Nursing is one of the most stable professions in terms of job security, projected job growth, and job offers given upon completion of an undergraduate program. The median salary for a nurse in the United States falls at around $67,000 annually, not including the increase that comes with the attainment of a Master’s of Science in Nursing.
Why is it then, that students at Oxford College of Emory University tend to cringe when asked if they would pursue nursing as a career?
“Nursing is just a bit too…hands on for me, I guess. Like, doctors do a lot more of the verbal stuff, you know? It doesn’t have to be so personal, or I guess not as hands-on,” said one female Oxford student, a current pre-med.
Fair enough. It is undeniable that there is quite a bit of personal interaction involved when caring for people in their most vulnerable state. Nursing involves an unyielding and constant amount of comforting others which can require a strong, even hyperactive sense of empathy and compassion. Perhaps this aspect of the nursing profession explains the response given by another Oxford student, this one a male and pre-pharmacy:
“Uh…[casual laughter]….well, I don’t know…nursing is kind of more for girls. Girls are just naturally better at that. [Brief pause]…when I think of a nurse, I think of a girl. So yeah, no, I wouldn’t go into nursing.”
It seems as if the nursing profession carries a bit of a stigma. Much like we as individuals are forced to behave in a certain wat or conform to societal norms based on our biological sex, majors and careers are often assigned to genders.
It is up to us as a community of intellectual, passionate, and caring young academics to help break the barriers that force us into conformity and open up a world of possibilities; a world where, believe it or not, men can be nurses.