Category: Male Nursing

Most people when asked to picture a nurse, would almost always picture a women. Nursing has been a profession dominated by women. There are some notable exceptions over history, some as early as the 3rd century. Another such exception is the Knights Hospitaliers, and the Teutonic Knights, military orders who were attached to hospitals during the Middle Ages to provide care for pilgrims traveling to the Holy Land. So there are precedents for men in nursing.

There are a lot of reasons men go into nursing today. Most importantly they want to be able to help the sick and injured. It certainly doesn’t hurt that nurses actually make a pretty good income, and in the field of nursing there are many chances for advancement as well as for education well past college.

There are almost 3 million registered nurses employed in nursing today. Almost 162,000 of those are men. Translation around 5.9 percent give or take. It is estimated that there will be at least 1.1 million jobs openings in the field of nursing in the year 2012, and over 2 million by 2015.

Medical facilities around the world are staggering under the burdens of not enough trained and qualified nurses to meet a rising demand of patients in need. More male nurses are entering training and schools, but we still have a long way to go before we can meet everyone’s needs.

The national average salary for a registered nurse is $57,785 a year. This average includes all RN’s working everywhere. Of course registered nurses who have chosen to continue their education will be able to bring in higher salaries. A registered nurse who gets a Master’s Degree or a Doctorate can then choose to become a nurse practitioner. The average salary for a nurse practitioner is $70,500 a year.

A registered nurse can choose to specialize in a particular field of medicine. One such example is certified anesthetists, these registered and specially certified nurses make almost $130,000 a year. This is a popular field for registered nurses who are males, almost forty nine percent of those employed work in this field.

There are many other fields of medicine that command decent salaries and offer many challenges to male nurses. As the world continues to be rocked by crisis after crisis, now more than ever there is an urgent need to fill positions in emergency rooms around the world. There are also other medical facilities that urgently need the help of qualified nurses, like oncology, pediatrics, and geriatrics.

Education is important, especially to a male registered nurse. Statistically, the male nurse is more likely to pursue a nursing degree to the masters level. Most of the time registered nurses who had a masters degree made almost $75,000 a year, those who have doctorate degrees make just over $80,000.

There are likely more opportunities available in the field of research for skilled registered nurses. Whatever career path the male nurse decides to take, he will most likely be happily welcomed because he will most likely be urgently needed. The field of nursing is facing a severe shortage of registered nurses, even though there are almost 3 million already employed.

There are a large number of men in the United States alone who have no work. They would be an excellent labor pool to tap to fill the growing need for nurses around the world. Everyone wins. Give them purpose, and watch the economic depression disappear. Heal the sick, and soon there will be less to fight about. Something to think about.

Learn more about RN’s by viewing these articles:

1). Different types of registered nurses

2). Registered nursing salary for male and female

Motivational quotes for nurses

The field of nursing is ever growing and expanding. Most professional nurses consider their jobs a lifetime commitment, instead of a paycheck. The ratio of male to female nurses is incredibly low, but those numbers are growing slowly. When asked, male nurses expressed the same level of caring and commitment to the welfare of their patients as female nurses did. Here are some of the things male nurses have to say about their work.

“I feel that nursing will become a career field of ever increasing specialties. As technology gets more sophisticated, Nurses will have to become more specialized and educated to meet the specific needs of patients. An aging population I feel will lend itself to RNs becoming more care directors than care givers. ”
– Kenneth Beasley, Nurse

“Whether a person is a male or female, a nurse is a nurse.”
– Gary Veale, Nurse

“To do what nobody else will do, a way that nobody else can do, in spite of all we go through; is to be a nurse.”
– Rawsi Williams, Nurse

“Nurses dispense comfort, compassion, and caring without even a prescription.”
-Val Saintsbury

“kNowledgeable
Untiring
Resourceful
Sincere
Energetic

What does being a NURSE mean to you?”
– Unknown author

“When you’re a nurse you know that every day you will touch a life or a life will touch yours.”
– Unknown author

” To serve humanity is the best way, to honor God in our lives”
– Hindu Philosophy

“Your right is to work only, but never with its fruit(result). Let not the fruits of actions be your motive, nor your attachment be to inaction. Therefore you always perform action without attachment; for by performing action without attachment one reaches the SUPREME (God).
– Hindu Philosophy

“The shop advertisement says, ‘Buy one get one Free’.
God says, ‘Buy Me and be free’
– Hindu Philosophy

“A small body of determined spirits fired by an unquenchable FAITH in their mission can alter the course of History.”
– Mahatma Gandhi

Male nurses are going to be a minority in nursing for a long time. However with the shortages of qualified nurses that exist around the world, this shouldn’t really affect their career outlook. A lot of male nurses do the job because they want to help people. Others do it because they want to be on the cutting edge of research.

There will be over one million vacancies in the field of nursing in the year 2012. The opportunities for advancement, and job security are two very good reasons men should be seeking out these jobs. Nursing schools have reported a slight increase in the number of men enrolled in nursing classes. Overall the stigma seems to be largely gone, as more and more people realize what those male nurses already know. “Male or female, a nurse is a nurse”

More interesting articles can be found below:

1). Male nurse quotes

Although the field of medicine has grown more accepting of male nurses, there are still a lot of antiquated stereotypes. A lot of controversy has sprung up around the topic of male nursing and nursing a baby. Male nurses commonly complain that they aren’t allowed in maternity wards. Sometimes people can take issue with the fact that a male is present.

More often than not that discrimination comes from older professionals who believe that things should be done the way they always have been. In the military a lot of male nurses work in delivery and labor, and they say that it doesn’t cause a problem. Unless the patient themselves asks specifically for a woman nurse, then there isn’t any reason a male nurse can’t be there.

But there are still doubters, and most times male nurses find themselves restricted from working that closely with women patients. Some have made a fuss about that, and been granted the positions they were seeking. They state that all nurses are professionals regardless of gender, and when there is a medical crisis, the last thing that most of them are thinking about is gender.

More often than not it isn’t going to matter to the patient, it shouldn’t matter to anyone else. Why shouldn’t a male nurse be present during breastfeeding? If he’s a nurse chances are he’s seen things like that before, and if he’s a good nurse, chances are high that it won’t affect him in his duties at all. After a while it becomes second nature.

The nurses themselves really don’t see what all the fuss is about. They conduct themselves with utmost professionalism on the job. They are there for the same reason the women nurses are, they want to help sick people get better. Nine times out of ten it is just as awkward for them as it for the patient. If a patient is uncomfortable with a male nurse in the room, that’s one thing. But for doctors and other nurses to make that decision for the patient, is not only unacceptable, it’s also kind of illegal.

It’s going to take some time before the stigma of men as nurses goes away. Until then these kind of things are going to keep happening. The best thing a male nurse can do is smile and keep going. It’s the job you do that makes the difference, and male nurses are proud to be helping save lives.

View some of these articles:

1). Male nursing stereotypes

2).  Discrimination against male nurses

3). Nursing ethics for male nurses

Male Nursing Stereotypes Still Exists

Only women’s professional basketball has a higher ratio of female to male employees. Women still continue to dominate the profession of nursing. Out of over 2 million nurses, only around five percent of those are male. Men who work in nursing now say that while things are still a bit rough around the edges, the overall attitude towards men in nursing is positive.

Men in nursing have had to face some serious stereotyping in the past. Nursing was seen as a job only suitable for females. The first nursing clinics were started in convents, so that almost makes sense. Economics have been a big factor towards reducing this stereotype. The field of nursing employs over 2 million professionals, and they are still facing severe nursing shortages in almost every state of the country. Job prospects for nursing are great, there are no limit to the jobs a trained nurse can get. So it only makes sense as more men are laid off, that they take up a career with some future potential.

Not only have men had to beat the stereotype that they were doing a woman’s job, many male nurses say that another stereotype they face a lot is that of the gay male nurse. A lot of that is because most nurses are female, and any man working with them has to be in touch with their feminine side. It is also said that since nursing is such a subordinate profession, any man who works as a nurse must like being told what to do.

All of the above is patently not true, but society is sometimes slow to see which way the wind is blowing. At least in the United States it is generally accepted, in other countries men are subjected to ridicule and a lot worse than that.

Most related articles:

1).  Discrimination against male nurses

2). Nursing ethics for male nurses

3). Nursing ethics for female nurses

Nurse Overtime Pay Regulations

The controversy around nurses working too many overtime hours continues to rage across the country. New legislation proposed by the Department of Labor will attempt to bring the field of nursing more in line with other similar occupations. Overtime used to be at the discretion of the employer, and a lot of employees were penalized when they didn’t want to work extra shifts.

Currently registered nurses are paid for overtime at the time and a half rate. However working professionals in many states have expressed dissatisfaction with labor conditions, saying they were often asked to work overtime regardless of the fact that they had just finished working and were exhausted. Airline pilots are not allowed to fly a plane after so many hours in the air.

The same standard should be applied to nursing, where a mistake made due to exhaustion could be very serious. Employers cite the lack of trained professionals to fill these positions, saying they are forced to work with what they have, and that they do their best to make sure no one is overworked.

There is also concern that legislation might be passed that allows hospitals to not pay an overtime wage, but instead to retain the worker at their original salary. This is a popular idea in places where times are tough, and hospitals are struggling to meet the bills. However, Department of Labor officials feel this would be an unwise move, with so many people struggling to make ends meet. A nurse who finds their overtime pay reduced might just go seek employment elsewhere.

There is legislation in place in most states, that protect nurses from having to work mandatory overtime. There is not uniform legislation in place regarding compensation for overtime, that debate is still ongoing. The government should pick up the tab for all healthcare costs. More nurses need to be trained and hired, and the United States needs to take better care of the nurses they have.

You can see how much registered nurse make in each state.

Why Should We Appreciate Nurses

Nurses are an integral part of the medical and the healthcare industry and they are looked up to with respect. They are compassionate and caring. They are a patient’s constant companion during the time of sickness and illness. Nurses work for long hours and they take the stress of both the patient and the medical team. They are also leaders and they advocate and speak for the patients and their families. They work the whole day attending to the patient and the doctor and they hardly get the break that they deserve. Nurses also undertake the responsibility that all the things required for a patient are in order. They check health charts and aid physicians in the lab.

Nurses also face certain issues with regard to their work. They are often not taken seriously by doctors and patients. At times the family of the patient may also not accept certain things that they say for the interest and the welfare of the patient. Nurses have conflict management skills that are worth taking note. With the aid of these skills they are able to handle difficult situations and people successfully. They are the ones that ensure that the best interests of the patient are looked into and they are the professionals that patients bank upon when they are sick or ill.

They are inspirational and they never can be forgotten for the care and the services that they render to the ill and sick. They are ones that stand out in society and they are respected for their level of commitment and dedication. Nurses are idols and role models. Healthcare is incomplete without their services and compassion. They are the ones that care and without them the medical fraternity cannot exist.

Nurses deserve recognition and we should appreciate them for their services and care. They are the leaders in healthcare and they deserve appreciation during Nurses Appreciation Week. This event has been organized to appreciate the role of nurses in society. It helps us the common man to appreciate and recognize the effects of nurses in society. Celebrating Nurses Appreciation Week will promote goodwill and loyalty among nurses. They are made to feel important and we can also remind them that they are indispensable to the healthcare and the medical industry. Both male and female nurses should be appreciated for their consistent and dedicated effects to make the patient feel cared for and looked after well.

Despite their hard work, a grueling schedule and the demands of their job nurses never are rude. They maintain their positive attitude and often take displeasure of the doctors and the patients in their stride. They are the ones that need to be made special for their contribution to the medical and the healthcare industry. The week helps us to remember them and honor them for their role and the part that they play in the recovery of the patients. They are important and indispensable. They are valuable and they should be constantly appreciated and remembered always.

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Know About The Significance Of Patient Safety Awareness Week

Patient Safety Awareness Week is a national ceremony which is funded by the National Patient Safety Foundation (NPSF) for the purpose of building awareness for bringing an improvement in patient safety standards. The NPSF is celebrating Patient Safety Awareness Week from 6-12 March. The sole aim of this annual event is to draw attention to the importance of improved patient safety initiatives for the general welfare of the patients. Another area of focus for NPSF is medication errors and hospital readmission rates. NPSF is focusing on ways that can help to reduce these issues by maintaining better communication among those in the nursing field, patients and their family members.

The lives of patients depend upon the safety standards that are followed in a health care organization. A patient may or may not survive even after giving the medical facilities but the death of any patient should not be because of any carelessness or negligence on the part of the hospital. To make this happen, each and every hospital is visited by compliance officers and quality assurance officers who go all the way to ensure that the hospital is the healthcare standards set by NPSF. A compliance officer can be contacted in case a person is not satisfied by the health care services provided in a hospital.

The patient safety initiatives taken by Joint Commission for Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations requires for the hospital to create a caring environment in which a patient can get the best possible care by enabling proper communication among health care workers, patients and their visitors. The execution of a proper procedure of information collection and evaluation can go a long way in avoiding adverse and unexpected events like drugs and surgical errors, patient fall or any injury when the patient is undergoing treatment.

Some of the initiatives that have been taken in ensuring patient safety include the use of electronic systems rather than paper charts for recording any information about the patient. This helps in avoiding any error that occurs because of writing wrong information. Providing a patient with a bracelet with a bar code when entering the emergency room helps in correctly identifying a person thereby eliminating surgical errors of mistaken identity. It is a known fact that thousands of patients lose their life every year because of medication errors that can be avoided by providing special training for the nurses. The families of the patients also need to be a bit more careful and clear away any doubt they have regarding medications. Another initiative that can be adopted by the hospitals is implementation of proper alarm system which can alert the nurses in case of any emergency.

Patient Safety Awareness Week, which was started by NPSF in the year 2002 focuses in making an effort to involve patients and health care providers to ensure that health care errors do not occur. Health care organizations throughout the world are making their contribution in celebrating Patient Safety Awareness Week and spreading awareness about it through posters, brochures, stickers, etc.

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1). National patient safety goals