Nursing career: I started in the early ’80s as a scrub nurse and a circulating nurse, from which I gained my staff and management experience. I was an administrator of two surgery centers from 2002–2005. Currently I am in my second directorship role in the perioperative setting.

Something unique about you: When I started in surgery I was the only male nurse in the department. They needed a mechanically inclined person to scrub in on cases involving extensive instrumentations, so I was able to scrub in on almost all of the specialties —orthopedics, cardiovascular, neurology, ENT, complex eye procedures — in the perioperative.

Men make up six percent of nurses in the U.S. and 12 percent of the nursing student body. What do you think of this statistic? There are a lot of programs now at colleges and universities around the country regarding the recruitment of male students into nursing. Because of the financial viability of the profession, I think we will see more and more male students switch to nursing. I see a lot of these males also going into nursing as their second career.

What attracted you to the nursing profession? You can choose from a lot of diverse career paths and specialties that are tailored to your personality and the things you enjoy doing. If you like kids, you can work in a pediatric unit; if you like taking care of older folks, you can work in a geriatric unit. Nursing is more than just bedside care; we have seen nurses in military, business, research and leadership.

Advice for men entering the nursing field: Try to find your niche and stay in the field you are passionate about. Learn the whole aspect of that specialty, like the technicalities, terminologies, financials and other idiosyncrasies. Some nurses do not get satisfaction from their job, and it is because they work in a specialty that do not enjoy.

Final thoughts: My insight in nursing is that although at this moment there is still a great demand for nurses, there will come a time that these needs will stabilize like any other profession, which leads to competition. Stay competitive in your field by advance education, certifications or just plain attending seminars and conferences. Keep your skills to the current terminologies, equipment, supplies and technology.