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Male Nurse 101

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Scrubs Magazine

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The profession of nursing is starting to see a small surge in the number of men not only interested in nursing now, but the number of current registered nurses who are male is also increasing. I thought it only appropriate to reach out to all those men out there who are taking the greatest leap of there life and give them some introductory basics on how to survive this wonderful ride of a career we call nursing.

• You are the minority. Get used to it.

It’s a woman’s world out there guys. We are the minority. Men only make up (approximately) 6.2% of the nursing workforce. Be sure to understand the culture and the atmosphere before you decide to make it your own. In my experience, you aren’t really accepted as a ‘nurse’ until you become one of the ‘girls.’ And trust me when I say this, in the world of nursing – you want to be part of that. In the same breath, while we are the minority, we are not inferior.

• Men land on common ground

It’s true. Men are adrenaline junkies. Most men who dare take the challenge to be a nurse seem to gravitate towards the higher acuity and faster paced atmosphere. Most men settle in the critical care or emergency room world. They not only take on this experience but most will build upon it to further their education as an advanced practice nurse. You may have heard of Nurse Anesthetists, Acute Care Nurse Practitioners, and Flight Nurses. Don’t get me wrong, in all those listed roles we men are still the minority, but these are definitely popular choices.

• We nurses are all created equal

Male or female, we all receive the same basic education and training. It’s just that simple. Just because you are a man does not make you any better (or worse) when receiving your basic education. The last time I checked gender is not a prerequisite for patient advocacy.