife is there to listen to me vent and the best thing is, she UNDERSTANDS. Good luck.

"Never dip your pen in the company ink..."

I have an ex who is a semester behind me, so I'm hoping she can hook me up with some ladies in her class. I'm friends with all the girls in my class, although I wouldn't rule out dating a few of them.

Specializes in LTC.
I'm friends with all the girls in my class, although I wouldn't rule out dating a few of them.

I know one of the benefits of entering nursing school was the fact that I was vastly outnumbered, and planned on doing some partying with my classmates - we were all friends in school, and many of us still keep in touch regularly - we'll be planning our 20th renunion soon, and I can't wait to see all of us together again.

Remember though, it can be stressful enough in school without having a new relationship to nurture, so it isn't necessarily a great idea to be actively seeking a serious relationship while training, but hey, if it happens, it happens, right? I know it was pretty much a 'first-sight' thing with my wife and I; I distinctly remember telling another guy in my class during first semester that I had it bad for this one girl abnd joked that I was going to marry her. 2 years later we did. Just remember not to let the studying lag, and look out for any nosy professors who may want to discourage you.

Never slam your appendage in the cash register drawer.

I advise against the whole relationship thing while you are in nursing school, unless you are already in a relationship or already married. Nursing school is a very stressful experience. Dating and relationships can also be stressful. There will be times when you will need to devote all of your attention to your studies. Unless the person that you are dating understands and accepts this then you are setting yourself up for problems later on.

As for dating after you become an RN, yes, I think there are many opportunities to meet and date. The same hospital is ok but definitely not the same unit. The reason is that the whole thing just gets to be too werid if the relationship doesn't work out.

And by the way, why be limited only to other nurses? How about a respiratory therapist? or even a physician? I've met some nice singles in those groups out there, too, you know ;)

Most of the females I've dated or had relationships with have all worked in healthcare in one way or another.

:smilecoffeeIlovecof

Specializes in ER, Long Term Care, Asst Living.

From my own personal experience I have to agree. Ive had friends (female) who have gone through Nursing School and I believe the statistics are like 60-70% of marriages will fail/end in divorce during Nursing School (That statistic may in fact be low). I personally am in the unique position that my wife and I are going to school together, whether its good or bad only time will tell (we've had our share of problems previously already but at least we both know what the other is dealing with in school).

Specializes in Emergency/ Critical Care.
I advise against the whole relationship thing while you are in nursing school, unless you are already in a relationship or already married. Nursing school is a very stressful experience. Dating and relationships can also be stressful. There will be times when you will need to devote all of your attention to your studies. Unless the person that you are dating understands and accepts this then you are setting yourself up for problems later on.

As for dating after you become an RN, yes, I think there are many opportunities to meet and date. The same hospital is ok but definitely not the same unit. The reason is that the whole thing just gets to be too werid if the relationship doesn't work out.

And by the way, why be limited only to other nurses? How about a respiratory therapist? or even a physician? I've met some nice singles in those groups out there, too, you know ;)

Opposite gender here but I had to see what your guy's opinions on the topic were lol. Anyway I agree with you nurseguy and it's nice to see that so many people understand the time training takes in your life. I split with my (long term) ex halfway through my first year of the program... now I can't even imagine looking for a new relationship... I honestly don't know how someone could find the time. To anyone out there who started a new relationship AND kept their head above water in classes CONGRATS!

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