Nurse William speaks.

Here is the interview with Nurse William who works in ER and Critical Care.

1. What attracted you to nursing? Was it your first profession?

I was not so much "attracted" to nursing as I was "called" to it. It was something I truly and clearly felt called to do. I was a paratrooper in the Army and then a merchant seaman before I felt the call to go into nursing. I had toyed with the idea for some years before doing it, and finally decided that if I didn't at least try I would kick myself for the rest of my life.

2. How do you view nursing after graduation and now?

My view of nursing has really not changed at all. The ethos and motivation I had during school are the same, if only a bit stronger.

3. How many years in the nursing profession

I have been in the profession for nearly seven years.

4. Is your definition of the male nurse any different from the female nurse!

Not at all. The common misconception is that men are new to the profession, which is not at all the case. Men have been nurses at least since 200BC. It was not until the advent of Florence Nightingale- and later the American Nurses Association- that men were pushed out of the profession.

In my mind, a nurse is a nurse. I am not a "male" nurse- I am a nurse. To call me otherwise is on the level of referring to someone as a "lady doctor". It demeans the title.

5. How is the public/patient reaction to a male nurse? Some examples, please!

I honestly have had no reaction from my patients, except for the patients who happened to be nurses, and then only once. She said, in a quite patronizing tone, "It's so nice to have more men in the profession." I smiled and said, "We were here first." She didn't think I was funny.

6. What would you say to men who might be considering this profession?

DO IT. You'll be kicking yourself in the butt for the rest of your life if you don't, at least give it a try.

7.Is there another area of Nursing that interests you?

Another area of nursing that has attracted my attention is disaster and mass-casualty incident preparation. I have presented the findings of a related research project to my state's Nursing Commission and I am currently working on creating a standardized statewide curriculum that would prepare nursing students and faculty for deployment as disaster/MCI clinical teams that would provide additional manpower for addressing the needs of a community affected by an event.

Thank you Nurse William and hope some of my male readers will follow your advice.

More about this nurse's views and experience on - NurseWilliam@blogspot.com

Agapelife/PNicholas