Nursing in Virginia Magazine

send to a friendsubscribe here

Back to Past Issues || Winter 2006: Steve Stelmack

Profile
Steve Stelmack - From Ma Bell to RN
By Doug Childers

“I wanted to do something that affected people
other than just the head of the community.” — Steve Stelmack, RN

STEVE STELMACK

Some people who become nurses have planned on entering the medical field since they were children. Steve Stelmack took a different route. For 19 years, he worked for AT & T in program design and systems analysis. But he wasn’t happy with the direction his life was taking.

“As much as I enjoyed programming, I wanted to contribute in a more personal manner,” he said. “I wanted to do something that affected people other than just the head of a company.”

He didn’t act immediately on his urge to change careers. For two years, he considered his options while continuing to work as a programmer. Because he values working with people on a personal level, he looked at nursing.

“My sister is a nurse, so I talked to her about it,” Stelmack said. “I also talked to a few other people who are nurses.”

Questions & Answers: Steve Stelmack

Q: What would you tell a new RN about your chosen profession?
A: I would repeat something an instructor once said to me: Sometimes giving of yourself will make all the difference in the outcome for a client. Never forget when dealing with physical needs that the emotional needs are just as important.

Q: What do you do to relieve stress?
A: I exercise. I'm a bit of a bodybuilder and enjoy being at the gym lifting weights. It's the one thing that will clear my thoughts and allow me to focus on one mindless task.

Q:What was the last "for fun" book you read?
A: "Don't Get Too Comfortable" by David Rakoff.

Q: Where have you experienced your most inspiring travels?
A: Driving to the beach just to sit in the sand and watch the ocean. There is something about the sounds and smells I find very comforting.

Q: If you could meet anyone in the world, who would you want to meet?
A: I would choose to meet Nelson Mandela. I would like to understand how he managed to be so forgiving.

Q: If you weren't an RN, what would you do?
A: I would have remained a programmer. I enjoyed applying technology to solve problems. Oddly, it was a creative field.

After reading up on the field, he decided to enter nursing. To get ready, he enrolled in background classes because “There’s not a lot of overlap between computer programming and nursing,” he said, laughing.

He entered a one-year accelerated program at George Mason University in August 2005 and graduated this past August with a bachelor’s degree in nursing, at the age of 45. He then spent several months studying full-time to prepare for his National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX), which he took in late November.

He also has a bachelor’s degree in information systems management from the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.

In the short term, Stelmack plans to work as an RN in a Washington, D.C., hospital. “I think starting in a hospital setting would give me the best opportunity to develop my skills,” he said. But his long-term goal is “to end up in nurse education or in a management position. I’m leaning toward education.”

The fact that Stelmack is a man entering a field traditionally occupied by women has provoked a reaction, particularly from older people. “It’s a female-dominated profession,” he said. “We’re in the same category as florists and hairdressers.”

While many women are becoming doctors, the number of men entering the profession as nurses is not keeping pace. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of male registered nurses rose from 5.6 percent in 1993 to 7.9 percent in 2003. By comparison, the number of female doctors has more than tripled since 1975, from nine percent to 25 percent, according to the New England Journal of Medicine.

Today, nearly half of all medical students are women, according to the Association of American Medical Colleges.

“The trend over time favors women doctors, and it’s increasing,” Stelmack said. “It’s not for men in nursing.”

Stelmack has faced practical challenges as well. “There’s a lot of practical information to know,” he said. “Clinicals try to give you an idea, but there’s so much to learn. After 19 years, I joked I could do my job blindfolded. Now, I’m in the position of saying ‘I’ve never done this before.’ Feeling comfortable is going to take some time.”

Still, the reaction he gets from clients is rewarding, he said. “They’re trusting you with seeing very private aspects of their lives, and that’s humbling. People tell nurses stuff they wouldn’t tell other people. They start at a point of trusting you. And that’s a satisfying and humbling place to be in.”