Do CRNA programs favor male applicants?

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Hey guys, I was looking over the AANA website when I noticed an interesting statistic, 43% of CRNAs are males. I would have expected that number to be much lower since only 8% of RNs are males, so this means a higher percentage of male RNs become CRNAs. Do you guys think the CRNA programs have anything to do with this, maybe a gender bias to get in more male applicants? Or is the amount of male applicants just that much higher?

Thanks

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Specializes in Anesthesia.
Hey guys, I was looking over the AANA website when I noticed an interesting statistic, 43% of CRNAs are males. I would have expected that number to be much lower since only 8% of RNs are males, so this means a higher percentage of male RNs become CRNAs. Do you guys think the CRNA programs have anything to do with this, maybe a gender bias to get in more male applicants? Or is the amount of male applicants just that much higher?

Thanks

I think the male applicants are much higher than the overall male/female nurse ratio. When you go to ICUs (where most CRNAs come from ) the male/female ratio is usually about 50/50, atleast where I have worked. The military ICU I work at now is more like 80% male and 20% female.

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Males in nursing traditionally go into the OR, ED, cath labs, and ICUs - where the paced is varied and usually fast. I think males are drawn to the CRNA environment for the same reasons, plus the autonomy and education are pluses also. This is in no way disrepsectful to any female in nursing or CRNA, but you have to look at the statistics of males in the general nursing population (2-4%) and the percents in the abovestated units and also male percentages of CRNAs. There are reasons for the discrepancies.

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LOL, after reading this a certain North Carolina incoming class of 2007 has only 1 guy in it. I'll bet he'll be spoiled rotten by the end.

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Ohhhhh..... to be that 1 guy...... Hope he doesn't have bad gas...... HEHEHEHEH get it, BAD GAS..... I know that joke was horrible.....

I try

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I don't think the programs favor male applicants. I think more men apply. I think for many reasons, women are more willing to put up with the BS of bedside nursing. Also, men sometimes get married later in life (later 20's) and women may want to go on, but their hubby has a good job (so they can't move), have a million kids doing all kinds of stuff, etc.

Hope this helps to clarify. It's not the bible, but my opinion.

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Elementary my dear.. Its all about PAY vs. type of work and "BS you might have to put up with" ratio. ;)

1. Males generally speaking aren't even close to being interested in bedside nursing. Most males wouldn't want to get near the job.

2. You will * virtually * always find males congregating where the money is in *virtually* field. Law? Males dominate patent law (very hard to get into, pays well, engineering degree required to sit for the exam); A male will generally take a job with a firm that makes millions settling tort/vicarious liability cases (and the like) WAY before even considering family law. Medicine? Notice how males generally don't want ped., or general practice, etc.? Hmmm.. but the cut throat competition between males for ortho and other nice paying specialties are almost proverb. Aviation? Most males wouldn't THINK of serving you food on an airplane, they're more apt to be pilots.

3. Ok, now we get to nursing.... CRNA is arguably the highest paid nursing position on the planet. Now if you take 100 Type A, heterosexual males and ask them which they'd consider.. ICU, OR, CRNA or bedside nursing.. I can assure you almost NON would want the latter.

I've said it 100 times and I'll say it again... if bedside nurses got paid $240,000.. then you'd see a LOT more men entering the field. But in the mind(s) of most men, its not worth the trouble to play "nurse-maid" for $40,000 per annum, when one can be an engineer (even with only a 4yr CE or EE degree) and make $20k per annum more, while working in the air conditioning! OR make $56-70k working in a outpatient clinic as a Physician Asssistant or Nurse practitioner.

Bottom line... "low pay = the boys stay away" (generally speaking)

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Wow, did you realize that this post was a little over 2 years old?

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Thanks for digging up this interesting old thread. Yes, I agree there are traditionally more men than women in the ED and ICU, more so in the ED. So, I wonder what this says about the women that go into the ED, ICU and ultimately, anesthesia? I think these are a strong breed of women nurses and we need to cultivate and recruit more like them to make the profession more powerful.

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Elementary my dear.. Its all about PAY vs. type of work and "BS you might have to put up with" ratio. ;)

1. Males generally speaking aren't even close to being interested in bedside nursing. Most males wouldn't want to get near the job.

2. You will * virtually * always find males congregating where the money is in *virtually* field. Law? Males dominate patent law (very hard to get into, pays well, engineering degree required to sit for the exam); A male will generally take a job with a firm that makes millions settling tort/vicarious liability cases (and the like) WAY before even considering family law. Medicine? Notice how males generally don't want ped., or general practice, etc.? Hmmm.. but the cut throat competition between males for ortho and other nice paying specialties are almost proverb. Aviation? Most males wouldn't THINK of serving you food on an airplane, they're more apt to be pilots.

3. Ok, now we get to nursing.... CRNA is arguably the highest paid nursing position on the planet. Now if you take 100 Type A, heterosexual males and ask them which they'd consider.. ICU, OR, CRNA or bedside nursing.. I can assure you almost NON would want the latter.

I've said it 100 times and I'll say it again... if bedside nurses got paid $240,000.. then you'd see a LOT more men entering the field. But in the mind(s) of most men, its not worth the trouble to play "nurse-maid" for $40,000 per annum, when one can be an engineer (even with only a 4yr CE or EE degree) and make $20k per annum more, while working in the air conditioning! OR make $56-70k working in a outpatient clinic as a Physician Asssistant or Nurse practitioner.

Bottom line... "low pay = the boys stay away" (generally speaking)

As a male nurse, I am shocked by your hostile degree of gender bias and sad generalizations. You must not be a man because you have a truly limited, elementary understanding of our "species," lending more to bitterness than actual insightful input. Using your formula, as a gay male nurse, I would be best suited to bedside nursing in a white dress with white hose, right...since I'm feminine, huh? Well, dear, I will not stoop to your level, rather inform my ICU male colleagues that they have been "figured out." I'll also forward it to all of the male bedside nurses at my institution, and see how much they like your words of wisdom. Shame. :trout:

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Specializes in LPN school.
As a male nurse, I am shocked by your hostile degree of gender bias and sad generalizations. You must not be a man because you have a truly limited, elementary understanding of our "species," lending more to bitterness than actual insightful input. Using your formula, as a gay male nurse, I would be best suited to bedside nursing in a white dress with white hose, right...since I'm feminine, huh? Well, dear, I will not stoop to your level, rather inform my ICU male colleagues that they have been "figured out." I'll also forward it to all of the male bedside nurses at my institution, and see how much they like your words of wisdom. Shame. :trout:

amen

especially dug point #2 where male nurses have little or no sense of altruism. Hail the almighty dollar!

If I suggested to anyone in my unit (male or female) that their prime motivation for nursing work was FINANCIAL WEALTH they'd laugh at me.

Oh yes....the CCRN.....i've paid $600 for study materials and a test date....and get squat for compensation from my hospital, other than personal satisfaction and clinical practice knowledge.

But hey, I'm a dude, so I'm really doing it for money, power, and name recognition. Definitely not doing it to provide better care for my patients, and because I love medicine.

I'm not going to deny that male dominated fields pay better because of gender bias, and men generally get paid more than women (because that is most certainly true, and it's wrong) but point #2 is pretty crazy.

As far as putting up with BS at work --- do a search for CRNA on the student doctor network; talk about interprofessional friction.

I agree with TexasCCRN. I think more men apply.

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As a male nurse, I am shocked by your hostile degree of gender bias and sad generalizations. You must not be a man because you have a truly limited, elementary understanding of our "species," lending more to bitterness than actual insightful input. Using your formula, as a gay male nurse, I would be best suited to bedside nursing in a white dress with white hose, right...since I'm feminine, huh? Well, dear, I will not stoop to your level, rather inform my ICU male colleagues that they have been "figured out." I'll also forward it to all of the male bedside nurses at my institution, and see how much they like your words of wisdom. Shame. :trout:

Teiladay was just making a comment on how most men don't particularly like bedside nursing. He makes some generalizations true, but I agree with him to a certain degree. As a whole most men dont particularly enjoy cleaning up defectant, performing bed baths, making the beds, etc - In nursing it seems as though you cant give your honest opinion without some academic type jumping down your throat about not being "sensitive". I mean if you don't like to do those things, its your perogative. I am assuming that the reason why someone who doesn't like to do those things does them is because it is their job and they are getting paid, in absence of the later fact I dont believe many men would volunteer to change sheets, creating perfect little corners in the process while simultaneously give the "perfect bed bath". In my opinion, bedside nursing is more of a feminine type of field - more of a "caregiver" type of thing. Traditionally the caregiver throughout time has always been the woman. Maybe it is the same thing for Gay Males, I dont know because I am not gay. As a 100% straight male, and proud straight male btw, I can understand where Teiladay is coming from. I mean I don't agree with everything he says, but I do agree with a large portion of it.

Sean

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