In the past decade the number of male nurses increased by 59% but men represent only 125 of all nurses
By Deborah Jeanne Sergeant
From Florence Nightingale onward, nursing has been a female-dominated career. But more men are earning nursing degrees.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the percent of male nurses has grown by 59% in the past decade.
However, that still amounts to only 12% of all licensed practical nurses, registered nurses and nurse practitioners.
One of the reasons is the perception that only women work in nursing so that men don’t consider it as a career option.
“There still tends to be a stigma and stereotype that exists that labels nursing as a woman’s profession,” said Erik Zeiner, nurse and co-manager of the adult emergency department at Upstate University Hospital. “One such way that nursing programs are trying to overcome this perception is through the use of social media. The goal behind the content is to emphasize the numerous gender-neutral opportunities that are available that include competitive salaries, growth, and even travel.”
By repeatedly showing men in nursing, educators normalize the career. The strategy appears to be working.
Michael Casey, a nurse at Center for Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders at Upstate Cancer Center, has also observed the “male nurse” stigma while he was in nursing school, but said it wasn’t widespread.
“Since the start of my career in school and professionally, I would say that the culture at both Crouse Hospital and Upstate have been very welcoming of male nurses,” he said. “Obviously, there are the outlying people who do not see things the same way. For example, the nurse who told me that ‘as a male’ it was inappropriate for me to discuss breastfeeding with a new mom who asked me for help after struggling to get the baby to latch on the labor and delivery unit during my clinical experience.
“Luckily, I had an amazing instructor named Shannon who defended me by saying that nurse gender should not affect the fact that I was going to be a nurse and it was my job to help patients and educate them.”
Another of the barriers to seeking an education in nursing is the need to earn while you learn. It’s tough to hit “pause” on work to focus solely on the rigorous studying required to complete a nursing degree. Pew Research reveals that women are the primary breadwinner in only 16% of US households and men are the primary or sole breadwinner in 55% of them.
Of course, women who work full time also benefit from hybrid, weekend and online classes. However, the social stigma of quitting work to go to school is less for women than men, as women often take time away from work for family care giving duties. Traditionally, women aren’t expected to serve as the family’s main wage earner.
More nursing schools than ever offer night, weekend, online and hybrid classes to make access to an education easier. Many of the resources and textbooks are also online, which can help people who are working to fit in study time when they can.
For Jeremy Donohue, registered nurse in the emergency department at Oswego Health, attending nursing school while still working made possible the shift from military medic to civilian nurse. He is still working on his bachelor’s degree while enlisted as a National Guardsman and working as a nurse.
He believes that many men feel drawn to the emerging roles in nursing including leadership positions. Emphasizing the science and technical aspects of nursing also helps draw more men to nursing.
“It’s almost a ‘STEM’ field that’s very science-based with specialized medication and maybe that appeals more to the male side of things,” Donohue said.