The Truth About Male Nurse Careers

Nursing may have been primarily a career for females at one time, but today nursing is an intriguing and profitable career option for both genders. With an increased demand for nurses and qualified health care professionals, there is opportunity for men in nursing. And they are finding the field to be a rewarding and satisfying career choice. As the fictional Greg Focker explains, despite his high MCAT scores, he finds nursing to be a more fulfilling profession than being a physician would have been.

According to the American Nurses Association, only six percent of all nurses are men. Further, across the country, hospitals and medical support staff are facing an increasing short supply of nurses. In fact, the American Hospital Association estimates that 75 percent of all medical vacancies are for nurses. This all comes in the face of the baby boomer generation retiring, foreshadowing an increased need for qualified nursing care. Now that's opportunity knocking for both women and men in nursing.

You can see why men are becoming attracted to the nursing field. What's not to like? Here are some of he advantages of the profession:

• The demand for nurses makes finding and keeping a job easier than in most other professions.
• Nursing—for both men and women—is a secure career move.
• Nursing pays well, with the median wage in nursing around $65,130.
• Nursing offers good benefits, flexible hours and almost limitless options for where you can work and the types of jobs available.
• Nursing also offers significant opportunities for professional advancement.
• Nursing can be a rewarding and enjoyable career that lets you play a direct role in working with unique individuals.

Clearly, deciding to become a nurse makes sense in terms profitability, availability, security and professional satisfaction. But there's still the lingering question of "what is it really like to be a male nurse?" Ironically, it's exactly as the accident-prone nurse Gaylord Focker describes it: Male nursing is a fulfilling, challenging, rewarding and wholly enjoyable profession.

_{Sources:
LeMoult, Craig. "Why so Few Male Nurses?" Columbia News Service. April 18, 2006
Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2011}