Male Nurses and Why They Are Important

The term ‘nurse’ has been long associated with women. It will be surprising to most of you to know the first nurses of the planet all across the world were men. Yes, it’s true! The world’s first nursing school was established in India as early as 250 BC and during that period there was a common thought that men were ideal for the profession. But, today this is a female-dominated field. Although lots of efforts have been taken to promote gender equality in the profession, the number of men in nursing is still low. Let’s discuss male nurses and why they are important.

Men in Nursing – An Overview:

The number of males in nursing has jumped from around 45,000 to over 160,000 during 1980 to 2004. Despite this increase, men comprise of just seven percent of all the RNs today. There is a popular notion that this field is not for males. We have to agree that there are lots of admission capacity constraints in nursing schools today. All these factors are preventing more men from entering this field. But, the reality is that the addition of more male nurses would benefit patients, as well as their fellow nurses. Why and how is your question? Well, males often provide unique perspectives along with the skills that are significant for the nursing profession. Let’s discuss why are they important for the field now:

Reasons to have Male Nurses:

Career is in demand:

As everyone is aware, nursing is a rapidly growing industry. As per the recent forecasts from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the job openings for nurses are projected to increase by sixteen percent from 2014 to 2024. Not only is this going to increase, but the median pay as well as the job prospects are found to be more impressive and promising. Therefore, males who choose to be a nurse will join a more dynamic workforce of the country.

History says it all:

As mentioned earlier, having males in the nursing profession is not a new thing. There is a rich history, which says that men are ideal for the field. The fact is that men were providing the care which we are getting from the female nurses today. Although the trend has been changed during the last century when men were discouraged and banned from the field, the times are changing now! Being a man in nursing, you will be carrying a rich history that could go back to the ancient time that is often forgotten. In addition to earning, you will get the credit of re-establishing the profession among males after a long gap.

Male patients will be glad:

More often, patients will not be at their best while seeing nurses. This is true especially with male patients as they will experience discomfort both physically and emotionally when they are being exposed to female nurses. This can be prevented when males are in place to provide the care to the male patients in need. They will be glad to expose to men and would feel more and more comfortable in front of other men. Now, the question is would there be any difference in the care provided by nurses? Of course not, the nurses will treat every patient equally irrespective of their gender. But, the human nature, frailty, and insecurities are the common obstacles often faced by the healthcare providers.

The range of specialties to choose from:

As we already knew, nursing is a vast field. By choosing to be in the field, you will have access to a wide variety of jobs and career paths, although only one career will suit you. There are certainly a less number of professions with lots of career options and nursing is one among them. Remember that there is a common trend among all the career paths in nursing, which is the lack of male nurses.

Break the stigma:

We can note the stigma among males that nursing is a field for women. If there was no stigma prevailing, there would be no need for this article. Remember that if you let the stigma stick to you, it would be difficult for the clinics and hospitals to hire better professionals and to provide better care. Also, every profession should have the most talented people joining it, whatever it may be. As more and more men join the nursing field, the stereotype will erode eventually and the bias that is prevailing will become a history. If you are a male and if you want to join nursing, just go for it! Just by following your interest and passion, you are going to pass a strong message that anyone can choose the healthcare sector and that everyone has the capacity to provide care. Finally, remember that service to the public is always an honorable and commendable position irrespective of your gender.