With the growing aging population needing more access to healthcare, it is expected that there will be an additional 221,000 nursing jobs by 2029.

And that is just a conservative estimate. With the tragedy of the novel coronavirus sweeping the world, that number stands to get even higher if the virus continues mutating.

While this is bad news for humanity, it's also an opportunity for more men to become male nurses and help treat the people affected by this awful disease and many others.

There are lots of great reasons to become a male nurse, so read this guide to find out why you should consider a career as a healthcare worker on the front lines against disease.

1. Nurses Make Tons of Money

While it is true that nurses have to go to school for a long time, getting an undergraduate degree then getting into nursing school while maintaining great grades, the payoff is more than worth it.

Depending on the state you live in, you could be making anywhere from $60,000-$100,000 as a registered nurse.

While it is true that not every nurse is a registered nurse, nursing schools do their best to prepare their students for the RN exam. Nursing schools like Archer Review's advanced platform, can significantly amplify a student's learning experience and increase their chances of passing the RN exam on their first attempt. Their platform utilizes state-of-the-art technology to simulate real-life scenarios that nurses might face, enhancing theoretical knowledge with practical applications. This not only equips students with the necessary skills but also instills confidence, making them well-prepared to enter the workforce and make immediate contributions to healthcare.

Plus, most nurses work their way up from CNA to RN. You can even check out some of the nursing assistant training programs offered at UMA. Nursing assistants are in especially high demand since many hospitals need staff.

The world turned upside down when the novel coronavirus hit, and so it is especially critical, now more than ever, that we have as many well-trained medical professionals as possible.

In New York City in early 2020, hospitals and healthcare workers were overwhelmed by the volume of patients pouring in needing treatment from this deadly disease.

By becoming a nurse, you have the opportunity to make sure that the country is ready for another pandemic while being paid handsomely to do it.

You could end up saving lives while making enough to send your kids to college, or just saving for your retirement. All it takes is determination and a capacity to learn.

2. Nursing Is Stable

No matter what happens to the economy, or infrastructure, or politics, there will always be a need for nurses.

Having a position as a nurse is recession-proof. People will always get sick, and someone will always have to be there to take care of the sick people.

So why not let that person be you?

Even if they develop a cure for the novel coronavirus, there will still be other sicknesses that need to be addressed.

Even if the domestic job market becomes tight, you can always travel somewhere else and help people recover from their illnesses with groups like Doctors Without Borders or the Red Cross.

On a male nurse salary, you could also settle down and live comfortably in any of the countries that you're sent to.

It's also possible that another pandemic could strike, sending the need for trained medical professionals into overdrive.

Your male nursing career also gives you the potential to get the healthcare you deserve and might not be able to afford otherwise. After all, you're the front-line defense against pandemics and disease.

It would be of the utmost importance to make sure that you would be taken care of so that you could continue to take care of others.

3. Male Nurses Are More Common Everyday

The number of men who become nurses has skyrocketed since the 1970s. Although the field is still primarily staffed with women, men are becoming more common in the nursing workplace.

The workplace is also more friendly and less dominated by gender roles as compared to how it used to be. Doctors and patients alike aren't likely to bat an eye or think it's weird that a man would be a nurse.

And even if they did, it hardly matters, since you're helping keep the hospital running and getting paid to do it.

4. Nursing Is Flexible

Make no mistake, a male nursing career is busy and full of hard work. Nurses of all stripes often report that they are busy every moment of their shift and that there's always more work to be done.

That being said, nurses still have a lot of variety and range in how they're allowed to schedule their work.

Some nurses work part-time, while others work a full 40 hours plus overtime over the course of three days.

It depends on the needs of the hospital or clinic, but nurses have a lot of freedom of choice when it comes to their schedules.

If you want to work the entire morning and night, there's almost certainly an ER or psychiatric ward in need of hard-working night owls like you.

You can also work a regular 9-5 shift if that's what suits you. In any case, a hospital or clinic can't function without nurses, so there's a lot of options.

Nurses also accrue vacation time and even paid time off depending on where you work. The only catch is that you'll be expected to work a lot, and very hard every second you do show up on the job.

5. You're Helping Save Lives

Possibly the most meaningful reason as to why to choose nursing as a career is the fact that you will encounter many sick and dying people.

As a nurse, however, you will be able to take care of them and help ensure that they make a recovery from whatever disease is ailing them.

This kind of fulfilling work where you can not only watch people recover from the brink of death but also take part in saving their lives is a level of meaningfulness that you don't get at a lot of other careers.

Nursing Is Rewarding

In a literal and spiritual sense, being a nurse is very rewarding.

You will put a lot of time and effort into the job, and at the end of each day, you'll be able to walk away from the hospital with the other male nurses knowing that you contributed to something good.

So if you're ready to take the leap and put in the work, you should check out some nursing programs and start your male nursing career the right way.