If you’ve paid any attention to healthcare news, you know there’s a nursing shortage going on.
Nursing roles and capabilities in healthcare are expanding rapidly, while at the same time, a large percentage of the nursing workforce is starting to retire. That math puts many healthcare employers in the negative, scrambling to find and incentivize more nurses.
Nurses today are flying into action during code blues, solving complicated problems, treating wounds on helicopters and, just generally, being hardcore heroes. Still, some people never look into nursing as a career option because they picture nurses as Florence Nightingale. The mother of modern nursing was white, British, and especially—female.
If you aren’t those things, you might have gotten the message sometime in your life that nursing wasn’t for you. But that message was wrong.
The gender stereotypes around nursing don’t just limit men from engaging in this rewarding career. They’re also a detriment to patient care.
“We treat men, we work with men, we have male patients,” says William Swanson, Psychiatric Mental-Health Nurse Practitioner in Mount Sinai Health System. “It’s important for the nursing industry to represent the populations we serve, to have more of an understanding,” Swanson explains. “That’s everyone.”
Male nurses comprised 12.6% of the national nursing workforce in 2023, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.1 That figure represents a 59% increase in male nurses over the past 10 years, according to Nurse Journal.
Think of that. In one decade, the nursing workforce has far more male nurses than ever before. With the nursing shortage, and the overall need for nurses to represent the patients they serve, that can only be a good thing.
Because here’s the secret—nursing is an incredible field to work in. As people of all genders catch on to that, the care will get richer and the solutions more creative. The more, the merrier.
To get a good look at what this is like on a personal level, we asked men in nursing to share what drew them to the nursing profession—and what they love about it as their career experience grows. Why did they decide to become a nurse?
1. I wanted to work with my hands AND earn a good salary
So many of the interesting careers that let you work with your hands come with less-than-thrilling wages and cause too much wear and tear on your body over time.
Nursing is something of an exception to this. Matthew Suarez, graduating nursing student at Rasmussen University's Tampa/Brandon nursing program decided to enroll in nursing school after feeling trapped in his job.
“I was 28 and was not satisfied with my job at the time, and knew I had to change career paths at some point because I could not do that the rest of my life.” For Suarez, the new career had to tick a few boxes. “I wanted to find a career path that paid well and allowed me to work with my hands.” Once he decided on nursing, he enrolled in a program right away.
“Now I am 30 years old, and I love what I do and am proud of the career that I chose,” Suarez says. “Nursing is the career path I've been searching for all along. If you do not like your job now, make the change right away, do not wait any longer.”
2. Because nursing still leaves my options wide open
One thing many people don’t realize about nursing is just how many options you’ll have in the career. This makes it the perfect area of study if you’re restless, worried about getting bored in your role or averse to feeling trapped. For many, becoming a male nurse makes total sense once they see how many choices nursing professionals have.
“You can work in emergency care, surgery, pediatrics, oncology and so much more,” says Yiannis Panteli, male nurse and blogger at Study in Nursing. He adds that the human interaction and technical expertise of nursing requires also makes the work both personally fulfilling and intellectually challenging.
“There’s just so much you can do,” Swanson says. “So many different kinds of nursing. For a while, I did a side hustle as a flight nurse. I chose times when I wanted to work and travel with patients.”
“Rasmussen University has shown us a lot of different nursing professions that I didn't know existed,” Suarez says. Roles like mental health nurses, surgical nurses, nurse educators, nurses doing advocacy in their communities or working in public health.
Many people picture registered nurses (RNs) in critical care nursing when they think of the career. But getting a handle on everything from licensed practical nurses to nurse anesthetists could truly wow you. For a better wide-angle view on that, check out A Beginner's Guide to Understanding the Levels of Nursing Credentials.
“Or if you want to work in an office and never get dirty, you can work for an insurance company,” Swanson says. “It’s a career that can take you anywhere and allow you to feel you honestly make the world a better place with your actions.”
3. I really wanted that schedule
“In the beginning, I remember really being enticed by the twelve-hour workday schedule, that you could have four days off in a row,” Swanson says. Many healthcare facilities that employ nurses operate on a 24/7 schedule. Hospitals, long-term care facilities, addiction treatment centers and birth centers to name a few.
In these environments, employers typically schedule nurses to work 12-hours a day for three days, then have four days off in a row. For the right person, having a double weekend schedule, while still enjoying career stability, makes the long hours very worth it.
But the schedule options in the healthcare system are just as varied as the role options. If you prefer a 9-5 schedule, looking for work at a clinic, dialysis center or specialized outpatient treatment center could fit your needs.
Or you could create your own schedule.
“Once I had a family, I liked the ability to set my own schedule,” Swanson says. “This is especially possible for nurse practitioners. There’s such a high demand, and it’s all client-based. So we have the power to say when we’re going to work to an extent.” For example, Swanson will schedule patients throughout his week, sometimes on weekends too to accommodate patient needs. But he tells them when he’s available, working around other commitments in his life.
“When it’s time to get my son from school, I can do that,” Swanson explains. “I can balance patient needs with my own as a father and human being.”
For Swanson, the flexibility and overall power he had over his work increased with each degree he advanced. “Eventually I got my DNP (doctorate of nursing practice). Each step provided more autonomy and greater scope of practice, and I’ve never regretted going into this field.”
Nursing programs in advanced degrees like a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) or a Doctor of Nursing Practice also allow nurses to specialize in different areas. Swanson's work in mental health and psychiatry looks totally different from the role he had as a registered nurse right out of school, but the heart of the job is the same.
4. Because I saw compassion impact people’s lives
Nursing is a deeply compassionate field. It’s not just that people who come to nursing tend to have high doses of compassion for others (though that is true)—but it’s also that the very role of nursing centers patient care.
This was something Chris McDemott, APRN and certified life care planner at Intercoastal Consulting & Life Care Planning, witnessed while watching family members work in nursing. “I was able to tag along with one of my aunts to a local children’s hospital once,” he says. The impact of that memory stuck with him when he started considering career options.
“The compassion to make a meaningful difference in people's lives motivated me.”
“My interest in nursing sparked during my teenage years when I observed the compassionate care my grandmother received from male nurses during her illness,” says Trent Carter, nurse practitioner and FNP-BC®, CARN-AP® at Cured Nation.
“Witnessing the impact they had on her well-being inspired me,” Carter explains. “The combination of empathy and the opportunity to make a meaningful difference drew me into nursing.”
5. Because nurses made healthcare look fun
When he was a child, Suarez fractured vertebrae in his neck and back while tackling someone in football. His corresponding hospital stay left a powerful impression on him.
“I had a group of extremely nice nurses that would come into my room to visit me often those three days,” Suarez remembers. “I loved the nursing station. Everyone was friendly, and they all had camaraderie with each other.”
Seeing the way nurses supported and laughed with each other as they worked was just as powerful as seeing their friendliness to patients. “They made healthcare look like an enjoyable place to work.”
6. Because I wanted to care for the whole person
Physicians are traditionally disease-focused, Swanson says. “They look for what’s going wrong. But nursing takes a different approach.”
As a psychiatric mental-health nurse practitioner, Swanson does evaluate disorders and prescribe medication, but there’s so much more incorporated into his care.
“It’s more holistic, more health-focused,” Swanson explains. “Nurses tend to bolster healthy habits, exercise, diet, social connectedness—those lifestyle modifications are more important than whatever medicine I can prescribe.”
7. Because the industry really competes for us
“The demand for nurses is consistently high, offering job security and opportunities for advancement,” Pateli says. This isn't unique to male nursing; health care has been relying on nurses to fit many different needs and gaps in patient care over the years.
One cool thing about nursing, according to Swanson, is the way you can work while getting each degree. “A lot of companies will help with your tuition. Basically, you sign a commitment to stay a while after you graduate, and they will help pay for it.”
This employer-tuition-reimbursement arrangement is one way healthcare employers try to attract more dedicated nurses. It's commonplace in hospitals who want to encourage their nurses to earn a bachelor's degree.
And it’s not only at the registered nursing level either. “My hospital helped pay for my master’s and doctorate,” Swanson says. “There’s such a need for advanced practice nurses, it’s really common.”
Healthcare is a critical need. With so many employers and even the federal government trying to find ways to incentivize nurses, the career can feel a lot more exciting and full of opportunity than industries where there’s not as much demand.
Because nurses make the world a better place
“I wish more men understood the vast opportunities for career growth and specialization within nursing,” Carter says. So many men want to help people and make a difference in the world. And nursing is a way to do that while also being able to support your loved ones, work with your hands and advance throughout your career.
If you look at what motivated these male nurses and compare it to a list of what motivated female nurses—you’ll see the same kind of thing. Nurses of any gender, male nurses and their female counterparts will all talk about the moment they realized nursing could do more than they imagined in the world. At the end of the day, nursing is just a great career, for anyone.
“Nursing accommodates diverse interests and talents, providing a sense of fulfillment and purpose,” Carter says. “And the ability to directly impact someone's life in their vulnerable moments is a privilege.”
“I have never regretted going into this field,” Swanson says. “I’ll be on my deathbed, looking back, knowing I left the world a little better than when I showed up.” For nurses, that’s the heart of the matter right there.
Have you ever considered nursing? If some of these insights into the world of nursing have you intrigued, check out "Would I Be a Good Nurse? 11 Questions to Ask Yourself."
CARN-AP® is a registered trademark of ADDICTIONS NURSING CERTIFICATION BOARD
FNP-BC® is a registered trademark of American Nurses Credentialing Center
1Bureau of Labor Statistics, U.S. Department of Labor, Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey 2023, (accessed April 2024), Employed persons by detailed occupation.
