More men move to nursing careers
Brian Medley, a nurse at Lurie Children's Hospital, and Zain Rehman, a nurse at Advocate Christ Medical Center Intensive Care Unit, talked about their career path.
Nursing has historically been a female-dominated field, but men are increasingly pursuing the career. The percentage of men in nursing is still small, only about 9 percent to 10 percent,
A nursing career holds many advantages for men, such as highly diverse patient care environments, career stability, and a competitive salary.
Resurrection University will host a "Thinking Out Loud" speaker series for men, by men.
"Men in Nursing" is a free event that brings together a panel of male nursing professionals to talk about what it's like to be a nurse in today's healthcare environment
EVENT DETAILS
WHEN: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday
WHERE: Resurrection University, 1431 N. Claremont, Chicago
For more information, visit: www.resu.edu/meninnursing
IT'S A GOOD TIME TO BE A NURSE
Nurses are in high demand because of a current nursing shortage. Statistics from the World Health Organization show that the total number of nurses actively working in the U.S. health care field has decreased dramatically since 2000, therefore causing the demand for nurses to increase. Another reason for the shortage is that our country's aging population is generating a growing demand for services such as end-of-life and long-term care. The shortage of nurses crosses all specialties including faculty for nursing education program. That means graduating students can enter a job marketplace that is stacked in their favor. The job opportunities for nurses are expected to grow by 16 percent by 2025.
MANY TYPES OF NURSING SPECIALTY OPTIONS
The nursing field offers many different patient care environments, some of which may be particularly appealing to men, such as anesthesia, flight, emergency, or trauma nursing. Other nursing specialties in the field that male nurses may want to explore include middle management, nursing education, nurse practitioner, oncology, psychiatry, pediatrics, and administration. Nursing is not a one-size-fits-all profession; for both male and female nurses, the wide array of specialties makes it possible to pursue one's specific areas of interest in the field.
SALARIES FOR MALE NURSES IS HIGHLY COMPETITIVE
Nurses earn a good living. Nurses in Illinois earn an average salary of $60,000. That goes up for nurse practitioners and those with specialties such as anesthesiology. It's a relatively quick transition to make a comfortable salary. Opportunities for advancement happen more quickly in nursing than in some other fields.
Even in the female-dominated field of nursing, male nurses typically out-earn female nurses, as is the case across almost all occupations. Also the retirement benefits are often very appealing. It is also not uncommon for new nurses to be offered signing bonuses.
MALE NURSES IN DEMAND
Many hospitals desire a mix of genders and many men offer the physical strength needed for tasks such as moving patients and heavy equipment. Also, some male patients prefer male nurses when dealing with sensitive medical issues, such as prostate exams, catheters etc.
NURSES HAVE JOB STABILITY
Nursing will never go out of style, and they can't be replaced by machines. People will always need medical care no matter what happens in the economy. Nursing requires empathy, resilience, and a capacity for caring... and there's no gender restriction on that.
