Being a Male Nurse
The Inside Scoop from Nurse Mendoza
Hi my name is Nurse Edgar Mendoza, and I have been a registered nurse for 7 years. I am passionate about what I do and I love helping and educating others. Before becoming a nurse, I was apprehensive about choosing this career. Like many men, including myself, I was intimidated to be in a field dominated by females.
Throughout the years, I have learned that your patients will appreciate having you. When you give care to others, it does not matter if you are a female or a male, what matters is giving quality care to others. Often, patients are not at their best mentally, physically and emotionally. As a caregiver, it is your responsibility to be there for your patients. There is social stigma that only women “should or can” be emotionally vulnerable, but the truth is, men are too. As a caregiver, you must deal with human frailty and insecurities daily.
I love being a nurse and I have found my career to be very exciting and challenging. I have had the opportunity to work in medsurg, telemetry, and critical care in the cardiovascular unit. Being a nurse has given me the opportunity to touch so many lives and be strong for my patients. I have no regrets choosing this field of work, and I often give back to the community by going on mission trips. If there is one message I am trying to get across, it is to encourage other males to enter this great nursing profession. Don’t let stereotypes and insecurities prevent you from being in a field that impacts and works to improve the world. Your patients are out there, and they need you.