On Wednesday, I shared my first tip on how to be “The Man” in an overwhelmingly female classroom. Here are some more thoughts on the topic:

Tip #2: Be organized

Okay, I’m going to be honest. I can’t find stuff about 25% of the time. The day of a test, I was usually asking friends for a pencil, or an eraser, or something simple (I make sure to return it though!). The night before class, however, I was packing my bag with all the books I know I might want to look at during lecture, putting water and a snack in there, and making sure my assignments was neat and in my binder. Before clinicals, my bag was packed with my clipboard, drug book, penlight, name badge, stethoscope, pens, five dollars, and some hard candy (for those looong days before lunch comes). Be “The Man” and always seem prepared for what’s coming … even if you aren’t. These habits carry over to work. I’m always 30 minutes early, and my bag is always packed the night before. It helps reduce the stress level.

Tip #3: Taking care of patients is exactly what it sounds like

In my opinion, most men are unprepared for the actual face-to-face contact that nursing requires. It’s not simply walking in with pills, saying “here you go,” and walking out. It means listening to your patient, finding out if anything is different today, helping them with any “personal” needs they may have, and caring!

There is nothing more frustrating to a patient or their family than not talking about what you are doing, not having a conversation to distract them from the fact you’re cleaning their bottom, or checking in once and not going back for another two hours (personal experience when I was first week). Being “The Man” means exactly that. Be the one who people seek out when they need a hand. At the same time, set limits on what you have time to do and never be above answering a call light for a patient who isn’t yours.

Tip #4: Get to know your professors, not their reputations

I’ll never forget it. There I was, first week in the nursing home, and the professor who supposedly “hated” everyone was bearing down the hall toward me. I looked around, hoping there was another figure all in white preparing to take the lecture she was ready to give. Nope. So, I took a deep breath, steadied my nerves, and faced her head-on. “Where’s your patient?” she asked. I replied, “Well, Mr. X is in his activity, he just got done with services in the chapel, and I believe his wife will be back around 11:30 to eat lunch with him.” “Oh….well,” she replied. “I’m glad to see you’re on top of things today. Everyone else seems to be running around like crazy!” (Good thing I’d just finished running around the unit trying to find out where he was supposed to go.)

Will you have your share of horrible professors? Probably. But as long as you’re prepared, and ready to answer anything from them without fear (okay, less than total fear), you’ll go far. My professors have all been (with one exception) caring and remarkable individuals able to counsel adults from 18-58 about life in nursing. I’ve learned so much from all of them and there’s not a moment I would trade so far.

Finally, my last piece of advice is this: Don’t go into nursing already thinking you’re “The Man.” That’s a title you have to earn. You’ll be “that guy” until you prove to the women that you can be just as compassionate as they are. Always view patients as people and you can’t go wrong. It’s a long, strange journey, but at the end, you get to call yourself what so many other people can’t: a nurse.