Young, Ambitious Male in Female Dominated Field: How to Make It to the Top

I am new to this site and wanted to gather some information from fellow nurses/healthcare professionals on here. I thoroughly enjoy reading all the stories; from personal issues in the work place to the humor as a nurse, you HAVE to have. Nurses Announcements Archive Article

  1. Why you went into healthcare?

    • 0
      I have a brilliant mind. I want to help advance medicine.
    • 2
      I love people. I want to give the comfort and care to them and get them back normal.
    • 0
      I live for gore; trauma, ER, ya know.. Those "full moon/quiet nights"
    • 0
      I just got into it by chance and learned to love it.
    • 3
      I want to not only help, but educate and this field allows me to accmlish both with great advancment! Always a job available!

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Young, Ambitious Male in Female Dominated Field: How to Make It to the Top

I am a younger male, in a predominantly female field. Do I ever see it as that? No. Never. And never really have! But today I was struck by a question that lead me to just think for the remainder of my day. "How do you deal with women all day being like, the only guy? Don't that bother you? Women have so much drama....". I awkwardly exited the situation quick because I had a meeting for budget *insert forced smile here*.

I absolutely love my job. I loved it from day one of clinical in nursing school when I they placed us in a long term care unit. Although I never was a CNA, I can honestly say I respect anyone that is on that floor. Whether it be the CEO, janitor, fellow nurse or just support staff.

I have climed the ladder pretty quick with my career, being at 25 and already into leadership for our nations largest Managed care company. which is rare!

As the question regarding the women I am surrounded with all day; I enjoy it I guess in a sense that my older nurses are like my mother and grandmother that I have neither. So they're special to me, plus can teach you some really awesome tricks.

I want to gather some info or insight on how others view males in nursing; whether it be a CNA, LPN, RN or APRN or just in general (excluding doctors obviously).

Although I am asked so much why I didn't just go to med school, I hold myself to a much better value that I love building relationships with patients, and as a doctor I would probably only see 5 patients a day honestly!

Getting my my masters in public health has really been an "up and up" for me. Not only does it provide me the education to educate others, but I find it as a chance to reach out to more than one person and make an impact on many people at once, but still love just helping my acutes and "frequent flyers" of little old ladies and they're hilarious stories and events during their stay.

Now that I have gotten out of the 3-4 days a week of 12 hour shifts that really turn into 16 because someone couldn't come in..... I am missing the chaos.

So....I decided to tell my boss, which is the chief medical officer, that I want to be out on the floor more. Complete shock he said "why would you want to do that? Your going to have **** all over you at the end of the day!". I said "and I miss that.". I love the rush of a code or a scream for "HELP! HELP ME!" To run half way across the facility to find out a lady got out of bed and went to the bathroom and couldn't get up.

I chiose the MPH over APRN, at this time anyway (as I will most likely go back for just a year for the NP with a masters already), because of wanting to make a bigger impact. Not just with patient and patient care, and getting the facility or department in financial shape or getting us more revenue. I want to show that as administrators, we should be listening to our staff. I found it so hard working floor to get ANYTHING across to my boss or upper management! It was SO frustrating, and I said "I want to change that". So I am.

I know someone is reading this and thinking "yes! We need better administrators/managers ect., ect.,!" And I am here to tell you change is coming! It may not be over night, but once we get our people that are administrators or managers that have held those positions for decades (because who doesn't want a 8-4 M-F all weekends and holidays off and bonuses and vacation WHENEVER!). The younger generation I am hoping is going to lead us with leaders who have the mind set of I, which is if you're going to change something, either change it for the good for everyone (while yes, that some times is not possible), but also LISTEN to your peers! Don't let the person a title above you just shut you down when you have an issue; push push push! Drive and ambition to address as many if not all, of every issue someone brings to you, will make not only your staff happy, but your patients will notice less irritability from staff, less mistakes, more revenue due to higher ranking (hey, this is very touchy I know, talking about financials in nursing but we all want a good bonus-- for EVERYONE! Not just our executive leadership!).

There is a lot in this post and I am so excited to be part of such a great profession.

Leaving just a few "food for thought" bullets to think about or discuss as I close:

1. If you're new or thinking of going into nursing or any health field for the money; just please do many people the favor and maybe apply that skill of greed (money hungry is greed believe it or not), and become a car sales person......cha-Ching! Commission! (Lol)

2. Support your ENTIRE work force! All too often I overhear some one saying "well that's not my job, I don't do bed baths as a RN, get a text". Just, stop. Your big head and big ego will get you where? What if your faculty cuts staff and you HAVE to do that bed bath? And when doing that bed bath, you, as a RN or LPN or whatever, miss a bedsore? Well guess what, when I have that case come to MY desk, and I come to you and ask how this person came in for pneumonia but now progressing NF in their calf, you've best got one helluva reason. I will not take " well uhh I don't know." Or "I usually don't do bed baths so I think I missed it". Unacceptable. I will put you in to a disciplinary action plan because you are educated to look for that in your assessment,which by the way should be done when doing ANYTHING with a patient. And frankly, I'm not going to lose my license over your carelessness and I attest for many that would agree.

3. Final thought- even though modern days we have some advancement that makes the job 100 times easier than it did just 20 years ago BUT old school tricks that are passed down are often frowned upon of cause for a write up since it could be deadly (Personally remember in med surg old old professor told me to go to cafeteria and get a ice cold can of coke to draw up and insert into clogged feeding line and WHAM it was unclogged!). I feel if there's a better way for one person to do something, as everyone learns differently, and it is not going to do harm to anyone, why can't we let these often helpful tips and tricks work without running to your charge of attending and getting the other staff in trouble!? ( I am referring to non life threatening procedures here, although I bet everyone can think of one "hack" that really is a life saver, buuuuuut probably shouldn't do it at the same time, if you know what I mean ;)

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nebraska

About nebraska, MSN, RN, APRN

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Specializes in Critical Care, Education.

I enjoy your enthusiasm, but wonder why you felt the need to push the 'male in female dominated field' issue. It doesn't actually seem relevant to the rest of your post, which is focused on individual accountability. As for your question - Nope - I don't view males as any different - but wonder why you excluded physicians from that question.... is it because physicians are supposed to be male? FYI, I use the word "physician" because a lot of us are doctors.

Also - your poll refers to the desire to 'advance medicine'. If we wanted to do that, we should become physicians because they are the only ones who are authorized to practice medicine. We practice nursing. To me, although I'm sure you didn't intend this, your post is coming across as very physician-centric (e.g., point of pride in reporting to the CMO).

Its wonderful that you are a veritable wunderkind (and so modest, too) But I the truly great leaders I have encountered take the time to meet their subordinates in the place that they are.. and to take the time to discover why they are in that place rather than simply demanding compliance. Do they lack skills? awareness? are they simply following along in what has become accepted group practice because they don't see the risk? (AKA, 'drift').

On a more personal note, even though I am definitely within the age range, I do not wish to be any subordinate's "grandma"... IMO that is completely inappropriate. Would you refer to an older male nurse in the same way? I'd avoid using those terms in the future. It's much better if you refer to us COBs as 'esteemed colleagues' or professional mentors because this does not trigger the comparison of you as a "child" in need of guidance and discipline.

Specializes in Registered Nurse.

So what exactly is your job title? Throughout this ridiculous post you mention having a masters in public health, being an administrator, working on policies and financials, yet still being a floor nurse but reporting directly to the CMO. You also speak of disciplining nurses and having "cases come across your desk". Oh and you also have APRN in your title although in your post you specifically say you are not one.

Quite honestly, you are the type of person I don't want in management. You come across as incredibly arrogant but uneducated in the realities of nursing.

I am in your age range and I know that as a relatively new NP I still have a lot to learn. Me thinks someone needs a big slice of humble pie...