Ok I am a 24 yr old male thinking about nursing. I work in the IT field and hate it. The nite shift is the main turn off . I cant tolerate a night shift position whatsoever.
Im thinking about going for an RN either ADN or BSN. I want to get into education and teach eventually
Well as a male could any of you guys tell me the good and bad of nursing as a male. I woudl like the 'raw' honest opinions.
Nursing would pay more money than I make now. IT Jobs are soooo scarce and I want something thats more people oriented.
...Corvette Guy, i did talk to the guys at the dojo and they told me they did not know of any they could suggest in texas, for you to go to. they did say you might want to buy a couple of their instructional videos and join any Ju-Jitsu dojo and practice what you learn on the video there. i have seen one of the video and it was real good. they show actual fighting and point out whats going on. i never seen any of the beginning videos but based on the one i did see they should be real good.
I'm moving to WA state! I report to Madigan Army Medical Center, Ft Lewis, WA, on April 3rd.
ok i will get a talking to about this but, if your single, there are so many horny girls you will be working with. a good thing i think.:) will not say anymore about this but could say a whole lot more. lots and lots more;)
I agreed with you on everything up to this point. No, if you're single, I would strongly suggest you avoid nursing like the plague. I found going through 4 years of a BSN program as a single male to be sheer torment - you'll hear about the boyfriends, the fiances, and the husbands and kids. If you didn't feel bad enough about being single, I assure you, it can get worse.
Working in the field as a single male is also problematic. First of all, how many attractive nurses do you know who are actually single? None, or a number reasonably close to none? Exactly. So being single in the field may just help drive home that lonely feeling. Worse, you'll hear how terrible their boyfriend, husband, fiance is on a daily basis, along with the usual "all men are scum" routine. Since you're single, male and a nurse, you will of course be assumed to be gay. This is especially annoying if you're single and looking - having a hard time finding someone in this crazy world of ours, and you're told - you're gay on a daily basis.
As bad as being single is, the bottom line message is - it can be a lot worse for you if you're a male in nursing. Nuff said.
Oh, and don't go into nursing thinking you're going to find your dream girl and your nurse fetish both. I went on 2 dates during the 4 years and neither was with a girl from the nursing program. They all started right out of highschool (were painfully young) and were all engaged before they graduated. So please, if you're single, give it some serious thought. It might be more painful, and less pleasurable than you imagine. Your feelings of loneliness may only be intensified by the experience.
If you're single, and you're quite okay with that then that's fine. Just don't go in thinking, like this last poster seems to be suggesting, that you're entering some kind of candy store. The reality is the candy is all overpriced and locked up behind glass. Get into it because you want to help people, and only do so if you're a strong person. As a single heterosexual male in nursing, it can be a rough ride indeed let me tell you. Much better to have someone in your life before you go in.
Good food for thought. I would say something similar to any female that wants to pursue nursing in order to shop for a DR husband... We just don't have room for the folks that aren't serious about their job.:uhoh21:
:wink2: As a male, I couldn't be more proud of the profession I work in. Though I had wanted to take up nursing when in my twenties, it wasn't until nearly thirty years later that I completed my Bachelor's degree and have since worked in the area of palliative care. Nursing the terminally ill through to the end of their life is not everybodies "cup of tea", but I have found it very rewarding. There are many different aspects to nursing though, so there may be one, such as psych' or surgical, medical, community or armed forces that you could be suited too as a male.
If you want to take up nursing - go for it - but don't take it on if you think it will be the panacea for any gripes you have against IT. Nursing can be plain hard work much of the time, and, if you work in a facility that operates a roster system - you will almost certainly have to do your share of night duties.
You mentiond that the major reason why you hate being an IT is the night shift. It makes no difference when you become a nurse. However, after pursiung the course you can have the option of practising the profession during daytime depending on the field you would want, i.e. community health nurse etc. You have to set your goals and asses what you really want.
Being a nurse is not just a profession it is also a commission. I hope this helps. Good luck!:)
I have had such a good time reading this thread. Didn't mean to slight anyone, but I just "scrolled-on-by" the stuff about martial arts, cars, etc. Didn't understand it, don't care, not my thing. However, I know what you mean about working w/females. I grew up as the only female sibling among 4 and now live in a household where I am the ONLY female. I have always LOVED working w/men (before I pursued nursing). As a matter of fact, on the short list of reasons why I don't like nursing, Working w/a Mess of Backstabbing Females would be one of the big ones. It is just too sad, but many of the things mentioned about female-dominated environments are all too true. We can't seem to get past jr high. Too much personal stuff and not enough "getting the job done". That being said, I have seen some whiny (BTW, heterosexual) males cop an attitude of "I'm the RN, I don't have to move", and some powerhouse females that are professional and hard-working (focused on pt. care). I guess my point is that we NEED more males in this profession, if only to lend balance. You all (males), bring a refreshing perspective to a female-dominated profession. I TRY not to take advantage of male peers. I BELIEVE in people EARNING their pay. Let's ALL try to make our profession better by giving it our unique perspective and showing respect to our peers.
Not a horny nurse-old, female, married and frumpy.
I love being a nurse. When you can make someones pain go away it's like getting paid right then. One word of warning. Its not a job for someone with a bad back. If your a guy you get ask to help lift a lot. Especially if your a big guy. When I got out of High School I couldn't wait to go out and pick up something heavy. I spent 20 years doing physical labor in the oilfield. I finally went back to school and got my nursing license. I expected it to be a lot easier. Guess what! Nursing has been harder on my back than the oilfield was. You belly up to iron, set your stance, and lift the center of your weight. Try that with a stroke patient who's trying to pull the other way. You can also drop a piece of iron after you pick it up but patients don't care for that. As far a the way your treated by female nurses I have personally always been shown more appreciation than discrimination. Don't expect sick patients or their families to always show gratitude. Your boss will not always pat the back that works the hardest. You will earn every dollar your paid. But if it matters what you think about yourself it's a very rewarding job. Good luck.
I have had such a good time reading this thread. Didn't mean to slight anyone, but I just "scrolled-on-by" the stuff about martial arts, cars, etc. Didn't understand it, don't care, not my thing. However, I know what you mean about working w/females. I grew up as the only female sibling among 4 and now live in a household where I am the ONLY female. I have always LOVED working w/men (before I pursued nursing). As a matter of fact, on the short list of reasons why I don't like nursing, Working w/a Mess of Backstabbing Females would be one of the big ones. It is just too sad, but many of the things mentioned about female-dominated environments are all too true. We can't seem to get past jr high. Too much personal stuff and not enough "getting the job done". That being said, I have seen some whiny (BTW, heterosexual) males cop an attitude of "I'm the RN, I don't have to move", and some powerhouse females that are professional and hard-working (focused on pt. care). I guess my point is that we NEED more males in this profession, if only to lend balance. You all (males), bring a refreshing perspective to a female-dominated profession. I TRY not to take advantage of male peers. I BELIEVE in people EARNING their pay. Let's ALL try to make our profession better by giving it our unique perspective and showing respect to our peers.
Not a horny nurse-old, female, married and frumpy.
I read your a Psych RN, so you can't fool me with your reverse psychology... its okay if your a horny old married frumpy nurse... w/your hubby. :chuckle
just this statement right here tells me you think outside the box of most women. this you must have got from growing up around all your bothers. dont hear too many women say, dont care, not my thing, about anything. :balloons: :biggringi
I'm a 32 year old guy who has been nursing for 9 years now. I'd definatley recommend nursing as a career. You'll never be out of work and you can transfer your skills almost anywhere.
The good:
Your skills are very transferable. It's a demanding but very rewarding job. If you work in a hands on setting you're more active than a desk job. You get to use your brain a lot and in very different ways from day to day and shift to shift (again depending where you work). Your choice of fields of practice and types of job are very varied and can be tailored to your needs and desires.
The bad:
Working with all women can be challenging depending on the women and your temperment. Shift work is hard for some but you can find jobs that aren't shift. School is tough for some.
All in all nursing has been great for me. Switching out of sciences in my second year was the best thing I ever did.
I work on an oncology / g-med floor and it can be tough sometimes. The whole lifting / heavy patient thing is really a non-issue. I don't mind getting called more often for heavy patients because I am more capable than my female co-workers. Not because I'm a male but because I'm a physically strong person with a very good grasp of proper body mechanics. To me, that's just a skill / asset I have, same as if someone asks me to start a difficult IV. You need to protect your back for sure but the best way is through always using good body mechanics and keeping your back and body fit. This is one of the biggest problems I see in nursing in general. I have yet to find any of my co-workers who do any significant amount of core strengthening exercises or weight lifting consistantly. A simple program that you could easily do at home of some abdominal and lower back strenghtening exercises could likely eliminate a lot of the back injuries that decimate hospital nurses. You can't make people do them though and you get a book full of excuses why people can't do them.
As far as being single and in nursing, I don't necessarily think it's a plus or a minus. In school being single in a big group of girls was a definate plus. I had some fun and met my wife there. Out in the work force I don't think it's an issue unless you make it one and again that'll depend on your temperment and where you work.
If you're working somewhere where there's a lot of back stabbing and people getting into your business you probably need to find somewhere with a healthier work culture. I know it's hard to find sometimes but it's important for your work-life and sanity. That goes with any job though, not just nursing.
Hope this helps!
PS It's neat to see other guys into martial arts on the boards. I myself have done judo for nearly twenty years and that's helped get through everything. The strength, confidence and discipline you get from any martial art is well worth your time.
Corvette Guy
1,505 Posts
I'm moving to WA state! I report to Madigan Army Medical Center, Ft Lewis, WA, on April 3rd.