Posted on 12/12/2024 1:23:36 PM PST by SeekAndFind
Brandon Holcombe went straight from high school to working as a welder in northern Georgia, but it wasn’t for him.
Holcombe worried that the field was being automated away by robots, and besides, he wanted something with more problem-solving skills. Now, a decade later and at 28 years old, Holcombe is a long way from welding, studying at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine to become a registered nurse.
“Each day brings new learning opportunities,” Holcombe said.
The number of men in the U.S. with the job of registered nurse has nearly tripled since the early 2000s. Many come to the field after working in the military or in jobs, such as paramedics or firefighters, that exposed them to the work of nurses.
“What I hear a lot from female students is, ‘I’ve always wanted to be a nurse, I like helping people,’ where the men tend to look more at job security and job stability,” said Jason Mott, president of the American Association for Men in Nursing.
Many of the manufacturing jobs that are being moved overseas, replaced by automation or phased out of the American economy were mostly filled by men. As a result, other occupations traditionally dominated by women are now gaining a larger share of men, including elementary and middle-school teachers and customer-service representatives.
Still, nursing is a relative outperformer in the proportion of men joining what has long been considered a “pink collar” sector. The number of male registered nurses has increased from about 140,000 in 2000 to about 400,000 in 2023. This means that about 14% of nurses are now men, up from about 9% roughly two decades ago.
(Excerpt) Read more at msn.com ...
I’m not concerned about the hole I dig for those who cannot handle reality. Nursing requires less training then doctors, that’s the reality. It’s more hands on then the doctor, so it requires a different level and type of training. We pay doctors to know, but nurses to do. That’s why nurses can labour all day, but the doctor often gets all the glory when he shows up in the last two minutes of the appointment and fills out a form.
Quit being sensitive. :)
Back in the 90’s I worked with a lady whose husband was a nurse & she said he always complained about getting stuck moving the overweight patients because the women struggled.
They’re telling me that he needs a Hoyer lift but the physical therapist with the home health service advised against it. It becomes a destructive crutch and leads to more weakness.
Great story, kawhill. Many thanks to your mother for the work she did and for the inspiration she provided. So glad you’ve had these people in your life.
Depending on the type of medicine you want to practice, it may take as long as 18 years of training. However, in nursing, you can get everything done in four years and sometimes as little as two if you pour on the heat.
It is no disrespect to nurses, but their training is not as rigorous as some doctors.
“That hole you’re digging isn’t getting any smaller”
Lol - no kidding. That generalization was WAY wide of the mark. Cost, 10 years (+/-) post-college education/training, and lack of desire to live an MD’s life are among the reasons many have no interest in becoming a doctor.
I have a brother-in-law who was nursing in the 80s and retired a few years ago. Men nursing is not a new thing. My son is in nursing school now.
I recognize that, in some areas, nurses are far more knowledgeable than doctors. Especially in the areas of administering medication.
I’d rather have a top-notch nurse for their knowledge than a doctors, when it comes to what the person was trained to do. Nurses, I find, are far more quick to diagnose problems at their level than doctors are at theirs.
Yes!
I was so thankful for the male nurses and therapists who helped us with my FIL when he had dementia and lived with us. It wasn’t just a matter of weight either, it was the physical strength needed to bathe or change him when he was combative.
At one point it took three of us (women) to do the same task
Ive been a nurse 21 years, and retire in about 3 more....
Nursing is a great job for anyone with some smarts and a willingness to work.
Job security for the next 20+ years is a huge plus. Salary ain’t too bad either.
My neighbor across the way was a nurse. Her reliable job inspired her husband to study nursing, then their children followed their parents. Job security was the main reason for all of them, I believe.
My nephew joined the marines right out of high school. Big into TV, not into reading at all. But he came out and took a nursing degree. I’m pretty sure job security was highest on his list of reasons. Made the family really proud.
Typical snobbery.
Doctors are some of the most overrated professionals on the planet.
I disagree that I’m digging any holes. I’ve nothing that indicates a lack of respect for anybody.
There’s truth to that.
Being a male nurse is so much probably good way to meet female nurses. But then again why not just become a doctor?
Yeah... great fun, but the hospitals will make you take the covid and flu shot, and it’s still kinda gay.
My son has been an RN for 10 years. The drawback? All the damn women.
Your therapist is not telling the whole story. Quite often, the physical condition its the limiting factor, not the “crutch”.
I agree .
Traveling nurses can see the world and get paid well .
“I disagree that I’m digging any holes. I’ve nothing that indicates a lack of respect for anybody.”
And I disagree with your assertion.
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