I need some advice

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Zenkai

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Hello,

I am a 19 year old university student who is in RCIA and I need help on deciding what to major in. I was thinking about nursing. Is nursing a good profession for Catholic males?

Also, can anyone give some recommendations of other health/medical careers and majors?

-Thanks
 
Zenkai said:
Hello,

I am a 19 year old university student who is in RCIA and I need help on deciding what to major in. I was thinking about nursing. Is nursing a good profession for Catholic males?

Also, can anyone give some recommendations of other health/medical careers and majors?

-Thanks
Click to expand...
Most jobs that you pick out there, as long as you give it 110% everyday that you go to work, and if you pick a career like nursing, that you remember to 1) be that patient’s advocate, 2) do the right thing for that patient. (You wouldn’t want to be like, oh no why didn’t I do this for that patient, or why did I give him that) if you remember about your core beliefs, that god is the way, and doing as he tells us, to help those in need you’ll be fine.

If you don’t mind I’ll send you a personal story of mine,
 
Zenkai said:
Hello,

I am a 19 year old university student who is in RCIA and I need help on deciding what to major in. I was thinking about nursing. Is nursing a good profession for Catholic males?

Also, can anyone give some recommendations of other health/medical careers and majors?

-Thanks
Click to expand...
I think nursing would be a great career choice for a Catholic. You would have the chance to help others and you may even get to work in a Catholic hospital. I cant give you advice on what major or career to choose, but I would suggest praying and meditating on the issue.

Good luck,
JK
 
chero23 said:
Most jobs that you pick out there, as long as you give it 110% everyday that you go to work, and if you pick a career like nursing, that you remember to 1) be that patient’s advocate, 2) do the right thing for that patient. (You wouldn’t want to be like, oh no why didn’t I do this for that patient, or why did I give him that) if you remember about your core beliefs, that god is the way, and doing as he tells us, to help those in need you’ll be fine.

If you don’t mind I’ll send you a personal story of mine,
Click to expand...
Thanks!

And I would love to hear your story.

🙂
 
JK8619 said:
I think nursing would be a great career choice for a Catholic. You would have the chance to help others and you may even get to work in a Catholic hospital. I cant give you advice on what major or career to choose, but I would suggest praying and meditating on the issue.

Good luck,
JK
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Thank you. 🙂
 
I think that nursing can be a great career for a man. Health care can be stressful, of course. Note that I am only speaking of the present. We do not know what Obamacare will do to our health care.
 
One thing to consider, I’ve seen in the news lately that nursing jobs are becoming more difficult to get for new grads.

jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/01/15/new-grads-nursing-jobs/

But who knows how that will change with the implementation of the new health care laws. My daughter is studying Occupational Therapy which seems to be a growing field where you can provide hands on support to those in need. Good luck.
 
When I was in the hospital as a teen in the peds ward, my favorite nurse was an older gentleman. Honestly, I prefer male nurses in general, because in my experience, they are a bit more attentive and respectful of my needs. But that’s just my experience from decades of seeing doctors and nurses.
 
Zenkai,

I know a few nurses, and I can tell you this. Male nurses are in more demand – not because they are smarter but because they for the most part are more muscular and stronger. When dealing with a difficult patient a male nurse is almost always requested if nearby.

If going the route of nursing just do not get your license as an RN (associates in nursing). Go for the B.S. and maybe even a M.S. or Nursing Practitioner. Stinks doing all that schooling but get it out of the way one after another – you could even work while continuing your schooling. But again continue as soon as you can – as you get older it gets harder to go back.

Other aspects of nursing are administrative: Case Manager (tracking patient care and insurance issues) is one position that is always needed and in demand, and a lot of nurses do not know much about that aspect of nursing.

I pray that God grants you guidance and blesses you always.

Winter
 
Just as I would hesitate to point any devout young Catholic man straight to the priesthood, I’d hesitate to tell you what you ought to take up one career over another, just because you are Catholic.

The faithful are meant to do every kind of good work. Good Catholics are to be found in medicine, yes, but also in business, engineering, law, education, the arts, and so on. Could nursing or some other medical profession be a great place for a Catholic man to live his faith? Absolutely! But he could also do very well as an educator or a lawyer, a police officer or a fireman, a restauranteur or an engineer, and so on. Bl. John Paul II studied acting before entering the seminary. Many men who become permanent deacons later in life do so after a career in business. There are many possibilities!

You ought to look at the special gifts and passionate* interests that God gave you when you decide on a career. *(I mean licit interests, of course! :rolleyes:) Look at your spiritual weaknesses and areas of difficulty, too. If you are prone by temperament to stretch the truth, well, maybe you ought not go into business, because a good Catholic businessman must be able to keep his integrity in spite of what might seem a status quo to the contrary. If you are easily overwhelmed when you are pulled in many directions by the needs of others, well, maybe nursing won’t be a good fit for you…unless, of course, you find the challenge of mastering that difficulty particularly inviting. If you love writing so much you’d do it if you weren’t being paid, look into careers that will put that passion to use. You are, after all, going to have to serve your chosen field with excellence for decade after decade. God gave us each different aptitudes, just as surely as he made cats different from dogs different from ducks different from elephants. To answer your call to live your faith in your paid work, then, look for what God made you to be.

If nursing attracts you, though, then yes, that is a suitable career, of course! The history of hospital care for the poor would be impoverished to the point of non-existence if not for the pioneering work of communities of professional religious, both monks and nuns. That implies it is among those fields of work that are an excellent fit for those pursuing an intense spiritual life.
 
jjtc said:
One thing to consider, I’ve seen in the news lately that nursing jobs are becoming more difficult to get for new grads.

jobs.aol.com/articles/2013/01/15/new-grads-nursing-jobs/

But who knows how that will change with the implementation of the new health care laws. My daughter is studying Occupational Therapy which seems to be a growing field where you can provide hands on support to those in need. Good luck.
Click to expand...
I have two Brothers-in-law who are nurses and it’s definitely a super hard field to enter into now. It took one over two years to find a job. Another went to Alaska to practice so he could garner experience. In addition to this, I have a friend who is an Occupational Therapist, and she says they’re in great demand!!! So you might look into that field!
 
Read “What Color is Your Parachute”, particularly the part about finding your passion in life and do that to make a living. It may take a while to find what that is though. Just keep in mind that as long as you can learn from an honest mistake, it wasn’t a mistake at all.
 
Why are you asking other strangers what you want to do in your life… if you want to do somthing then make your minde up and put everything you have into it. yes it will be hard ofcourse but what do you get before a rainbow?.. a rainy storm!!! so carry urself through it and god will make sure you have such a beautifle proffession. Yes it is a job that requirse love and kindness and sacrifice that is love so god will be very proud and put u in high esteem. go for it my friend… it sounds like u have had a calling from high above because ur talent lies whith ur hands which r not just any but also healing hands… i think u r just nerviouse before u start to go down that road but dont worry because our greatest fears in our minde is success so hav faith my friend and take courage… ps
god has always gave me confidence and courage through all my boxing fights not saying that non of this applies to u… ofcourse it does its the same thing princaple, to become a success in ur art, ambition or in ur case an exceptional human being takes bravery and dedication so trust in God to give strength to you.

God gives strength to the ritiouse man"
I can do all things through christ who strengthens me"

God bless 🙂
 
Thank you for all the responses!

I know nurses have to work on Sundays sometimes. Will that cause any problems?
 
Zenkai said:
Thank you for all the responses!

I know nurses have to work on Sundays sometimes. Will that cause any problems?
Click to expand...
No. The Church allows necessary work on Sundays, which includes staffing hospitals and clinics. In fact, if working on the Sunday is required for your employment, it is OK, too. You don’t have to go without a job because all the available jobs require Sunday shifts. You would simply avoid picking up optional shifts if you had a job that didn’t need to be done on Sundays by somebody. For instance, if you were a painter and your company offered overtime on Sundays for those who wanted it, you’d avoid that. You are also allowed to work as a way of giving alms, though, so you could feel free to paint houses for Habitat for Humanity on a Sunday, provided you were not depriving yourself of needed rest to do it. I hope that makes sense.

If you become a nurse, it will be very rare that you won’t be able to find a Saturday Vigil Mass or a Sunday evening Mass before or after your shift, but if you truly cannot attend Sunday Mass because of the demands of your job, you can get a dispensation. If it ever happens, talk to your pastor about the situation.
 
I agree that nursing is an excellent program for males. However there many other options for those who want a career in the health fields. Physical therapy is a growing field. Ity often requires an undergraduate degree in an appropriate field like biology, chemistry, nursing, etc. then usually three years of training to become doctor of PT. There are also physical therapy assistant programs. Physician Assistant is a good field as well. The medical practice I go to employs PAs and they got their starts by joining the armed services and becoming medics/corpsmen. This is a good deal since the training is free. Also consider Pharmacy, usually a five year program including your undergraduate program, Don’t forget to explore optometry, audiology, speech therapy, podiatry, dietetics, and so on. There are a lot of very good options to explore in the health care field.
 
PoliSciProf said:
I agree that nursing is an excellent program for males. However there many other options for those who want a career in the health fields. Physical therapy is a growing field. Ity often requires an undergraduate degree in an appropriate field like biology, chemistry, nursing, etc. then usually three years of training to become doctor of PT. There are also physical therapy assistant programs. Physician Assistant is a good field as well. The medical practice I go to employs PAs and they got their starts by joining the armed services and becoming medics/corpsmen. This is a good deal since the training is free. Also consider Pharmacy, usually a five year program including your undergraduate program, Don’t forget to explore optometry, audiology, speech therapy, podiatry, dietetics, and so on. There are a lot of very good options to explore in the health care field.
Click to expand...
I do not know how it is now, but there was a time when those who were actually going to practice as physical therapists (rather than teach), would get master’s degrees, but not doctorates. But this is all something to talk with college counselors about…that is, what recommends one field within health care rather than others for a specific candidate.
 
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