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.
reply: NurseGuy. I don t think it has anything to do with beung male. I started out as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, which was mostly male, now I am a civilian Nurse, and the reverse is true,. I m still helping people and loving it,
I started out as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, which was mostly male, now I m a civilian nurse, and I see no diffrence, I m still helping people and loving it.
Wrong my friend! IM a GT driver myself and a fan of the vette
(thinking of getting a C5 ZO6) but,
C6 ZO6 Vette = 500 HP Mustang GT 500 Cobra = 450 HP
Now this looks like the vette has a leg up, but you should never forget about the power to weight Ratio! Guess we won't really know until the release of the GT 500.
I am in the Navy nursecorp after being an electronics technician on submarines. After being around males for mostly 14 years. It was a completely challenging and new environment for me.
Women do hold grudges, are emotional time bombs and tend not to be about teamwork without their emotions becoming part of the equation. But as a new nurse seeking to successful, I focused on getting the job done done and going home at the end of the day.
I have the comfort of knowing that if I stay competent I will be in demand and never be jobless. I can always pursue nursing informatics, because of my prior background and I'm currently trying to pursue the legal side of nursing by getting enrolled in law school. And now since I've been a nurse long enough, I realize that nursing is traditionally considered an entry level career into healthcare and are closely equated to a large labor force that management needs to give just the bare minimum in order to complete the job. But since nurses are moving into other things while using their experience as a caveat sometimes, I believe there will continue to be a shortage far past the retirement of aging baby boomers who will be placing a large demand for our services.
yeah now your talking, raise that testosterone level. i would love all that. i have a compition coming up in feb. in las vagas. its grappling, a lot of fun. cost is only 150 bucks to enter. i have been into it sense i was 5 years old.
o my bad on the flowers just noticed it was a girl you gave them too, lol thought is was a guy. oopppss. the steve thing through me off. but will take you up on the cold one if you come to vegas. you might even end up trying grappling. its around valentine's day. you could take your girl there and maybe join in. you can use arm bars and things but no breaking the bones, although this does happen, its not allowed and frowned upon if it does happen.
:rotfl:
My grandma called me "stevielynn" and I loved her very much and so my name on allnurses is a tribute to her. I'm really Stephanie.
But in Arkansas, girls get masculinized names. My mom is Bobbie Lou.
Sorry for treading into the testosterone-filled waters . . .
I am in the Navy nursecorp after being an electronics technician on submarines. After being around males for mostly 14 years. It was a completely challenging and new environment for me.
Women do hold grudges, are emotional time bombs and tend not to be about teamwork without their emotions becoming part of the equation. .
Gosh, here is the girl again . . . . I am having a very hard time at work right now with a male RN who is being a potstirrer, is gossiping, has confronted me in an underhanded way . ... however in thinking about it, there are a couple of female nurses who have the same problem.
I think this needs to start at the top by not accepting gossipy, backstabbing behavior and then each nurses needs to be aware of it and not be drawn into it.
Gossip is easy to get yanked into . .. . we just have to take a firm stance against hurtful things at work.
I had to confront "the guy" yesterday and I was scared - I hate confrontation. I wrote things down ahead of time and that kept me on-track. Very intimidating to talk to a 6'5" man . . . .
This could very easily go both ways. However I realize that women outnumber men and so just by virtue of that, there is a higher percentage of meanspirited women.
Did I mention my husband had a 68 Camero in high school? And sold it for a pickup and is kicking himself ever since?
I drove a Corvair in college - that was a fun car.
You need to check your motivations for getting into nursing or any career field. If it is because you are going to make more money than in IT, I know there are MANY other areas to chose other than nursing to fulfill your monetary desires. The field of nursing has more opportunities than you could even imagine. So, I am pretty certain that you could eventually find your niche within the profession. If your desire is to help others and you have the ability to deal with those who are sick, tired, depressed, angry, grieving, old, young, in pain(mentally & psychologically), intelligent, motivated, of many ethnic origins and beliefs, etc., etc., And if you can put a positive spin on these folks ailments then you will be rewarded by so much more than can be put into a dollar amount.
As for being a male in a female dominated profession my colleagues have treated me with the same respect and courtesy that I have with them. The greatest difficulty is most often in the expectations of the patients who are used to female nurses and therefore typically feel more comfortable with females. In approaching the client(patient) if you portray an understanding of how they might feel and then address their feelings on this issue you can usually develop a therapeutic realtionship with the person. If they tell you they would be more comfortable with a female nurse and you have addressed their concerns, it is their right to deal with who they are more comfortable with. Maybe the patient is only uncomfortable with being cleaned up by a male and in all other areas they are OK. Then the assistance of a female for certain aspects of care can be reassigned or delegated to others.
As for the female gossip and PMS issues and many other areas discussed in this thread I have found most to be non issues. Whenever you have people together where team work is CRITICAL to optimal patient care then this is of chief importance. Nursing is a profession that puts people into realtionships that depend upon the effectiveness of all others to communicate effectively. You will not find this in all units, BUT I assure you that you can and will find folks that are passionate about their jobs if you are equally as passionate. Like minds have an undefinable way of finding each other.
Oh yea, areas like labor and delivery you will find much more difficult to develop a comfort level with the clients that they really need and deserve.
And for Cobra and Corvette guy, SEE YA LATER if we ever pull alongside. You'll be left behind by a sleeper looking Toyota Supra, 850 rear wheel HP and an every day driver on pump gas.
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.
before you decide to take up nursing...ask yourself....will i be happy with this career...will i like what nurses do?....
these are tough questions...because nursing is a tough job. you need to enjoy and love what you're doing as a nurse to succeed and soa s not to burn out easily. there are a lot of hurdles because you encounter all sorts of things.....from people to events to germs :rotfl: ... and if you feel like taking nursing just to earn more....sooner you will fond yourself lost...you should enjoy the work to have fulfillment.
its quite common now to have male nurses but there are still some instances that they are being judge quite indifferently. but sooner, people will accept that things are just like that. but there will always be those people who will refuse male nurses especially for females with strong cultural values... and you just have to accept and respect it because that's their way....
in any way, goodluck to your decision making. may you find that career that will make you happy and fulfilled..and you can say that you can grow old taking care of these people because you're a nurse inside and out... :) :balloons:
: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.
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.
So Im either thinkign about education or nursing
Thanks
As a Male Nurse(who is now 59 yr old and who entered this as a 3rd career at age 43, I would advise you to do a quick CNA(aide) course first and work for a few months in this capacity. I am a US Coast Guard Vietnam Vet(65-69 active), I worked Heavy Construction from 1970 to 1980 after completing my 3 year apprenticeship as a Cement Mason. Missing the High Sea, I returned and worked as a Merchant Seaman for the US Military Sealift Command-pacific(dept of defense 1980-1987) so its not as if I have never seen other Professions/cultures ect. As a CNA. You will soon see if its for you rather then investing a lot of time in completing a Hard course, ONLY, as many Nurses find out, its not for them after they start work on the Floor! And they leave the profession shortly after graduating after finding out its not for them. One of the difficulties I have been subjected to as a Staff Nurse(male) on a Hospital Floor was constantly being asked to take the Heavy total care Male Patients while smaller female nurses were assigned the ambulatory patients. I set the record straight on this from Day One on assignments such as this with my Nurse Manager. I would do my share to help out but as a Male Nurse, BUT I would NOT do it all, on every shift. I informed my nurse manager I am a Team Player and would be happy to share these difficult assignments. You have to be very Assertive as a Male Nurse and if you aren't assertive now, you will be shortly after starting work on a typical hospital floor, if you want to survive. Also, as a Single Male Nurse, Scheduling conflicts at Christmastime are a continuing problem. Single, Childless Male Nurses in many hospitals are expected to pick up the worst shifts so Nurses with Children are allowed off. Realizing these would be a conflict with me for the foreseeable future, I now only work Home Health on a Visit Basis. You should be aware, as a Potential Nurse, you will face these dilemmas many times as a Staff Nurse in many hospitals across the USA. Do Not, I repeat, Do Not, let Salaries solely guide your decision on studying Nursing, Look at the Total Picture. Also, if you think being in Nursing will eliminate 3rd shift work you dislike, think again, as you will, in your first few years and maybe longer, be expected to work MANY 3rd shifts. You will get an educated look at some of the pitfalls in Nursing after a few months on the floor as a CNA, observing Nurses you are assigned with. If its about making lots of money, there are many other professions that pay better with less stress then Nursing school. Nursing school, as anyone here will tell you, is no Cakewalk! Take off the Rose Colored Glasses and Think about it.....
Nursing school is the hardest thing I have ever done, including Basic Training in the Army. Washout rates for programs are in the 60% range (my class graduated 45 of the 165 who started). The job is stressful and you are often overworked due to the economics and the lack of RNs relative to the aging population. But the things that make it hard are the things that make it the BEST job there is (thought being a cop was the greatest, but having done both, being an RN is without question the greatest!!)
Bottom line is this, 2005:
People place the lives of themselves and of their families in YOUR hands.
There is no greater honor or responsibility than that!
Good luck with whatever you choose to do.
LOL, of course Nursing School is harder than Army BCT. My son went to BCT at FT Sill the summer of 2000, and told me it was like summer camp. :chuckle BTW, he was an honor graduate at BCT. It kind of surprised me that the female & male recruits train together at Army BCT. However, at my AMEDD Officer Basic Course the male & female Officers slept in the same tent. I can tell you this, my USMC Boot Camp [1980] was waaay harder than my AAS in Surg Tech, AAS in Nursing, or my RN-BSN program.
Seriously, nursing programs can be a real challenge and all those that finish should be proud of such an accomplishment.
illya
31 Posts
reply: NurseGuy. I don t think it has anything to do with beung male. I started out as a Navy Hospital Corpsman, which was mostly male, now I am a civilian Nurse, and the reverse is true,. I m still helping people and loving it,