All Your Scrubs

When about 80% of my co-workers are female, as a male nurse I’m scrutinized now and then by patients. The truth is, the health care field and the nursing profession are booming, and I chose this career in part because it would provide me with a secure job. I also wanted to help people. Patients mistake me all the time for a doctor, even though I wear my nurse medical uniforms whenever I’m at the hospital. I have no aspirations of becoming a doctor, I just don’t want to go back to school for quite that long.

Despite some snide comments now and then, I enjoy being a nurse just as much as I think I would enjoy being a doctor. While I think there will always be some kind of social stigma about male nurses, overall a career as a nurse is quite fulfilling and the job security is unrivaled.

My girlfriend just started medical school this fall, and we are already beginning to feel the financial pinch. We both realize that suffering through the tough times will payout big dividends in the future, but we also have to worry about the present. I have started an extra part-time job and she is tutoring undergrad students on the weekend to make some extra money.

One of the biggest ways that we have been able to save money is by doing more of our shopping online. We always comparison shop now before making a major purchase, and she was even able to find most of her med school supplies online. Just last week she found a great deal on online scrubs.

We’ve all heard the old adage “never judge a book by its cover,” and while this is usually sound advice, a person’s appearance can often give us some initial insight into their life. Now I am not advocating superficiality, but as we all know, nearly every job has a set of dress requirements. Whether that means wearing a suit or sweatpants to work, we all have work uniforms.

At my job, the atmosphere is fairly relaxed and I am free to wear pretty much whatever I want. For other professions, however, the uniform is a crucial element in ensuring the job gets done safely and correctly. For example, medical scrubs help keep the ER sanitary, while neon shirts keep construction workers safe on the job.