Will becoming a nurse make me less of a man?

[albaniandoc]

This thread has been really amusing. Starting with the person who opened this thread and then on to the two guys that completely stole it. Funny.
I have been a nurse for three years. I have worked in cardiac surgical stepdow, some CVICU and now in open heart surgery. I have met plenty of straight guys (and plenty of gays and lesbians as well) in the nursing profession. Most guys seem to congregate in ICU (CVICU), ER, OR. But everyone has to start somewhere. My old boss started as an LPN for ten years working at the Women Center. Then went on to become an RN on PCU and then CVICU and finally managment.
Being a male "minority" has its benefits as well. It doesn't matter how ugly you are when there isn't a lot of choice women will ask you out. MY neighbor was one of the three guys in his program and he dated 1/4 of all girls in the program at one time or the other. And he isn't Brad Pitt, that's for sure.
Finally, I have worked with some good BSN nurses and some great LPN nurses. One LPN I worked with was already accepted to medical school and decided to not go. He had a graduate degree and this was his second profession. After much scrutiny he decided that at his age doing 7+ years of school to become a doctor was not what he wanted to do. Instead he did a one year LPN program and started working. Let me tell you this guy was an amazing nurse. He did ICU as well. Slowly, he started doing RN and I am sure that by now he is an RN. With his graduate degree I am sure he is the director somewhere.
You just have to do what your passion is I guess.

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[Dr. Steve-O]

Nice War!!!

To the OP-
As a RN that is one member of the 8% of murses in this country I got 3 words for ya-

You go Girl!!

LOL

Let me just clarify that I'm not against men in nursing, and just because you're a nurse, that doesn't mean you're gay. Nursing can be used as a great stepping stone into the medical profession which in my opinion is the greatest profession in the world.

 

[Crookshanks]

In my journey to figure out what the hell I want to do, I'm coming across many obstacles, so I need to keep my options open. My first choice is Pharmacy, second is PA, and both are equally as hard to get into. I really want a job in the professional medical field and that leaves.... nursing.

Sure it'll be nice to be in classes with 90% females, but I dont think those girls will have much respect for a man that is becoming... a nurse. Sure there are male nurses... but I've noticed the male nurses I met are either 1)gay or 2)a minority. Not to be prejudice or prejudgemental against anything but I'm a white male... we are supposed to be doctors.

Anyway I'm just ranting. I'd like to see some white male nurses show their face in this thread I may have to join you guys if I can't get my GPA above 3.5 .

Okay, I didn't read what every one else wrote, I just wanted to tell you this one thing.

My ex (who wasn't cute when I dated him but got REALLY HOTT somehow when he started college) is a nursing student. I thought of it as a TURN ON. I loved it, I saw him as such an intellect for studying science and going into healthcare, I saw him as a very compassionate person AND ofcourse I thought to myself MAN I would LOVE it if he were MY NURSE!

So, NO, being a nurse doesn't make you less of a "man", atleast not in my eyes...

Hope that helps.

 

[plouffes]

Okay, I didn't read what every one else wrote, I just wanted to tell you this one thing.

My ex (who wasn't cute when I dated him but got REALLY HOTT somehow when he started college) is a nursing student. I thought of it as a TURN ON. I loved it, I saw him as such an intellect for studying science and going into healthcare, I saw him as a very compassionate person AND ofcourse I thought to myself MAN I would LOVE it if he were MY NURSE!

So, NO, being a nurse doesn't make you less of a "man", atleast not in my eyes...

Hope that helps.

I really didn't bother to read this entire thread.. so excuse me if I offend anyone/get anything wrong. The question the op asked is just ridiculous. My co-worker and I were just discussing this yesterday -- one of the thing's nursing needs most is MORE MEN. More men in nursing will lead to a stronger lobby, better pay, and more respect. I personally love working with men and I welcome any man into nursing. Nursing is not the handmaiden profession it once was.

 

[dfk]

most male nurses are sissies, all expect for one that i know off. He was a nurse in Iraq. I work around nurses and i hate almost everyone of them. You can tell by their attitudes that they hate that job and that their in it for the money. They always seem to have PMS (male nurses includes) or something. Dont be one of those nurses. Go to med school in the caribean

joke ! yea.. med school is the answer.. i guess u can't appreciate what it is that nurses do, especially for the docs that they like.. not knocking the knowledge and all that.. but, aside from it, it wears u down when the nurse is the one doing the physical work that the doc orders.. show me a doc that transports, washes a pt, offers above and beyond, etc... and you will see a difference in a nurse's perception.. i know, it's not the job role, but, i for one, have worked with med students and docs who were not afraid or unwilling to lend a hand when needed..
everyone in healthcare is needed and perhaps under appreciated.. the end result should be the same..

 

[dfk]

I really didn't bother to read this entire thread.. so excuse me if I offend anyone/get anything wrong. The question the op asked is just ridiculous. My co-worker and I were just discussing this yesterday -- one of the thing's nursing needs most is MORE MEN. More men in nursing will lead to a stronger lobby, better pay, and more respect. I personally love working with men and I welcome any man into nursing. Nursing is not the handmaiden profession it once was.

thanks plouffes..

i only chime in because it should be known what u say.. and by the way, men in nursing are not only good for a pt lift ..
alright.. i'm done !

 

[f_w]

show me a doc that transports, washes a pt

Show me a nurse that does.

Most places I have been through had transporters for the transport and 'patient care associates' for the washing. The main tasks for the RNs were to carry clipboards around and to buff up the policy folder.

 

[RRT2MD]

Revolver:

You have some issues.

Being one who has worked in healthcare since I was 18, (32 now), I can say without question that their are a significant number of 'closeted' phsicians out there.

If you are concerned about being percieved to be gay because you choose to become an RN then you have other baggage.

I work in an institution with one of the largest Level One EDs (2 helicopters) and 9 different ICUs and I interact with numerous RNs who are men. My first question is not if they are gay but if they can do their F*****g job. As an RRT I want to know if they are going to mess with my vents not knowing what they are doing.

I'll report to you that one does'nt just graduate from a BSN program and enter a CRNA program!!! (I KNOW)

My ex of 5 years, who happens to be a GWM and an RN, (oh yeah I'm gay as well, so I've got some perspective on this silly thred!!!), he recieved his BSN suma and recieved his MSN from Yale.

He could have gone to medical school with his 39 on the MCATs but he choose a CRNA program and is now earning 170k with no call. How many FPs can say that!!!

Point- he LOVES his work. That is what is important. And it has nothing to do with being gay.

Getting into an APRN program, and getting through it is VERY challenging.

Healthcare, it's a calling. Either S**t or get off the pot.

Do some volunteer work in an ED of a hospital connected to a teaching hospital, ideally 500+ beds.

Perhaps you could go into Pharm sales? Good $/hrs

~BA (sociology), RRT, NREMT-P

 

[BEA]

i've been an RN for 8 years...currently in school to be a nurse anesthetist...check out gaswork.com (not gasworks.com)...it will give you salaries for CRNAs and anesthesiologist...160K+ in some areas...good times...

 

[dfk]

LOL

Let me just clarify that I'm not against men in nursing, and just because you're a nurse, that doesn't mean you're gay. Nursing can be used as a great stepping stone into the medical profession which in my opinion is the greatest profession in the world.

let me tell u something doc.. the more i am in the nursing profession, and the more i see med students, interns, and residents, the less i would ever want to be a doc.. it was a dream of mine, but i am glad i took my rn route onto anesthesia.. so, for rn to be a stepping stone, it could be, but i can assure u that it is definitely not the majority of thought.. besides, u can only imagine the things that nurses laugh at the newbie students/docs..
enjoy your overworked/overappreciated/over-political career ~
by the way, no hard feelings..

 

[zenman]

Show me a nurse that does.

Most places I have been through had transporters for the transport and 'patient care associates' for the washing. The main tasks for the RNs were to carry clipboards around and to buff up the policy folder.

Funny...even as a nursing supervisor a few years ago, I helped transport patients, turn heavy patients, even help the CNAs clean up a few...since the nurses were working their a**es off.

 

[Happy613]

My experience as a med student has been that male nurses are generally nicer to us. Also as a male med student I seem to be treated much better by female nurses than my female classmates are.

 

[jdpddsmd]

interesting comments you all have, a few friends of mine are on this site, thought i would check it out. (no offence to the competition practitioner) but i cant help but to notice the lack of professionalism on this topic. i was a male BSN for 2 years, then went to DDS and MD schools and now a resident in oral and maxillofacial surg. i chose nursing first bc it gave me the compassionate/ educational skills that i needed to become a successful practitioner. in my experience ( level 1 trauma hosp) males nurses are some of the best care givers ive encountered. i cant believe the insight the person that started this topic has on health care in general. i wouldnt want him on my health care team with that attitude. its just plain ignorance

 

[Beau Geste]

In my journey to figure out what the hell I want to do, I'm coming across many obstacles, so I need to keep my options open. My first choice is Pharmacy, second is PA, and both are equally as hard to get into. I really want a job in the professional medical field and that leaves.... nursing.

Sure it'll be nice to be in classes with 90% females, but I dont think those girls will have much respect for a man that is becoming... a nurse. Sure there are male nurses... but I've noticed the male nurses I met are either 1)gay or 2)a minority. Not to be prejudice or prejudgemental against anything but I'm a white male... we are supposed to be doctors.

Anyway I'm just ranting. I'd like to see some white male nurses show their face in this thread I may have to join you guys if I can't get my GPA above 3.5 .

My dad's a white male nurse . He met my mom in nursing school. He later went on to become a CRNA and has been a nurse now for over 30 years. My mom later went on to become an MD.

My dad did his CRNA training in Des Moines. Several of his nursing buddies (male) decided to go to the DO school instead of CRNA school, and my dad was also offered a spot at DMU, but decided he really wanted to be a CRNA, not a physician.

And my dad has been happy with his job - excluding some people he's worked with and hospital situations. I can definitely tell you my dad walks into the hospital every morning with a smile on his face, and always answers the phone "Good morning/afternoon/evening" when he's on call.

 

[chirodoc]

I'm a man, a doctor (of sorts...I'll give you that much if you hate chiropractors) thinking of changing professions to nursing-RN to MSN to CRNA or FNP and I've been a open lesbian all my life and I love it, love it love it.

Besides they will know you're not gay anyway b/c straight guys dress bad, don't shave and rarely wear cologne. Most gay guys I've met dress nice...b/c that's what guys notice...other guys who dress nice. Most of them stay pretty damn fit, too.

Anyway, I used to get my fur in a knot when my "gaydar" would go off but as I get older I figure I'd rather work with someone who knows who they are than people who have no clue and will sleep with anything...and I mean any thing.

And as a former corporate manager if you know someones orientation or they know yours AT WORK then you both should get fired b/c neither one of you is doing their J.O.B.!

As far as being a physician...go for it but if you ask around a good number of physicians would have chosen another avenue in healthcare b/c of immense student loan debt, lack of a life outside of healthcare and the constant committment to your profession which leaves precious little time for anything else. What good is a lot of money if you have lots of bills, no time to spend it or are too friggin' tired to do anything?

Good luck and you are hereby invited to the next Gay Games for sensitivity awareness training.

 

[pantatheos]

Was the one male nurse you knew of in Iraq good to you, sweet, compassionate, caring for your bodily and mental well-being? Maybe you didn't let him give you a chance. I love my job. I'm not a sissy, don't get stressed (PMS) and am always around girls. I'd love to go out with you sometime with my friends, my girl and me (a gay nursing student) and do something educational (physiology) but erotic (anatomy).

most male nurses are sissies, all expect for one that i know off. He was a nurse in Iraq. I work around nurses and i hate almost everyone of them. You can tell by their attitudes that they hate that job and that their in it for the money. They always seem to have PMS (male nurses includes) or something. Dont be one of those nurses. Go to med school in the caribean

 

[pantatheos]

In my journey to figure out what the hell I want to do, I'm coming across many obstacles, so I need to keep my options open. My first choice is Pharmacy, second is PA, and both are equally as hard to get into. I really want a job in the professional medical field and that leaves.... nursing.

Sure it'll be nice to be in classes with 90% females, but I dont think those girls will have much respect for a man that is becoming... a nurse. Sure there are male nurses... but I've noticed the male nurses I met are either 1)gay or 2)a minority. Not to be prejudice or prejudgemental against anything but I'm a white male... we are supposed to be doctors.

Anyway I'm just ranting. I'd like to see some white male nurses show their face in this thread I may have to join you guys if I can't get my GPA above 3.5 .

I have noticed that more than half of the guys in my nursing class are black, and of them international students for Africa. I don't care. I love diversity. I just freak out a little seeing the huge uncut cocks some black guys carry around.

 

[Beau Geste]

Please stop talking.

 

[pantatheos]

I'm sorry, did you mean me? to stop talking?

Thanks.

 

[Beau Geste]

I'm sorry, did you mean me? to stop talking?

Thanks.

Yes.

 

[justwondering]

we need more male nurses.

but do not go into any profession in medicine that u would not enjoy. im not a nurse, but i can see that its not an easy job nor is it always pleasant (rude pts at times, gross stuff). u'll need ur own motivation to get thru it.

 

[konkan]

In my journey to figure out what the hell I want to do, I'm coming across many obstacles, so I need to keep my options open. My first choice is Pharmacy, second is PA, and both are equally as hard to get into. I really want a job in the professional medical field and that leaves.... nursing.

Sure it'll be nice to be in classes with 90% females, but I dont think those girls will have much respect for a man that is becoming... a nurse. Sure there are male nurses... but I've noticed the male nurses I met are either 1)gay or 2)a minority. Not to be prejudice or prejudgemental against anything but I'm a white male... we are supposed to be doctors.

Anyway I'm just ranting. I'd like to see some white male nurses show their face in this thread I may have to join you guys if I can't get my GPA above 3.5 .

Make you less of a man? You're absolutely correct, in fact, during my nursing years even my penis had shrunk a bit I'm out of nursing finally, phew...
Nursing is quite depressing as well. Think about it - you're usually surrounded by gays (both sexes) or hot chicks who are constantly looking for a doc to sit on...

 

[yanky5]

Make you less of a man? You're absolutely correct, in fact, during my nursing years even my penis had shrunk a bit I'm out of nursing finally, phew...
Nursing is quite depressing as well. Think about it - you're usually surrounded by gays (both sexes) or hot chicks who are constantly looking for a doc to sit on...

Yes, you will be less of a man. But then again you will be surrounded by all those cute little female nurses (although most are foreign). I hear if you wrap your penis in aluminum foil you will protect it from the shrinking effect of nursing. But if the female nurses carry around a bar magnet in their pocket, it only amplifies the shrinking effect.

 

[caroladybelle]

Show me a nurse that does.

Most places I have been through had transporters for the transport and 'patient care associates' for the washing. The main tasks for the RNs were to carry clipboards around and to buff up the policy folder.

What hospital is this? I haven't seen a clipboard in or a policy folder and ages. And I do bath and transport my patients frequently.

 

[GwinnettPreMed]

In my journey to figure out what the hell I want to do, I'm coming across many obstacles, so I need to keep my options open. My first choice is Pharmacy, second is PA, and both are equally as hard to get into. I really want a job in the professional medical field and that leaves.... nursing.

Sure it'll be nice to be in classes with 90% females, but I dont think those girls will have much respect for a man that is becoming... a nurse. Sure there are male nurses... but I've noticed the male nurses I met are either 1)gay or 2)a minority. Not to be prejudice or prejudgemental against anything but I'm a white male... we are supposed to be doctors.

Anyway I'm just ranting. I'd like to see some white male nurses show their face in this thread I may have to join you guys if I can't get my GPA above 3.5 .

You need to ask yourself NOW...
what...am...I...good...at...and...what...do...I...REALLY...WANT...TO...DO?

And make your decision based on that. Break it down and write it out. Is it seeing the results of helping people hands-on? Do you think you'd enjoy doing a lot of hands on procedures? Do you want to manage people? Do you like solving complex scientific puzzles? How much of a priority is "lifestyle"? Have you ever considered aptitude testing (www.jocrf.org)?

My experience was this: I graduated college poor-as-heck having struggled to finish the pre-med curriculum. I worked FT through most of college and had marginal grades, but strong test scores. I decided people would see me as a slacker and there was no way anyone would give me a scholarship. I looked at how much I would have to borrow and decided that med school was not achievable (wrong). Switched careers and self-studied like crazy then went to grad school to learn IT/management...12 years later I had a great job as a software project manager. I worked for/with good, decent, smart people and made $132K the year I quit. And HATED getting up every morning. Pursuing the wrong career will not help you or anyone unfortunate enough to have to work with you. YOU MUST decide what is right for YOU, not your parents, friends, potential dates, etc. YOU are the one who will have to live with it and it will only get MORE difficult as you get older/futher along in a career. You have only got one life to live, and it goes quick...

I am in a post-bacc program now, living off my savings and LOVING it. My regret is that I did not pursue this more doggedly earlier. It ain't perfect...it can be humiliating to feel like a 24-year-old again after working for over a decade to establish a career, and being treated as someone "important". And I know it'll be humbling to remind myself when I start volunteering again next month to address the 22-year old nurse as "ma'am" because, after all, she knows more about clinical medicine than I will for five more years, at least. But not that many people get the opportunity to pursue their "dream job". You seem to be on the verge of figuring out what yours before you've sacrificed a lot to another career. My advice, as someone who's been there, is "grow up early", and do the hard work of figuring out exactly what YOU want to do, then fight like hell to do it.

That said, it does not have to be pie-in-the-sky unrealistic. There are some concrete things that may help you:
1) Get help with planning. Find a qualified financial planner to help you determine the return on your investment of time/money on education. You most likely do not have the knowledge needed to do this for yourself. I sure didn't. The CFP credential is solid and well-respected. Do a google search for CFP's in your area. It will be money well spent. Ask for advice from professors and politely ask to shadow experienced professionals in all the fields you're considering.
2) Consider all options. You are talking about nursing as your "fall-back". It was my first choice, until I found out how much time was involved relative to the payback. Nursing schools specify a very specific selection of foundation courses. It was very different from my pre-med coursework, as it likely will be from yours. Evaluate how long/expensive each option will be to complete in a very analytical way (i.e. write it out in as much detail as possible and come up with numbers for time and expense). You also mentioned pharmacy/PA. What about DPM? DVM? DDS? PT? Nuclear Med? Rad Tech? Perfusionist? Paramedic? Again, a detailed, rank ordered list of what you think is driving you to consider these careers will help you narrow your choices.
3) If you have a nagging feeling that "field X is what I really want to do", then GO WITH IT until there is evidence that some limitation of your character/desires/ability is stopping you.
4) What you see on SDN regarding stats is laughably unreliable. Either these sites seriously self-select for applicants with high stats or there's some heavy-duty exaggerating going on. Contact the admissions offices for the schools you are considering and get the info from the horse's mouth.

You seem to care a lot (too much) about what other people think. This probably has a lot to do with your age (as you get older, you stop giving a sh&t), but it appears to be handicapping you from making good decisions. Nursing is a great career...yes, for white men too...but no career is going to give back more than you put into it. If you go into it with doubts and disrespect, you'll leave it in the same condition - just older and more disillusioned.

Good luck.

 

[71263]

To answer the OP: Yes, you will completely lose your masculinity. Go cut off your balls now and get a job at boystown.

 

[LADoc00]

In my journey to figure out what the hell I want to do, I'm coming across many obstacles, so I need to keep my options open. My first choice is Pharmacy, second is PA, and both are equally as hard to get into. I really want a job in the professional medical field and that leaves.... nursing.

Sure it'll be nice to be in classes with 90% females, but I dont think those girls will have much respect for a man that is becoming... a nurse. Sure there are male nurses... but I've noticed the male nurses I met are either 1)gay or 2)a minority. Not to be prejudice or prejudgemental against anything but I'm a white male... we are supposed to be doctors.

Anyway I'm just ranting. I'd like to see some white male nurses show their face in this thread I may have to join you guys if I can't get my GPA above 3.5 .

There is always man-on-man action. Have you even been to the Pride parade in Castro? Trust me, male nurses GALORE.