Bringing in the Boys: How to Attract More Male Nurses

[Melissa Mills]

Men in nursing - it's a simple phrase that can bring many emotions to the surface for nurses of both genders. You might feel that we need more men to level out the amount of estrogen on units across the country. Or, you may believe that the pay inequalities between male and female nurses are already enough of an issue that advocating for more men will only compound the discrepancy.

No matter what side of the aisle you land on, it's an argument worth discussing. According to the United States Census Bureau, the proportion of male registered nurses has increased from 2.7% in 1970 to 9.6% in 2013, and for licensed practical and vocational nurses, it has risen from 3.9% to 8.1% during the same time. And, whether you believe we are in the midst of a nursing shortage or not - there remain many nurse vacancies that could be filled by men.

So, what are some of the ways experts advocate using to increase the number of men in nursing? Let's discuss them below.

Starting Conversations Early

High schools help our young people choose professions. They complete personality tests that identify their strongest traits and passions to help determine a career that aligns with the strengths identified. But, are young men and women supported to break down the gender walls to choose the profession that is right for them? Are young men who score high in compassion and helping others encouraged to consider nursing as a career or are they encouraged to find a health and human services field more suited to men?

To increase the number of men in nursing, we must continue to break down gender roles. One strategy is to begin conversations with men from an early age about entering nursing school right out of high school or in early adulthood. Discussing non-traditional nursing roles with men might also be helpful. A few of the areas of nursing that tend to see a higher male population include intensive care, cardiac care, emergency rooms, and flight nursing. If we can attract men to enter nursing at an early age and sustain a long career, we will see diversity within the profession.

Offer Support in College

The first day of nursing school might be when many men receive the first glimpse into the future of their careers - one of being the minority. Whether you are in the U.S. or across the pond, nursing vacancies continue to be an issue, and many feel that attracting more men to nursing is a viable option to fill these vacancies.

So, how do we support men and offer encouragement to enter nursing school? Coventry University in the UK is offering male nursing students a $3,800 stipend for school to encourage men to choose nursing. The Oregon Center for Nursing launched their "Are You Man Enough to be a Nurse" Campaign in 2002 to inspire men to enter the profession. And, many schools around the globe are using their marketing dollars to run social media campaigns to attract young Millennial and Generation Zee's men to nursing programs.

Provide Mentoring

Every nurse needs a mentor. Finding a quality mentor is one of the best professional relationships you will ever have, regardless of your gender.

The University of Texas Arlington Online offers support for mentoring in nursing and states that one role of a mentor is to support minority and male students. Diversifying mentors and future nurses can lessen future health disparities in our society by providing diverse role models. It might also be a good idea for male nurses to find a fellow male nurse as their mentor. Offering strong male role models to new graduates can provide guidance in regards to all aspects of a successful nursing career.

Set Goals

If you want change in any area of life, you must set goals. Advancing Men in Nursing (AAMN) believed this and initiated a campaign to encourage men to enter the nursing profession. Their goal?

The AAMN wants to increase the number of men enrolling into nursing programs by 20% by 2020 - also known as the "20 X 20" initiative. As part of the program, they have created the Best School for Men in Nursing Awards Program. To be eligible for this award, AAMN will review the school's marketing material, strategic plans to increase gender diversity in nursing, course syllabi, and other information highlighting the program's dedication to expanding the diversity in nursing.

On Target?

Are we on the right track by offering stipends to men who want to become nurses? Should we continue to run campaigns and tell young men the benefits of a career in nursing? Or, should we stop and allow whatever happens to our profession happen? Tell us your thoughts about this important subject, we would love to hear them.

[Elaken]

In college, I debated certain issues with my female colleagues and was informed that I was "domineering", "aggressive", "mean" in my treatment of those who debated me.

This I found stunning as the debates were taped and later reviewed. My face and body language was calm, relaxed and patient throughout each debate. I waited patiently and quietly for my fellow students to fully develop and express their views, facts etc. In responding to them I noted those points they had made with which I agreed, and noted the quality of (some) of their research. They always sat quietly for that.

When I began to disagree and present my supporting evidence for doing so, they would interrupt me. The instructor would moderate and ask them to stop. I would continue. They would interrupt again, their volume rising. The instructor would again stop them. I would continue only to be interrupted again with greater volume and ad hominim attacks which, by their nature, did nothing to disprove my point, but certainly managed to disrupt the presentation. At this point they would loudly present their justifications for interrupting, pontificate on the validity of their points, and simply dismiss mine. Oi gevalt. It was made clear that the only correct opinion was theirs and it had to be female in nature and origin.

Additional examples abound. There's the incessant derogatory joking by women about men. Now, I know that most female nurses are going to say "get a sense of humor". If you knew me, you'd know that is not my problem. During nursing school I was actually told that men would be bashed and that I had a single choice; get used to it. I was told it wasn't going to stop and it didn't. Nearly every lecture featured some example of a man behaving poorly. He was either a wimp about pain, lazy about his ADLs, or simply fearful of his situation. Female staff and students would openly complain about their male significant others during classes. It was blatant. It still is in the female dominated offices and floors I have worked on.

Last thing. The article starts missing right in the title. You want to bring the 'boys' to nursing? Wow. Do you have any idea of the number of people who would claim grievous insult if you were to suggest we need to get more 'girls' into construction engineering? I don't know about you but I want a tough old farm broad with shoulders like a bull running that D9 operating 3 yards from me. Leave the girls at home. An immature woman, a girl, has no more business operating a massive machine like that than an immature man, a boy, does. Someone will get hurt.

If you want more men in nursing, the girls club has to become a thing of the past. The exact same rules and consequences have to be applied to the floor as they have been to the design office, the board room and the stock floor. IF there is truly equality in the work force, it's up to the women of nursing to pull on their lady panties and start taking responsibility for their behaviors which exclude men.

Just. Like. Men. Did.

If you really want more men in the nursing field, start playing by the same rules as every other industry. If you really want nursing to have more males, create an atmosphere that is more like a work shop and less like a hen house where the pecking order is the only order. (despite the pious, self-serving words rounding out the mission statements and non-discrimination policies)

Putting on my rain coat...

If you are told by multiple people that you are domineering than the odds are very good that you are domineering. Somehow I think your viewing of the tape was biased. If you showed Trump video of his debate with Hilary pretty sure he would still refuse to see how he was looming over her and trying to physically intimidate her even though it was clear to everyone else.

Are you maybe a really old nurse and thus clingg to these weird beliefs? Never once in my classes were men maligned. I literally have never heard anyone in my hospitals (I go to 3 hospitals in my system and like 15 units so I hear a lot) evee knock a nurse because of his being male. Ever. And it isn't like AZ is such a bastion of progressive thinking.

I (shockingly) agree with you on something. Boys is offensive. However girls is used ALL the time. You probably don't even have a clue how often it is used to describe women. But hopefully when you do notice it you as indignantly protest it as you did boys here. My guess is no. The reason you are probably so aggrieved is because you never do hear it and haven't had to get use to your gender constantly being dismissed in that way.

Also it is super telling that you claim a female dominated industry is like a hen house as opposed to the bastion of equality that is a workshop or boardroom (where it is coincidentally all men.) Because apparently men somehow looked to their behaviors and fixed them?????? I guess sexism in the workplace got fixed in the last 5 minutes. Does that mean we now get like 10 women CEOs in the Fortune 500?

[nehneh14]

No, I asked my wife about the gender pay gap and she laughed and said "that doesn't exist." She's also an experienced med-surg nurse, and she says she's never even heard of people making different wages on the same floor and stated "that's not even possible." So there's your reality right there.

She's wrong, because it happened to me. And of course people on the same floor make different wages. If you've been a nurse longer on your unit, you make more than a newcomer. The point is, he and I were hired THE SAME TIME. I had my BSN. He had an associate's degree. Both new grads. He made $3.00 more per hour. FACT.

[ProgressiveThinking, MSN, CRNA]

No, I asked my wife about the gender pay gap and she laughed and said "that doesn't exist." She's also an experienced med-surg nurse, and she says she's never even heard of people making different wages on the same floor and stated "that's not even possible." So there's your reality right there.

I've worked at multiple hospitals, and that's not the case. One hospital I worked at started me at 32/hr as a new grad. While working my way up their pay scale, 2 years in I was making 36/hour. Other individuals who came to work for the hospital after getting 2 years of experience elsewhere started out around 41/hr.

If anything, in California, you make more money by jumping from hospital to hospital and negotiating your salary. Staying with the same hospital for your entire career will keep you underpaid, unless you're in it for a pension. I ended up moving to a different hospital and was paid more than other nurses with equal experience and certifications. I'm a male btw.

[labordude, BSN, RN]

She's wrong, because it happened to me. And of course people on the same floor make different wages. If you've been a nurse longer on your unit, you make more than a newcomer. The point is, he and I were hired THE SAME TIME. I had my BSN. He had an associate's degree. Both new grads. He made $3.00 more per hour. FACT.

If you are 100% sure that all else is equal, did you file a complaint? I really would have been interested in their response. What would you have wanted their response to be? Also, it's good to see that people talk about pay, I'm all for more transparency.

We pay all our new grads the same for the first year*, then they move into the merit system. I go back and forth on this, but I have always asked for more money than offered, even if I thought the offer was excellent. Why?...Why not? Can't hurt, what's the worst they're going to say? No. Oh well, I tried.

* - My organization does its best not to decrease a person's pay if they transfer internally from a position in a higher pay grade to one in a lower pay grade (example: you're an RRT Level 3 for 15 years and then become an RN New Grad, they will do their best not to decrease your salary). That is one the few situations where our new grads may be paid higher. Not saying or implying this happened in your place, it's just what happens in mine.

[labordude, BSN, RN]

I've worked at multiple hospitals, and that's not the case. One hospital I worked at started me at 32/hr as a new grad. While working my way up their pay scale, 2 years in I was making 36/hour. Other individuals who came to work for the hospital after getting 2 years of experience elsewhere started out around 41/hr.

If anything, in California, you make more money by jumping from hospital to hospital and negotiating your salary. Staying with the same hospital for your entire career will keep you underpaid, unless you're in it for a pension. I ended up moving to a different hospital and was paid more than other nurses with equal experience and certifications. I'm a male btw.

^^This is how I have raised my pay faster than the people around me who never moved jobs. Part of it is just market competitiveness, at least in my specialty. It's VERY hard to get experienced people to change hospitals in L&D so they have to find some way to entice them. You won't get me to move for the same pay, same benefits, same crap, but different location. I've seen more hospitals getting creative too, signing bonuses (paid upfront, not over time), tuition reimbursement and/or loan repayment, child care, more flexible scheduling than just days/nights. I've asked for all kinds of things that have been declined, but I've never lost anything or had something they've offered be rescinded because of negotiations.

[wolfbuddy]

Worked as a surgery nurse for 27 years and a floor nurse for 3 years. The last hospital I worked in had 22 ORs and 3 male RNs. The hospital before that had 12 ORs and 3 male RNs. The floor I worked on prior to moving to OR had 2 male nurses 1 RN & 1 LPN. In those 30 years ratios did not seem to change much. Nursing school had 4 male students and 87 female. I am a male nurse (disabled/retired) and I was injured twice on the job. There is still an attitude in the area hospitals that male nurses are also Resource Techs/Patient Care techs. I would advise ANYONE male or female to be certain they want to be a nurse as life in the TRENCHES has gotten progressively worse and we have had to become more documentation and logistic oriented and less hands on care providers. Enough said!!!

[booter512]

1) Nursing salaries can be negotiated. If there is a surplus of nurses in your area, the manager can be picky and really take note on what you bring to the table. If you seem like a run of the mill BSN, vs a very friendly, active nurse who will probably be in a room with a patient more than in a chair at the nurse's station, the manager may make a higher offer to that person. I'm just not buying that 2 nurses started at the same time and the male was given $3/hr more just because he was male. Maybe he had been a medic in the military or something.

2) Back in the 80s, medical schools started offering incentives to get women and minorities to enter. Now, over half of all medical students are women, and a good number are foreign and many are minority. Is that good? Maybe? Did they turn down males that might have been better qualified? Certainly. There are jobs, school positions where it is much more difficult to get in solely because you're a white male. It just happens that men are a "minority" in nursing. Fair--not on either account.

3) I refer to men and women now, but through most of my life, there were only "girls" and "boys". Funny how some females were offended, while not once was a male ever offended by being referred to as a boy. In my wife's unit, they even have what is informally called "the boys club".

[klone, MSN, RN]

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[broughden]

Im curious.

Has the topic simply brought out NUMEROUS male posters who have traditionally not said much on AN? Or are people using sockpuppets (fake duplicate accounts) to post their less popular opinions about women and nursing as a whole?

Because it seems most of those claiming the wage gap is false, or that women are sexist toward men in nursing school/employment, are all male posters who have been members here for years but with very few if any posts.

Very strange......

My bet is they are trolls/duplicate accounts.

Joined: Aug '16; Posts: 5; Likes: 5

Specialty: 1 year(s) of experience ; Joined: Feb '18; Posts: 2

Joined: Dec '15; Posts: 1; Likes: 1

Specialty: 1 year(s) of experience ; Joined: Mar '18; Posts: 3; Likes: 1

Joined: Jun '08; Posts: 39; Likes: 49

(Been a member for over ten years, 39 posts and half of them in this discussion)

[nehneh14]

Im curious.

Has the topic simply brought out NUMEROUS male posters who have traditionally not said much on AN? Or are people using sockpuppets (fake duplicate accounts) to post their less popular opinions about women and nursing as a whole?

Because it seems most of those claiming the wage gap is false, or that women are sexist toward men in nursing school/employment, are all male posters who have been members here for years but with very few if any posts.

Very strange......

My bet is they are trolls/duplicate accounts.

Yes, it's like a bat signal goes up any time a woman asserts her right to equal treatment. "The womynz are gettin' uppity in here, must go in and quash the rebellion!!!" Another easy way to spot MRAs is that they use the word "females" instead of "women". They tell on themselves.

[broughden]

Yes, it's like a bat signal goes up any time a woman asserts her right to equal treatment. "The womynz are gettin' uppity in here, must go in and quash the rebellion!!!" Another easy way to spot MRAs is that they use the word "females" instead of "women". They tell on themselves.

Yep.

Admin should use this discussion as a "honey trap."

Any poster who has been here 1+ years and only posts to threads like this is most likely a troll/duplicate account and should be banned.

One of them has been a member over 3 years and their ONLY post is to this discussion about how bad the "womenz" are.

[nehneh14]

If you are 100% sure that all else is equal, did you file a complaint? I really would have been interested in their response. What would you have wanted their response to be? Also, it's good to see that people talk about pay, I'm all for more transparency.

We pay all our new grads the same for the first year*, then they move into the merit system. I go back and forth on this, but I have always asked for more money than offered, even if I thought the offer was excellent. Why?...Why not? Can't hurt, what's the worst they're going to say? No. Oh well, I tried.

* - My organization does its best not to decrease a person's pay if they transfer internally from a position in a higher pay grade to one in a lower pay grade (example: you're an RRT Level 3 for 15 years and then become an RN New Grad, they will do their best not to decrease your salary). That is one the few situations where our new grads may be paid higher. Not saying or implying this happened in your place, it's just what happens in mine.

BBM "If you are 100% sure that all else is equal" Oh FFS, are you STILL questioning whether my experience was real???? All things WEREN'T equal, I had a BSN (he did not) and I am a woman. And no, I didn't negotiate, I was a brand new nurse, first nursing job, over 20 years ago. There was no "negotiating" pay, they TOLD you what your pay rate was going to be as a new grad. I was 23 years old, I didn't know any better or that to file a complaint was even a possibility. Apparently things are different now and there's all kinds of negotiating that can be done (?)...even though in all the different capacities I've worked, my pay has been based on my years of experience as a nurse. They literally ask, how many years have you been a nurse, and then you are assigned a pay rate accordingly. They don't ask what you expect to make. They ask what you were making, and how many years you've been a nurse. Period. This is completely different from how hiring works in corporate America; my husband has been involved in many a salary negotiation. But I personally don't know anyone who has ever negotiated a salary for a hand's on clinic/hospital role. Or for the job I have now, which doesn't involve hands on care. Nursing is largely a service industry, and we as nurses hold almost zero cards when it comes to pay unless you have the good fortune to be in a union. And in my state the unions have been decimated, so unions are no longer an avenue to ensuring equal pay.