[guzfip]

> seems regional. in the pnw i have male friends who wish they went into nursing

Hah, most of the people I know in the field, especially on that end of are desperate to get out of nursing. One was pursing some sort of environmental engineering degree.

The pay looks ok on paper, but the hours are apparently horrendous.

[boogieknite]

locally overtime pays big. otherwise its 3 x 12-hour shifts a week. when youre done, you go home and noone expects unpaid effort because unions are strong. our regional unions are rising tides and support each other during strikes

people burn out because it certainly causes ptsd but its not the hours, its often the patients. just takes one abusive patient to cause enough ptsd to sour someone on the profession entirely

[IAmBroom]

It apparently also has the highest injury rate of any major employment category in the US.

From experiences of friends in the profession, the male nurses are "automatically" assigned all the "lift the patient" sorts of jobs, leading to their injury rates. You really can't put a weight limit on lifting a human being in an emergency situation, OSHA be damned.

[boogieknite]

> You really can't put a weight limit on lifting a human being in an emergency situation, OSHA be damned.

there are protocols for using equipment that are supposed to be required and again it depends on the strength and community of a nursing union. going against these protocols in favor of an "emergency response" undermines the union and local culture drives adherence to these protocols. around here your coworkers would bite your head off for ignoring the protocols. not only risking your own literal back, but inviting a lawsuit if you slip and anything goes wrong