SingTheBodyElectric

So after doing quite a bit of research, I've determined that if I'm going to become a nurse and have any kind of job satisfaction, I'd better be a public health nurse. I think it's the combination of regular hours, variety of duties, emphasis on preventative health and patient teaching, and relative autonomy that appeals to me. I also dread the thought of being stuck under florescent lights, barked at by docs and patients in some hospital dungeon for the rest of my working life. I'm definitely an out and about kinda guy. Yep, I said guy. Which brings me to my first question: According to reports I've read, men are very rare in public health. Why is this? The reports don't offer explanations. Is it something men just don't apply for, or is there a bias in hiring? Do men just not fit in? Second question: How hard is it for a newbie nurse to break into public health? Since I'm so sure that public health is about the only kind of nursing I'd enjoy doing, I'd like to know if I could get into it without first working in the hospital trenches for years. Third question: The reports I've read state that public health nurses report much higher job-satisfaction on average than hospital nurses, with far fewer stress-related health issues. Do you find this to be true? This is huge for me. I've worked as direct care staff in a facility for delinquent boys, and I quit after 4 months because I couldn't deal with the stress of 12-hour shifts, frequent single-staffing, and constant vigilance required to do that job. My quality of life, sleep, appetite, etc were all messed up. I'm afraid that traditional, hospital nursing would be just a higher-paid version of that same environment. Is public health nursing really that much different?

Sonoma State University has a program. http://sonoma.edu/demsn/index.html