Kaboutjie SA Mommy Blogs by Lynne Huysamen
Nursing is a field that has been, statistically, dominated by women. Perhaps it’s the nurturing instinct of women that makes them a natural fit for being a nurse. But it may also be the stigma that men aren’t meant to be nurses that keeps women at the bedsides of hospital patients.
Thankfully, the trend is starting to shift, with more men entering the field.
Why?
1. Nursing is a Field That Has a Bright Future
If you want career security, you know that some fields are on the way out. These fields may include car manufacturing, where the assembly line is being taken over by automation, or it may be the ever-shrinking cashiers in stores.
Amazon even tested a fully automated grocery store.
But nursing is a field that is relatively safe. The complex problem-solving that nursing requires is not under threat from automation or AI, and the population is living longer. An aging population is good for the nursing industry because as we age, the risk of sickness and the need for medical care both increase.
Due to this simple fact, the nursing industry has a very bright future.
Nursing, as a field, is expected to rise at a rate of 12% between 2016 and 2026 – faster than the average for all occupations. Nurses are in a good place in terms of a field that will only be growing as society ages.
2. Nursing Jobs Aren’t Being Filled
Nursing jobs are in high demand, but a recent study has shown that a lot of positions are remaining open. Stamford found that 60% of job postings for nurse practitioners remained open for over 60 days.
Nurses are able to dictate their terms with many medical facilities.
And it’s because the field is growing so fast that there aren’t enough nurses to fill all positions. You have a lot of nurses retiring, too. These retirees offer a wealth of information to their clients, and it’s these kinds of professionals that are not easy to replace.
Men are entering the field to help fill the gap.
Not only is nursing a career that has longevity and safety, but there is such a high demand that jobs aren’t being filled quickly enough.
3. Career Flexibility
Careers that are flexible are best, and a lot of careers are only booming in certain parts of the country. Tech, for example, has its sectors in every state, but California and New York are the epicenter of the tech industry in the United States.
Nursing, on the other hand, is flexible because there are options all around you.
Male nurses, and their female counterparts, have options across the country. You can almost always find a hospital that is hiring, whether in Florida, Tennessee, Wyoming or any other state in the country.
Your skills as a nurse are in very high demand, and this demand will not slow down any time soon.
People are only getting older, and since a lot of nurses are retiring from their positions, there will be an even higher gap in the number of nurses available to fill positions.
When it comes to flexibility, nursing is a skill that can be transferred from one facility to another, and from one country to another, too.
Men that are seeking this career flexibility are turning to nursing.
4. Nursing Pays Very Well
Men that have to make good money can enter into the nursing field. Nursing has a lot of specializations, so this will be reflective in the pay that a nurse makes. Registered nurses in the United States had a median income of $70,000 in 2017.
And the Bureau of Labor statistics claims that the number of registered nurse positions is going to grow at a rate of 15% per year – much faster than average – through 2026.
There will be over 438,000 positions added to the field during this time, and the $70,000 pay is for a nurse that has a Bachelor’s degree.
Earning a Master’s degree pushes up the average salary even higher.
Specializations allow male nurses to earn even higher incomes.
Psychiatric nurse practitioners, for example, have a salary range of $77,624 – $117,551. A certified registered nurse anaesthetist has an even higher salary range of $94,500 – $194,000+.
Men are realizing just how much the industry pays, and they know that with a rapid growth forecast, nursing will be one of the best-paying, financially-secure fields in the world in the coming years.
5. Men Enjoy Rewarding Work, Too
Men like rewarding work, whether it be mechanic work, accounting, computing, landscaping – anything. When work is rewarding, there’s a reason to get out of bed in the morning and head to work. A lot of people are not happy in their careers, and this is causing men to seek out a career that feels rewarding.
Nursing is one of the most rewarding career paths.
Interaction with patients and their families can add to the rewarding feeling that male nurses miss in other careers. Working closely with patients, helping many rehab themselves back into a normal life, is a rewarding career path.
Men are realizing that nursing can fill the desire to go to work and enjoy what they’re doing rather than just chasing a paycheck.
6. Nurses Consider Their Careers Later in Life
A lot of men enter into a field that they quickly learn they don’t like, but these individuals stay in their careers because they’re afraid that they’re too old to make a change. But it’s never too late to put on your men’s scrubs and become a nurse.
Statistics show that 49% of nurses only started considering a nursing program between the ages of 23 and 40.
The ability to enter the nursing field later in life is a good thing for men and women. If a career is not rewarding or doesn’t pay well, there’s always the option of switching career paths to nursing.
Nursing is evolving, and as the world’s population continues to age, the need for qualified nurses will only continue to increase. Men will help fill this nursing gap, attending to the needs of patients more than ever before.
