Becoming a nurse as a man follows the same educational and licensing steps as it does for anyone else. There’s no separate track or additional requirement based on gender. Men make up about 12% of the registered nursing workforce in the U.S., a number that has been steadily climbing, and the profession pays a median salary of $93,600 per year.
Choose Your Nursing Degree
You have two main entry points into nursing: an Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN) or a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN). An ADN is a two-year program typically offered at community colleges, with some accelerated versions finishing in 18 months. A BSN is a four-year undergraduate program at a university. Both qualify you to sit for the licensing exam and work as a registered nurse.
The practical difference comes down to time, cost, and career ceiling. An ADN gets you working sooner and costs significantly less in tuition. But many hospitals, especially large medical centers and those pursuing Magnet status, prefer or require a BSN. If you want to move into management, teaching, or advanced practice roles later, you’ll eventually need at least a bachelor’s degree. Many nurses split the difference: they earn an ADN first, start working, and complete an RN-to-BSN bridge program online while employed.
If you already hold a bachelor’s degree in another field and want to switch into nursing, accelerated BSN programs are designed specifically for you. These programs compress the nursing curriculum into 11 to 18 months, including prerequisites. Admission standards are high, typically requiring a minimum 3.0 GPA and a thorough prescreening process. It’s intense, but it’s one of the fastest routes into the profession for career changers.
Pass the NCLEX-RN Licensing Exam
After graduating from an approved nursing program, you need to pass the NCLEX-RN to become a licensed registered nurse. You register for the exam through Pearson VUE, and your nursing school or state board of nursing will verify your eligibility. State licensing fees vary, but expect to pay in the range of $143 for the license and initial registration, plus a separate exam fee.
The NCLEX-RN is a computerized adaptive test, meaning it adjusts the difficulty of questions based on your performance as you go. It tests clinical judgment, patient safety, and your ability to prioritize care. Most nursing programs build NCLEX preparation into the final semester, and many graduates also use dedicated review courses or question banks to prepare. If you don’t pass on the first attempt, you can reregister and retake it.
Once licensed, you can practice in your state. If you want flexibility to work across state lines, 43 jurisdictions now participate in the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows you to hold one multistate license rather than applying separately in each state.
What the Career Pays
Registered nurses earned a median annual wage of $93,600 in 2024, or about $45.00 per hour. The lowest 10% earned under $66,030, while the highest 10% earned more than $135,320. Your pay depends heavily on where you live, what specialty you work in, and how much experience you have. Nurses in metropolitan areas and high-cost-of-living states generally earn more. Night shifts, weekends, and overtime often come with pay differentials that boost your take-home income further.
Specializing can push your salary significantly higher. Nurse anesthetists, for example, are among the highest-paid nursing professionals in the country.
Advanced Roles Worth Knowing About
Nursing offers a wide range of specializations and advanced practice roles. One of the most competitive is becoming a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). To qualify, you need a BSN (or graduate nursing degree), an active RN license, and a minimum of one year of full-time critical care experience. From there, you apply to a nurse anesthesia program, which now requires earning a doctoral degree. Admission is competitive: most programs expect a GPA of 3.0 or higher, a GRE score around 300, and an interview process that evaluates your clinical achievements and readiness.
Other advanced paths include nurse practitioner (NP) roles in specialties like emergency medicine, psychiatry, or family practice, as well as clinical nurse specialist positions and nursing leadership or education roles. All of these require graduate education, but they come with greater autonomy, higher pay, and broader scope of practice.
What It’s Actually Like as a Man in Nursing
Men represent 12.1% of registered nurses in the United States. That number has grown steadily over the past two decades, but you’ll still be in the minority on most units. The experience varies depending on where you work and the culture of your workplace, but there are a few patterns worth being honest about.
The most commonly reported challenge is the lingering stereotype that nursing is a “feminine” profession. Research on male nurses’ experiences has found that men entering the field often face questioning from family, friends, and even colleagues. In one study published in BMC Nursing, participants described parents who felt uncomfortable revealing their son’s major to neighbors, and friends who asked why they didn’t choose police work or another career perceived as more traditionally masculine. Some men reported being steered toward specific departments like emergency, psychiatry, or intensive care, while being subtly discouraged from areas like obstetrics or pediatrics.
In clinical settings, some men described feeling isolated early in their careers, being treated differently by colleagues, or finding it harder to independently carry out certain duties during their transition period. These challenges tend to ease with time and experience, and many men in nursing report high job satisfaction once established, particularly when compensation is competitive and career advancement opportunities are clear.
None of this should discourage you. The demand for nurses is strong, the profession is increasingly welcoming to men, and the stereotypes are fading as the percentage of men in nursing continues to grow. Being aware of these dynamics simply helps you navigate them if they come up.
Scholarships and Professional Support
The American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN) is the primary professional organization dedicated to supporting men in the field. It offers scholarship opportunities, mentorship, and networking for both nursing students and licensed RNs. Membership is open to anyone, male or female, but its programming focuses on strengthening the presence and success of men in the profession.
Beyond the AAMN, many nursing schools, hospitals, and state nursing associations offer scholarships that are open to all applicants regardless of gender. Federal financial aid, employer tuition reimbursement programs, and military nursing scholarships are also common funding sources. If you’re a career changer entering an accelerated BSN program, check whether your school offers specific financial aid packages for second-degree students, as many do.
Steps at a Glance
- Complete prerequisites: anatomy, physiology, microbiology, statistics, and other science courses required by your chosen nursing program.
- Earn your nursing degree: ADN (2 years), BSN (4 years), or accelerated BSN (11 to 18 months with a prior bachelor’s degree).
- Pass the NCLEX-RN: register through Pearson VUE after graduation and pass the computerized licensing exam.
- Get licensed in your state: apply through your state board of nursing. Consider a multistate license if you want geographic flexibility.
- Build clinical experience: most new nurses start in med-surg, emergency, or ICU settings to develop a broad skill set.
- Specialize or advance: pursue certifications, graduate education, or advanced practice roles as your career develops.