Male Nurse. Proud, but looked down on?

[kasianman]

I'm now into nursing BScN program after deciding between RN or Med Lab technologist (was accepted to both).

I was inspired by nurses who attended to my dad's well being after he was hospitalized.
I learned that there were so many opportunities available.
You could specialize in many fields (surgery, ICU, emergency room,...).
There's also the job stability which I like.
I can travel and work pretty much anywhere in the world.
I think the pay is pretty decent too.

When I explain to my friends and others that I'm a nursing student studying to become a RN, they look down on me or even make (ex. gaylord fokker) jokes.

As more and more men go into nursing, will people look at male nurses differently... more accepting?

[Jungle]

A female nurse once told me that male nurses do very well and tend to land the leadership roles. She stated that they don't get involved with female type workplace conflicts and that's why they do well.

Not sure if this is true.

[Jungle]

And besides that who cares what others think? If you like it, do it!

[poedua]

And besides that who cares what others think? If you like it, do it!

+1

[MrDisco]

When I explain to my friends and others that I'm a nursing student studying to become a RN, they look down on me or even make jokes.

live your own life.

[nalababe]

I don't see it as an issue at all...at least not in major centres.

And who cares what your friends think. You'll work hard, make good pay and have ample opportunities to move around within the healthcare industry: hospitals, pharma, diagnostics, CROs...

I think more highly of a RN than some average everyday job people have in banks/accounting...

[ACC-Major]

ya accounting blows lol.
getting a little below 40k now with my new job in downtown Toronto with 2 years of experiences and close to completing the CGA designation (2 courses to go). Tasks are repetitive and dry.

Yo, but I heard you need to cleaning up people's crap and urine when you first started in Nursing cause other seniors won't do it lol.

A friend is into Nursing, and she works over 10 hours a day ($55 per hour) lol.

[vrus]

the only people looking down upon arethe ignorant ones. it's one of the most noble jobs you can have

[UrbanPoet]

theres still gonna be stigma out there.
Kinda like if a female were to say she was in the army, a police officer, or fire fighter... ppl will think 'wow.. tuff girl... i wouldnt wanna get close to her she might crush my ballz if i do the wrong thing".

[dealtacular]

I think more highly of a RN than some average everyday job people have in banks/accounting...

This should be an obvious statement, but the fact that you had to make it shows how much disrespect nurses get (obviously you recognize their worth, but so many others don't).

Many people who work in banks (and even low level accounting) do not even have postsecondary education aside from training courses. Nurses, especially these days, need to have university and many receive extensive training beond that, with so many opportunities to specialize.

[ji_hyun_jun]

When I explain to my friends and others that I'm a nursing student studying to become a RN, they look down on me or even make (ex. gaylord fokker) jokes.

Gay? You're surrounded by more female coworkers than pretty much any other profession. Your ENGG and Com. Sci. friends are the ones that are surrounded by males.. lots and lots of males. =D

[belowzeros]

live your own life, your friends have issues not you. you need new friends.

[7jai]

I'm sure when you are tending to their wife's baby, I'm sure they won't joke about it anymore. Or, u can always show them up the old fashioned way, by driving a new bmw once u are a registered nurse and getting paid an above avrg salary

[akademiks]

I'm sure when you are tending to their wife's baby, I'm sure they won't joke about it anymore. Or, u can always show them up the old fashioned way, by driving a new bmw once u are a registered nurse and getting paid an above avrg salary

Lol.. If you really think that nurses get paid that much, than you're sadly mistaken. I believe it starts out about $50k a year now. After maybe 10+ years of experience a person might have a good enough salary to be able to afford those luxuries.

[BornRuff]

Within the nursing feild, being a male could be a big asset or a liability depending on what you make of it. No matter what, you will stand out because of how rare male nurses are. If you do a good job, you will be recignized for it before others would in some instances, and will have an easier time getting promotions. If you are bad at your job though, peope will notice that too, and you will be "that guy". You will also make a bad name for yourself if you are constantly hitting on your co-workers or acting in a way where women feel uncomfortable to be around you. If you are careing and hardworking though, you should excell.

Most workplaces like to maintain a diverse staff, so being a guy can help you get jobs in that respect too.

I'm young, so I'm not a nurse, but I have worked in many nursing type jobs durring the summer where the number of girls far out numbers the number of guys. This has always worked out well for me. I had a great relationship with my employers because they liked what I was doing and really wanted to maintain quality male staff members because of how hard it was to attract males.

Cleaning up poo/pee/puke ect really isn't hard at all. It seems gross when you think about it, but when you just get in there and do it, it's not bad at all. It has to be done, and you are helping the person out a lot by doing it. Before long, it's no different than cleaning a window or counter, except you can't talk and joke around with a window. It is a very basic skill though, so a lot of that work is done by RPN and PSW's and RN's spend more of their time on more complex things.