I have been in retail hell for 7 yrs. I'm 27 yrs old and I'm stuck in a dead-end retail career. I'm considering going to a nursing vocational that will train me to be a LPN (licensed practical nurse) in 11 months. Going to a 4yr college isn't on option for me right now as I can't afford to live off part-time work for that long. The class costs about $8500 which isnt a problem becuase I have a wealthy family member who will give me an interest free loan to help me get a better career.. As soon as i get out I can make almost $18-$20 and hr starting and the potential to make tons with OT. I could also pursue a better degree (RN) with only about a year to a year and a half more schooling. Most RN's make between 50k-60k a year. So would any self respecting guy be a nurse? What do you guys think?

Excellent idea.  A good friend of mine got into nursing school in his 30s.   Banged lots of chicks in school, now works 3 days a week and makes a damn fine living.

Want to get the training for free?

Go tell the Army recruiter you want MOS 91W ASI M6, LPN.

Gte paid for going to school and getting your first few years experience.

Shiftworks sucks. But male nurses get alot of tail at work, and have access to good drugs and free needles. So if sex & drugs is your thing, Nursing is way up there.

Quoted: Shiftworks sucks. But male nurses get alot of tail at work, and have access to good drugs and free needles. So if sex & drugs is your thing, Nursing is way up there.

I might use that as my sig line haha!

You have to have a certain mindset to deal with people shitting themselves.....

Do it.  And when you do suffer through the hard work in school and get a job after graduation, you'll understand why it was all worth it.

DO IT!

I'd do it.  Around here DC Suburb you can make 80K plus.  If you work nights and especially weekends 100K is do-able.  My wife is considering going back to school for nursing (she's currently a MSSW).

It is one of the few professions where having a cock and balls will put AHEAD of the women rather than work against you.

S.O.

Quoted: So would any self respecting guy be a nurse? What do you guys think?

I'm a physician.  I've worked/work with a lot of male nurses.  There is absolutely nothing unusual/strange about it.  You can make a very comfortable living as a nurse (LPN, RN).  If you haven't worked or been exposed to a hospital setting, you may want to volunteer for a couple of months before making a final decision.  There is always a nursing shortage everywhere.  You will always be able to find a job.  Good luck.

Keep in mind that 50k is probably the top salary for the nursing career. No benefits once you retire....

Plenty of job everywhere and no it's not weird for a guy.

It sounds like a great idea to me.  Not sure why you can't go for 4 years, but whatever.

Like the other guys said, it's a good way to pick up chicks.  Just figure out what type of medicine you'd like to go into.  I know I could never deal with people at their most weak like that.  Please make sure that you could/can or you're going to make a horrible nurse.

Two of my three uncles are nurses (the other is an unemployed COBOL programmer). One of my aunts is a nurse, as well. They all like it. Together, my aunt and uncle (uncle by marriage, not birth, so don't be sick) make enough to live well (in Baton Rouge) and send two daughters to college, one of which is going to med school on Grand Cayman Island. So, the money's good in some places.

Around here DC Suburb you can make 80K plus. If you work nights and especially weekends 100K is do-able.

Around a DC suburb, that's not really that great. My father pulls 100k+ as a patent examiner around here, and my mother pulls $150 an hour as a lawyer (and that's a pretty low amount for a lawyer, especially around here), which would be at least $150,000 a year if she remembered to bill everybody, and we have problems making car payment and mortgage.

My B-in-law is an RN.  He makes fine $ & lives where he wants.  Nursing jobs are every where there is a need for health care.  He's got 20 years in, so he gets 5 weeks vacation.

His buddy is a nurse anesthetist (more school) and makes tons of $ with lots of time off but works odd hours .

Once you have your LPN go for your RN as from what I understand this opens more doors.

Kent

Do it. I work about 3-4 days a week and do well. The job offers lots of options - more than any other profession i can think of.

Its gayyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy

I don't know about your area, but hospitals around here wont even hire LPNs.  If you're going to do it, become an RN.  They make pretty good money.  It's a shitty job though.  Lots of stress, bossy doctors and having to deal with some pretty disgusting things.

On a side note, I work at a hospital and dislike most of the male nurses.  They usually have chips on their shoulders.  I guess they feel a little inadiquite or something working at a female dominated job.    I hope you don't have any hangups like that.

Quoted: My B-in-law is an RN.  He makes fine $ & lives where he wants.  Nursing jobs are every where there is a need for health care.  He's got 20 years in, so he gets 5 weeks vacation. His buddy is a nurse anesthetist (more school) and makes tons of $ with lots of time off but works odd hours . Once you have your LPN go for your RN as from what I understand this opens more doors. Kent

The nurse anethetist has more access to drugs, and ergo more tail. Plus better pay.

A buddy of mine supports his family of 5 as an NA and they live comfortably in a suburban east coast environment.

Quoted: Quoted: My B-in-law is an RN.  He makes fine $ & lives where he wants.  Nursing jobs are every where there is a need for health care.  He's got 20 years in, so he gets 5 weeks vacation. His buddy is a nurse anesthetist (more school) and makes tons of $ with lots of time off but works odd hours . Once you have your LPN go for your RN as from what I understand this opens more doors. Kent The nurse anethetist has more access to drugs, and ergo more tail. Plus better pay. A buddy of mine supports his family of 5 as an NA and they live comfortably in a suburban east coast environment.

Man, around here, those are the real assholes.  Both male and female.  They think they run the place.  If you really want access to drugs, go to pharmacy school and become a pharmacist.  

Nursing ALWAYS needs people, everywhere. Go for it.
And get some good 70s porn music on an mp3 for any fortunate encounters with Candy-Stripers in the linen closet.

excellent idea.  With an RN - you can start at nearly $60K out here in Montana.

Traveling nurses make that and more with excellent perks.  You can look into case work for medical case management.

My best friend is an RN/MBA and makes a killing.  Mixes nursing shifts in when he needs some extra cash from running his home health business.

Another friend was a Navy Medic now a PA.  Makes a ton, and works maybe 4 days per week.

Most of the Male Nurses I know are/were Paramedics or 18D's who went that route after many years on the job and no luck getting into PA school.  I have known a couple that were a bit flakey, and they both happend to be guys off the street with no prior medical training of any sort.  YMMV

There's a HUGE shortage in that line of work...and will be for years. Lots of nurses are retiring, and there aren't nearly enough new grads to fill their places.

You'd have work for the rest of your life, and can always up your credentials later for better pay.

It's a sound career move.....that happens to be in demand in every state in the country pretty much....and will continue to be. Not many careers allow for that kind of freedom to move where you like and find work relitively easily.

Just tell people you're in "health care"

Nursing is an excellent profession and you should have unlimited opportunities.  

However, if you have no experience in a hospital/health-care environment don't even think about going into debt for training.    Luckily, I volunteered at a hospital and discovered it wasn't for me and was able to withdraw from nursing school two weeks before classes began (and tuition was due!!!).  Believe me, experience is essential before committing to health care.

Most hospitals have a volunteer coordinator and would love to give a responsible adult the opportunity to volunteer and get some experience.  

Good luck!!

I've always had the utmost respect for my/our Corpsmen...aka "combat-docs".  The best one I ever served with was a certified nurse.

LPNs actually end up working med/surg (floors) mostly.  Hospital specialty departments don't hire LPNs and in some cases can't.  Surgery is one place that you have to be an RN to work.  There's nothing wrong with LPN work, however, you'll want an RN no matter what.  You can get the good departments and semi-cozy positions, like surgery.  Also, the cleaning peoples asses is moslty a CNA job now, and acute care facilities won't have much of that anyhow.  A lot of the work nurses used to do is now done by ancillary personnel like phlebotomists or PCTs.

I'm getting in line for the local LPN program and then plan on working on my RN part-time after that.  I can't find shit for work with my degree and I love medicine, so it's my best option.  I worked in general sugery for a number of years and know the hassles that go alone with the job.  The wrong department/facility can really make the job horrible, but I've been in environments where the job is awesome.

The advice to try volunteering first to see if you can stand walking in a hospital door is right on. Why go from a dead-end job you can stomach to something that you hate? Life is too short to be miserable.

Your options as an LPN will be limited as compared to RNs / BSN RNs. Strongly suggest that as soon as you get settled into a job, start working on your RN. You'll need to eventually end up with a BSN for some slots.  But you can see a lot of what happens in health care as an LPN to see where you want to specialize.

About drugs. Screw up with drugs ~> lose your license ~> goto jail. Simple.

Chicks. Younger chicks will be found in the teaching hospitals like Baylor University Medical Center. Remember that the average age of a nurse is like 44. The porno movie image of the naughty nurse is a fantasy film.

Injuries: Nurses have a higher rate of back injuries than construction workers. Due to having to bend over beds and trying to lift 400lb patients. Got my L3-L4 messed up like that from a bed that rolled away from us when transferring a stroke patient.

Future. There is a tremendous shortage and is getting worse. This comes from a decade+ of $0.05/hour annual pay raises. The hierachy if very flat with only one real layer of middle management. Floor nurse ~> unit manager ~> Director of Nursing. Pay raises are coming but are being fought tooth & nail by hospital administrators that are use to containing costs/maintaining profits from pressures from insurance company reimbursements by holding down their labor costs. Something like 25% of all nurses are planning on retiring in the next 5 years so there will be slots.

Nursing has been very very good to me. There are things about it that I don't like/agree with, but welcome to reality. Male nurses are treated very well.  

If you can handle it, it is a good job.

wganz
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If you have someone that will front you the $$$ to get training...Dooooiiit! There are always openings for nurses.

I just can't stand sick people or I would try it out myself.

MT

Quoted: About drugs. Screw up with drugs ~> lose your license ~> goto jail. Simple.

Can you please elaborate on that. I was under the impression that you can only be sued in civil court for malpractice and not in criminal court. I understand losing your license, but not the jail part. Unless your referring to taking/stealing narcs or using Illegal drugs, neither of which I would ever do.

I would do it.  Work with lots of hotties, and marry a doctor.

GunLvr

Nursing is what I have chose to persue as my new career.  I'm presently in school at night.
my goal is to be an RN working in neonatology.

so, good for you

Both my wife and myself are RN's.  I wouldnt waste my time getting a LPN/LVN degree. Do the extra year of schooling. It will be worth it in the future.

You do not need a BSN in nursing unless you have the desire to move up in management or desire a national credential in something like oncology.   My wife and myself belong to the AACN which is the national credentialing in critical care.  They do not require a BSN.   The fastest way for you to get in the field and make decent bucks is to do a diploma or ADN nursing degree, start working, and then attend an off campus school like University of Phoenix if you decide you want to continue.

The hospital I work employs a large amount of male nurses.  If I had to explain why it is because my hospital is a trauma center with 9 different ICU's.  Most male nurses seem to end up in ICU's or ER's from my experience.

Pay is very good.  The poster who said nurses get no benefits when they retire fails to understand that some hospitals have excellent retirement plans.  Something you need to look into when you are looking for a job.  I work for the County of Los Angeles as a RN and my retirement not only is pretty decent but I also am not required to pay into social security.  The assorted University of California Medical Centers offer extremely good benefits and pay.  Registries in the L.A. area are paying $65.00/hr for RN's.

The great thing about nursing is that you don't have to be stuck in one area.  Even if primary patient care is not your bag you can work in clinics, procedure areas, utilization review, case management, epidemiology, etc.  You also have great flexibilty in moving and being able to find jobs.

The nursing anesthestist program is a masters level program and is extrmely difficult. You have to basically go to school for two years and not work during that time.  The pay off is yes, it pays very well.  I have a few friends that do that and they make around $160,000/year.

I was 28 years old when I started nursing and I was about in the middle as far as ages went.  Might have just been my school though.

As far as the continunig education requirements,  the number of hours varies from state to state.  In California it is 30 hours every two years.  I can do that in 30 minutes with a home study program.  Not a big deal at all.

it's all fun and games until you have to give an enema to a 500 lb woman that hasn't poo'd in 3 weeks.

I know a couples nurses I shoott with that work in a prominent sokal hospital. One owns a gun shop on the side and both make very good money.

Do it! When I had heart surgery in 2001 my best nurse was male. He was an ICU nurse and believe me he was smart. I also have two friends who are male nurses and they both bring in the money. And no they are not homosexuals. I don't see the downside.

Jim

Quoted: Quoted: About drugs. Screw up with drugs ~> lose your license ~> goto jail. Simple. Can you please elaborate on that. I was under the impression that you can only be sued in civil court for malpractice and not in criminal court. I understand losing your license, but not the jail part. Unless your referring to taking/stealing narcs or using Illegal drugs, neither of which I would ever do.

Probably refering to narcotics.   I have seen a few nurses/doctors get caught doing drugs and have seen two that died in the hospital from overdosing themselves on Fentanyl.  The temptation could be great if you were predisposed to that kind of thing.  Despite what was said of Pharmacists having an easy time getting narcotics I would have to disagree.  Narcotics are tracked very seriously.  I don't see how a Pharmacist could pull it off because they have to account for each pill/injectable.  The weak point would be from nurse to patient, where the nurse said they gave the patient the drug or in some cases pulled some narcotics out of an IV drip that was continusly running.

A RN could go to jail for giving a drug though purposeful gross negligence would have to be involved.  I know a RN in Burbank that gave a patient an extra dose of Morphine without an order and he eventually died from respiratory arrest.  The RN was convicted and is now serving time for manslaughter.  Such cases are extremely rare though.

Forget nursing, too much stress.
I think you should do some research into Radiation Therapy.

I am a RN Circulator in a surgical department.  I love my job.  Worked in factory 6 years ago until it shut down unexpectantly.  As an RN, I always have a job. We don't do the crap duties that they have to do on the floor.   Pay is great.  I have bought at least 10 evil rifles in last year.  Thats all that really mattershttp://www.ar15.com/images/smilies/icon_smile_tongue.gifhttp://www.ar15.com/images/smilies/icon_smile_tongue.gif

Quoted: I am a RN Circulator in a surgical department.  I love my job.  Worked in factory 6 years ago until it shut down unexpectantly.  As an RN, I always have a job. We don't do the crap duties that they have to do on the floor.   Pay is great.  I have bought at least 10 evil rifles in last year.  Thats all that really mattershttp://www.ar15.com/images/smilies/icon_smile_tongue.gif http://www.ar15.com/images/smilies/icon_smile_tongue.gif

Yeah, surgery is where it's at IMO.  I'll end up there soon after I get the RN as well.  You can be busy, but mostly it's sitting around talking.  The best part are the days that aren't busy.  Sit in the lounge and chill as long as you want.

I graduated from Nursing School in 1979. There were 6 guys in my class of about 50 with some really smoking hot ladies. All of the guys planned to go into Anesthesia, I am the only one who did. I have been doing Anesthesia for 22 years. I can tell you that Anesthesia is the most money that you can ever make in Nursing. I am an independent practitioner, contracted to an an Anesthesia group at a hospital. I have my own corp. and take all the tax benefits allowed. I make more money than I ever dreamed I could make. I work about 8 hrs a day, but could work more if I wanted, or take as much time off as I care to. This job allows me a huge amount of extra funds for my Black Rifle obsession. Yeah it was a lot of school, and it's a lot of stress at times. Sometimes the hours suck, but all in all it has been worth it.If you are interested in Nursing, and making a great salary Anesthesia is the top job. I get 4-5 emails a day and at least one or two calls a day offering me jobs. Nurse Anesthetists are in great demand, you can pretty much write your own ticket. I have two friends that are finishing their training this December.They will start at $100/hr and be able to work as many hours a week as they can stand. Drugs, I have never had the urge to use anything I have access to at work, too much to loose.

This is interesting.

I have been strongly thinking about doing this myself.  I currently have a bachelor's in education am currently not even in that field nor do I want to be.

I am 38 and contemplating a major change in my career.  My mom went to nursing school when she was 43 and now makes over 6 figures as a vice president of a company that owns a bunch of nursing homes.

I want to be in a field where I am part of a team and helping people and the medical field has been in the back of my mind for a long time.

My wife and I just talked about this earlier in the week and she and my son will support me no matter what it takes.

thoughts?

patsue

Do it. Do the LPN then advance to RN. There are lots of ways to do it. The careers are varied and never stagant. You can travel and make very good money. There is usally educational reimbursment available depending on your employer. I had a friend who started as an RN and has moved up to RN practioner, not paying a dime for it. But making a hell of a lot more money. Another just moved to NY from a traveling job in Michigan, by way of Canada. Another is a flight nurse on a helo. It's a good job that can vary as much as you want to.

Quoted: Keep in mind that 50k is probably the top salary for the nursing career. No benefits once you retire.... Plenty of job everywhere and no it's not weird for a guy.

Wha? Maybe where you live. You'll make a hell of a lot more than that is most city type areas, per diem nurses in NY make anywhere from $40-$60 an hour. If you work for, and retire from a hosp you get benefits. If you get a city,municipal type RN job you get benis too. Base RN is a start, Bachelors, Masters degrees, Nurse practioner, Nurse anethsitist are making 70-110k a year. Paramedics in NYC are making 70k a year with OT. Traveling jobs come with health benefits and generous relocation benefits. It's good $$$.

It's a damn good job and you will meet a lot of chicks.

A some of the Paramedics in the Fire Department I was in were Paramedic's and LPN's. The Paramedics that flew on med-flight were RN Paramedics or LPN Paramedics. This is the guys with Chesterfield, VA County FD, which are the Medics on the VA State Police med flight chopper out of Richmond, VA. It helped them get there slots on the chopper and made them better medics.

Been a RN for 15 yrs. Now Clinical manager of a Telemetry floor. My wife has been a RN for three yrs, works parttime on a Cardiac unit (2 days week). Salary 100+ between both. Do yourself a favor and get a BSN degree. This will help you get further than just floor work. Lots of jobs they can't fill now and adding more every day.

good money but long hours, I know plenty of the locals that are nurses at the Mayo Clinic. i shoot with a few of them and a few are medics deployed in Iraq

I was taking Gen Chem as a pre req for nursing. Of the class of thirty I was one of two guys.


You do the math.


Of course your answer will add up to something totally diffrent than mine as my fiance was in the class with me.

As an RN I hated the floor ( I liked the work but hated the patient loads of hospital work ), but now I do home health and I specialize in wounds.  I have a lot of paperwork, and I get to see about 4-6 patients a day.  I am looking to start an independent wound practice in the next year.  It's a lot of work but you get to help people and educate them a lot at the same time.

There are a lot of avenues in nursing, many male nurses end up in trauma or ER.  There is an adrenaline rush there for sure.   There is also the let down.

You can get your LPN while in school and get extra bucks that way.  It will also give you experience on the computerized boards ( not hard).

Two things you will need, 1. If you are married, a very understanding wife.  School has caused many divorces.  Increase your reading skills.  You should be able to read at the 10th grade level and preferably at the college level.  There are a lot things nurses can do.  All in all, I usually caution against going into the nursing profession.  Mainly because there is a lot of stuff that you do not hear about.  Doctors not wanting to give orders, a lot of  nurses are not professional, but are rather petty.  There is a lot of politics in Nursing.

You can make a good living in nursing and there is no shortage of work.

You might think about pharmacy.
You might think about Laboratory science.
You might think about Nursing home management.
Do not think about reapratory therapy,  they are the first cut in any hospital.

I finish nursing school on November 10th (my last final) for my RN,  assuming I pass everything. The school really really sucks, it's very difficult, but as others have said, there will always be jobs, and good paying ones at that.

I do agree you should get hospital exposure first , by volunteering and seeing what it's like before you commit. If you get your LPN first, try to get in with a hospital, most of them will pay for you to go on and get your RN if you agree to work for them for a particular amount of time. There are a lot more opportunities for RNs.
The pay is good, if I stay where I am (I work as an Extern on a telemetry unit) I'll start at  $22.43 an hour with my shift differential (I'm a night person), or $19.50 for dayshift, which is way more work than nightshift. However I want to work ER. As far as retirements, take a look at the government facilities, ie. State, County, etc. The VA gives some outstanding benefits. You know how cushy those federal jobs can be
As far as being a man and a nurse, well- in my experiences as a hospital pharmacy technician, and then as a nurse extern, and school clinicals, I'd honestly have to say some of the very best nurses I've met have been guys.

The most appealing part of it is the variety of different jobs and departments of nurses. I like knowing that I'll never be trapped in a job that I absolutely dread with people that I can't stand. My mom and dad have not been that fortunate in their lines of work, and I'm determined that I won't be stuck.
Hope this helps in your decision.


P.S. Oh yeah, and the chicks in school? Heh, in my class the average age has to be 40. There's some nice exceptions though  

As long as you're going to spend the time and money to become an LPN, you would be better off to stick it out a little longer and get the RN.  You will be limited in  your income as well as advancement to any administrative positions with just an LPN.