Login
to Save
Favorites Email to
a Friend

Nursing career: Shortly after graduation in May 2004, I moved to Chicago and received my first job in the cardiothoracic surgical step-down unit with University of Chicago Hospitals. After my first year I transferred to the CVICU and completed my initial critical care training. I then moved back to Florida and started working at Lakeland Regional Medical Center, where I was born. I continued my critical care experience in the SICU with cardiac surgery and critically ill trauma victims. After two years, I accepted the position I currently have as the team leader/shift supervisor in the new trauma ICU.

Something unique about you: A lot of patients think I am more like a linebacker than a nurse. Being 6’4” and 240 pounds, I am a pretty big guy, kind of like a sasquatch. I got some looks during my obstetrics rotation, where some patients and families said they didn’t want a Jolly Green Giant in the room during contractions.

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? This amazing statistic is a direct reflection of the increasing interest in the nursing profession. With the population of male student nurses being double than that of actual licensed nurses, I believe that the domino effect will continue to flood men into this profession.

What attracted you to the nursing profession? I am the youngest of four siblings and had a loving mother who convinced me to continue the family tradition of nursing. All of us, except one sister, are registered nurses. We all have traveled a different professional path, but at one time or another we have all worked here, at my current workplace. Other than that, I have learned that nursing gives me the opportunity to pick and choose many different professional combinations that give me a feeling of self-reward with every patient I care for.
 
Do you think school counselors adequately promote nursing to boys as a career option? In college the nursing program was the primary major other than a general arts degree, so nursing was widely promoted to both men and women. I remember the nursing council specifically targeting men by hanging up many posters that included pictures of men in nursing practice. It was great inspiration when I was one of four men in a fifty-person class!

The term “male nurse” — Yes or no? No, not in 2009. It just doesn’t have that 1980s jingle anymore, you know?! Plus it makes me think of the movie Meet the Parents when they make fun of him for being a nurse. I felt pretty bad for that guy!

Do you find that patients accepting nurses who are men? Most of my experience is in the ICU, so many patients are completely unaware of who is taking care of them due to the level of injury or intravenous sedation. With my career experience ranging from such a large urban environment like Chicago, to the southern twang of Florida, I have noticed a difference in the response I receive from both patients and families. In Chicago, it was pretty much even across the board with a consistent feeling of acceptance from all I encountered. In Florida I still have a great feeling of acceptance, but there are more instances of the phrase, “Honey, look! I have a man for my nurse!” or “Nice to meet ya man, but I’d rather have that pretty blonde again.” Both are always given with a chuckle and never offensive, but within five minutes of my care I always earn my patient’s trust. That is pertinent to maintaining a therapeutic yet professional relationship.