Nursing: A Man's Job?
Watch a movie or a TV program set in a hospital.
Even in this, the modern age, when female doctors fill the halls and operating rooms of many hospitals and medical centers, the number of male nurses still seems to be disproportionately low. Indeed, various sources claim that male nurses make up only 5-6 percent of the entire nursing profession.
Yet this number is said to be on the rise, and for a variety of reasons. Basically, as time goes on stereotypes wane; people come to realize that, in this day and time, there's really no such thing as 'women's work.'
Today men work as preschool and kindergarten teachers, social workers, librarians, home health care companions, and sometimes even homemakers. And other 'caring professions' always have boasted their fair share of male practitioners. No one blinks a proverbial eye at the sight of a male doctor, chef, personal trainer, customer service professional, masseur, barber or marriage counselor.
It seems people are finally beginning to realize that men, too, have the capacity for caring. As nurses, they too can provide equal doses of tender nurturance and medication; both of which are needed to ensure the speedy recovery of virtually any patient.
Moreover, more and more men are finding that they can apply their physical strength to a job in the nursing profession. Patients must be moved and sometimes held steady in order for treatment to be administered; in addition, some forms of medical equipment are large, heavy, and unyielding. This is why the trait of physical strength is a definite advantage in the medical field, particularly when it comes to nursing.
And while nursing does stand as the ultimate caring profession, it is also a powerful one. Nurses earn the ultimate respect, both from patients and their families and from the community at large. They join doctors, lab technicians and volunteers to form a comprehensive healthcare team; one that makes a definite, long lasting difference in the lives of patients. Both males and females are drawn to the power and prestige inherent within the nursing profession.
Money is another big draw to nurses of both genders. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, nurses earn anywhere from less than $43,410 to more than $92,240 per year. Licensed Practical Nurses make less than Registered Nurses, but also require much less schooling. The precise amount that they earn will depend on the level of education, experience and initiative attained by each nurse, plus the specific specialty that each assumes.
While money and power are definite drawing points in the nursing profession, perhaps nothing equals the sublime feeling of helping other people. Nurses, regardless of their gender, make a difference in the lives of patients and their families. And whether you're a woman or a man, you can make a man-sized difference in the health field by becoming a nurse. Check out a career in nursing today!
