Being a male going into nursing is obviously something that must be addressed. In fact just today my brother in law who is a head vet technician was teaching in a children’s Sunday school class and he introduced himself as a head vet tech, the children of course had no idea what that was and he explained that it was like being a head nurse at that point the children laughed their heads off and called him a girl.
Even now as I introduce myself to people and mention that I will be attending nursing school there is a quick pause as they try to digest the information. The majority of society has no idea the opportunities out there for nurses. Many management positions exist at different levels with in a hospital including director positions in the ER or OR etc. . . A nurse practitioner can open their own private practice in many states and earn as much as a family practice physician. CRNAs are now required to have a Doctor of Nursing degree and are able to provide anesthesia independent of physicians. Recently I have also learned of Legal Nurse Consults who provide consultation on mal practice suits also the opportunity exists to become a CNO or Chief Nursing Officer. This position is an executive position within the hospital and can make upwards of several hundred thousand dollars and have the responsibility of a full fledged executive officer within the health care system.
Many undergrad nursing programs are still over 80% female while CRNA schools are 80% male. From this basic statistic it is obvious that a male who goes into nursing statistically will end up moving up the career ladder.
With health care changing nurses will, in my opinion, see further responsibility and new positions will be created allowing for a shift in the doctor/nurse relationship. This will only create higher paying jobs for nurses and new openings giving the field even more respect and leading more males into the field.
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