Thinking about becoming nurse

HardTruths83 · 2018-07-26T01:30:05+00:00

I'm a male nurse. I was a medic in the Army (Iraq 2005-2006, Infantry Medic) and then tried to become a cop and fireman. Without any minority points, and no relatives on the departments, the going was rough. My girlfriend graduated RN school at 22 and started pulling 75k for 36 hours (3x12 hours) a week. As a cop/fireman, I was going to work my ass off for 40k to start (this was 2005). I hopped into RN school stat and knocked out my BSN in 4 years. I worked ER (higher % of men than other areas, and more exciting and the younger female nurses are adrenaline junkies and AWESOME to hang with) for 4 more years and then came to work for the state prison system. I patch up stab wounds and treat overdoses now. I wear tactical pants, black polo shirt and combat boots (my ones from Iraq, so much nostalgia for me). Nobody knows I'm a "murse" and I pull down just over 100k on 40 hours per week, with great benefits, from an air-conditioned office/clinic.

If I had it to do over again, I'd go to Physician Assistant school because the time commitment is about the same, but the pay scale goes much higher. I may pursue NP, which is roughly equivalent to PA in scope and pay, and is only 2 more years of school for me. That puts me at 150k for 40 hours.

Go for it. Its a HUGE field with so many options and you can work in EVERY SINGLE CITY in the country. Incredibly portable and you're never pigeon-holed into some shit company. Your license is your meal ticket.

rad_dynamic · 2018-07-26T01:11:41+00:00

To be a nurse, you must be very empathetic and caring. A trait which is rarer in men that in women. I would assume you are absolutely sure that you're a very empathetic person otherwise I would totally advise against it. Perhaps a job in the Police could be a good option.

However you won't be completely sorrounded by women, there will be other male nurses.

TimPartendale · 2018-07-26T06:16:11+00:00

Both Nursing (BSN) or Nurse Practitioner (master’s) are good ideas. You could also become a nurse anesthetist - a lot of men do this job and get paid bank.

I would also recommend looking into becoming a Physician Assistant (100-200k/year or more) if you feel as though nursing may not be for you. The entry requirements are a bit more rigorous than a BSN program because it’s a master’s degree.

I love medicine because of the job security, great pay, and benefits. I hate it sometimes because you may have shitty patients or coworkers. But you learn how to deal with all sorts of people while on the job.

In terms of nursing being a female-dominated profession... if you’re young then being surrounded by (mostly) hot nurses in school isn’t such a bad gig. But out in the real world, nurses tend to eat their young and some are unbearable, nasty people. You will have to be ready to stand your ground because a lot of healthcare is cut-throat and patient care is a serious game where people can die if you make mistakes. Show weakness and some doctor or overzealous MA will make it their life’s goal to make you miserable. Worse, some lawyer will have your name and number.

Good luck out there.

Dio_Brando_Joestar · 2018-07-26T03:51:44+00:00

Do it. I'm in nursing school with 2 years to go. Been in this field for many many years and it's very rewarding. Like the above guy said, you gotta be empathetic and caring and willing to work wiping shit and blood. You get used to it though. Also nurses make bank.

CAPIreland · 2018-07-26T01:14:41+00:00

Do what you want to do, and don't worry about others. It may be that its all women, but so what? That's not the worst thing. As long as they're capable, that's great for you, and hey, maybe some of them are single ... Best of luck.

W_O_M_B_A_T · 2018-07-26T05:37:50+00:00

Pay for nurses these days is almost as good as MDs. Also, considered the training and schooling load is much less, and nurses graduate with significantly less debt, it's a good route to go. Hours per week tend to be less than for MDs.

Title	Thinking about becoming nurse
Author	Hairy_bread
Upvotes	3
Comments	9
Date	July 26, 2018 12:54 AM UTC (8 years ago)
Subreddit	Posted in /r/askTRP
Original Link	https://old.reddit.com/r/asktrp/comments/91xoe5/thinking_about_becoming_nurse/
Archive Link	https://theredarchive.com/r/askTRP/thinking-about-becoming-nurse.103676 https://theredarchive.com/post/103676

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