Top Jobs, Teaching, nursing are still attracting women

Kristine Poore of Scarborough chose to teach in the 1960s, when her grandmother told her that professional women had two career choices before marriage: education or nursing.

Poore’s experience contrasts with her younger colleagues, like 30-year-old Angela Marzilli. A math whiz, Marzilli said she finally settled on teaching after considering medicine and engineering. Old-fashioned notions about women’s roles in society never entered her mind.

Yet the two women share a common bond: They love to teach. “I can’t imagine doing anything else,” said Poore, who marks her 40th anniversary this fall as a public school teacher.

“I find working in a learning environment is exciting and challenging every single day,” said Marzilli, a teacher for six years.

Social pressures not personal preferences led many female college students to choose the so-called helping professions of teaching and nursing in the 1950s and 1960s. Women flocked to occupations that were available and welcomed them.

Today, gender no longer determines job choice. Yet, women continue to fill the ranks of teachers and nurses, with few signs of change. And the reasons are as individual as the women themselves. “I enjoy working in a school environment because I’m always learning something new,” said Marzilli, who will teach third grade at Dyer Elementary in South Portland this fall.

Today, women have plenty of career options. More women than men hold college degrees. In medicine, patients are as likely to see a female physician as they are a male doctor, especially for maternity and family care. And women owned businesses are growing at twice the overall rate.

But nursing and teaching continue to reign as top career choices for American women, according to the U.S. Census. “I planned to be an obstetrician, but I fell in love with nursing,” said 24-year-old Amander Cotton, a surgical nurse who lives in Portland. “This is a hands-on job.”

Women fill more than 90 percent of the jobs in Maine for teachers and registered nurses, according to the Maine Department of Labor. The numbers mirror national trends.

Part of the appeal has to do with the occupations themselves.

Nursing and teaching have evolved along with society’s views of women. Job responsibilities extend far beyond caretaking.

Today’s public school teachers, for example, must undergo training throughout their careers. Their work is measured by national standards for student achievement. Poore said that keeping up with innovations in learning and technology help make her job rewarding. So-called smart boards that interface with computers, for example, have replaced chalkboards as teaching tools.

This summer, Poore is taking college-level courses in computer technology and information literacy to help her students tap into the rich educational resources offered by the World Wide Web.

“I look at some of my colleagues with young families and I don’t know how they get everything done,” said Poore. “This job does not end at 3 o’clock each day.”

Supply and demand Likewise, nurses increasingly have assumed some of the traditional roles of doctors. They may examine patients, diagnose and even prescribe medication, depending on their education level, training and certification.

“Nurses are doing what doctors do, and doctors do the impos- sible,” said Cotton, who works at Mercy Hospital. “Nurses handle IVs, dressing changes, medications. We’re with the patient 24 hours a day.”

In nursing, especially, the economics of supply and demand have created much more flexibility and better working conditions than in the 1960s and ’70s. There are many more jobs than nurses.

It’s possible for a qualified registered nurse today to enjoy perks like signing bonuses and family friendly scheduling, as hospitals and doctors’ groups work to recruit and keep qualified workers.

Job opportunities and the ability to help others convinced Marzilli’s own mother to return to school to pursue her dream job nursing. Jean Reiter, 51, said that after raising three children and driving a bus for many years, she decided to become a nurse. Reiter believes her life skills will help her in her new career.

“I’m a caring person and I always have found medicine interesting,” said Reiter, who will enter the nursing program at Southern Maine Community College this fall.

With the critical need for nurses, Reiter likely will have little trouble finding a job after graduation.

Nationwide, the number of nurses is declining. A major reason is that women who still make up the large percentage of nurses have many more career options today. About a third fewer women choose a nursing career today than in the 1970s.

At the same time, aging baby boomers and seniors are requiring more health-care resources than ever before.

Cotton’s experience shows the opportunities for today’s nurses. She started her job at Mercy right after graduation from St. Joseph’s College. She said the 12- hour shifts often enable her to work for three days and have four days off.

The pay range for nurses varies, depending on training, experience and where they work. Licensed practical nurses may earn from $25,000 to $35,000 a year. Earnings for registered nurses range from $35,000 to about $55,000. Nurse practioners, who can prescibe medication and fill many of the functions of a doctor, earn more than that.