Career Prospects for Male Nurses

Joy Paley is a guest blogger for Pounding the Pavement and a writer on the subject of technical schools for the Guide to Career Education.

Who amongst us hasn’t seen Meet the Parents, where male nurse Greg Focker gets lambasted by his girlfriend’s CIA agent father. The movie brought nurse stereotypes to the big screen, a place where they’ve been less-overtly portrayed for many decades already.

To its credit, the movie also satirized the idea that the male should be the doctor, and not the lowly nurse. These days, more men than ever are also realizing the ironies of stereotyping against a profession that provides secure job prospects and good pay, even as more “manly” jobs like construction languish in the dregs of our current economic toilet bowl. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services reports more male nurses graduating and pursuing jobs than ever before. Here are a few nursing professions that may be particularly amenable to men entering the nursing field.

Nurse Practitioner
Male nurses may meet some challenges in hospital settings, where biased patients expect the “safety” and “mothering” of your classic matronly, female nurse. Nurse practitioner is a career where nurses have the freedom to act as primary caretakers. Men may find they meet less resistance in this position that mimics the independence experienced by an MD.
Nurse practitioners must complete their RN training, as well as a master’s degree in nursing and practitioner certification. A doctor of nursing degree can also help. Nurse practitioners can expect an $83,000 average yearly salary.

Nurse Educator
What better way to get rid of nursing stereotypes than to become a male nurse educator? According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, only 4.2% of nursing faculty are male. Since 10% of all nurses are male, this number is particularly pitiful. While you will be a trailblazer and can expect the resistance that this entails, becoming a nurse educator will mean that you’re actively working to even out the playing field. An MSN degree is the minimum educational requirement to teach in a nursing school, although a doctoral degree will better your chances of employment.

Occupational Health Nurse
The occupational health nurse field is just a bit more gender-balanced than nurses in general, with 13% being male. It’s potentially more man-friendly, however, because it gets men out of the hospital setting, where women nurses are stereotypically considered to rule the roost. OHNs work more independently to assess workers’ environments, advocate for worker safety and health, and manage occupation-related injuries. Occupational health work exists in all experience levels and specializations, and RNs can expect better job prospects when they have more of each.

Legal Nurse Consultant
As unfair as it is, men still experience a greater presence in the legal field, both as judges and attorneys. Male nurses can use this stereotype to their advantage, if they choose to pursue the field of legal nurse consulting. Legal nurse consultants help advise lawyers and others on any cases where their clinical knowledge may be applicable. While no advanced education is necessary, RNs can get jump-started in the field through many available educational programs and certificates.

Nurse Officer
Think of the U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps as the Navy Seals for healthcare workers. This team of health professionals promotes public health and disease prevention for the federal government. Nurse officers in the Corps perform a variety of tasks, from treating individuals in remote communities, to helping during natural disasters, to conducting research. Besides affording excellent career opportunities, the Corps offers a large signing bonus and excellent benefits. For male nurses who are interested in a more dynamic nursing job, this could be a good fit.