Q+A piece: Men in Nursing and why there are no grants for men pursuing nursing school

[Thunderwolf, MSN, RN]

the grantdoctor:men in nursing

25 january 2002

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dear grantdoctor,

i am a minority in the nursing field and have found it difficult at times to climb the ladder. i have recently returned to school to obtain a higher degree in nursing but have been finding it hard to make ends meet. i am a minority because i am a man. i am surrounded by women in this field and it is not always easy to prosper. i am looking for grants to aid my schooling. i have a family and i am the only provider in my family. can you assist me?

--lambservant

dear lambservant,

nationwide, the gender imbalance in nursing is more striking than in almost any other field of science: only 6% of registered nurses (rns) are men.

today's nursing is a far cry from what nursing used to be. nursing has always played a crucial role in health care, but today its importance is widely acknowledged. more than 75 universities and medical schools offer ph.d.s (one of several types of doctoral degrees available to nurses--see sidebar), and in 1985 nursing got its very own nih institute (the national institute for nursing research, ninr) when congress overrode ronald reagan's veto of the health research extension act of 1985.

a sampling of nursing ph.d. programs

• case western reserve university
  
• george mason university
  
• indiana university
  
• johns hopkins university
  
• loyola university, chicago
  
• medical college of georgia
  
• rutgers university, newark campus
  
• university of british columbia
  
• university of california, los angeles
  
• university of kansas medical center
  
• university of kentucky
  
• university of massachusetts, amherst
  
• university of minnesota
  
• university of north carolina, chapel hill
  
• university of pennsylvania
  
• university of pittsburg
  
• university of rochester
  
• university of south carolina
  
• university of texas, austin
  
• university of texas medical branch
  
• university of toronto
  
• university of victoria
  
• university of washington
  
• university of wisconsin, milwaukee
  
• vanderbilt university
  

nursing's gender imbalance persists at the highest educational and technical levels. a search of 210 active ninr grant principal investigators yielded 183 women, 18 men, and nine scientists of indeterminate gender (many of whom exercised the expedient of obscuring gender by including only a first initial). furthermore, dan o'neal, ninr's public liaison and chief of their office of science policy, points out that many male ninr-grant recipients are not nurses.

historical developments in nursing would suggest the time is right for increased numbers of men in the profession. until recently, women who wanted--or needed--to work outside the home had few options beyond teaching, nursing, and housekeeping. and though men may have been excluded from nursing in the past, today they stay away largely--though not entirely--by choice. discrimination against men may still linger in certain areas of nursing, such as obstetrics, and false stereotypes abound. nonetheless, male nurses generally report a very high level of job satisfaction.

in many fields of science it is possible to see gender disparity as an abstraction, as an academic problem. physics, for example, would undoubtedly be better off with more women, but the world has no shortage of physicists. in nursing the situation is different: there is an acute nursing shortage. at some medical centers as many as one in five nursing slots is open. a search of kaiser permanente's job opportunities web site (keyword: nursing) yielded 2557 positions at kp's 29 medical centers (kp is the nation's largest health maintenance nonprofit organization). illinois (a state chosen at random) lost 10 % of its rn workforce between 1996 and 2000, and fully one-third of illinois nurses plan to retire in the next 10 years. meanwhile, the u.s. population is aging, increasing the demand for nursing care. clearly, the nation can scarcely afford to continue to exclude half the population from the nursing profession.

largely as a result of the nursing shortage, salaries for nurses are spiraling upward. new nurses with 2-year degrees starting out at johns hopkins university hospitals earn between $42,000 and $45,000. salaries for executive nurses can exceed $100,000. though salaries are much lower elsewhere, they are climbing everywhere. higher salaries will, no doubt, draw new blood into nursing, including men, but so far there's no evidence that men are knocking down the doors.

when the extent of men's underrepresentation in nursing is considered, it is perhaps surprising that few special programs exist for bringing men into the field. a position paper of the american nurses association (ana) notes that the profession is "90% white and female," and then goes on to argue in favor of ethnic diversity, leaving gender unaddressed.

the grantdoctor (with the assistance of an able colleague) managed to find just one scholarship program giving men an explicit edge (kaiser permanente's deloras jones rn scholarship), and it's only available in california. beyond that, the doctor came up empty. many nursing schools offer minority scholarships (see sidebar), but typically those programs are reserved for ethnic minorities. nih's training programs for aspiring minority nurses are reserved for "ethnic and racial" minorities (though they also offer unrestricted training awards for doctoral and postdoctoral nurses).

[color=#000088] financial assistance for nursing students

• u.s. public health service health resources and services administration bureau of health professions
  
• emergency nurses association
  
• society of gastroenterology nurses and associates inc.
  
• george b. boland nurses training trust fund; phone: [phone]
  
• national association of pediatric nurse associates and practitioners
  
• association of operating room nurses scholarship program
  
• nursing student loan program
  
• foundation of the national student nurses association
  
• american association of critical care nurses educational advancement scholarships
  

just because you can't find a scholarship that gives special preference to men doesn't mean you can't find a scholarship. the sidebar lists several sources of financial aid for nursing students. your school's financial aid officer should know of any local scholarships you qualify for, including minority scholarships. and ask your former employer: hospitals often offer support for nurses who want to continue their education--though their support may require you to work for them after you finish school. you may also qualify for scholarships from local churches, hospitals, and service organizations. fact is, you probably don't need a scholarship intended for men; as a male nurse with work experience you're likely to be very competitive.

so why aren't there more programs aimed at increasing the number of men in nursing? apparently the dearth of men is not, in itself, considered a problem--at least not by everyone. some argue that the few men who do enter the profession already get promoted preferentially (though others argue just the opposite). others feel that, since so many other fields are dominated by men, it's okay to have one professional field that is dominated by women. ninr's o'neal wrote to me in an e-mail: "although there are several calls from the field for more men in nursing, as if that will answer some issues which seem to affect the profession, there is not good empirical data which supports a gender-specific recruitment, hiring or promotion for men in nursing."

best of luck.

--the grantdoctor

[nursemike, ASN, RN]

Interesting article. I don't know...I don't feel a bit bad about expecting equal opportunities in nursing, but I would feel really reluctant to ask for special consideration.

I've heard it said, even at my school, that males are admitted more readily, but I'm skeptical. Our admissions are based solely on a point scale, and there are no points for gender, or race. It's completely objective, and you either make it or you don't--but you still hear people say they cut guys a break.

On the other hand, some of my classmates think some of our instructors are harder on men, and I haven't seen that at all. NOBODY has it easy, but it really appears to me that they want every student to do well, and if they see you putting in the effort, they go out of their way to help. As it happens, most of the guys are very good students, and the school takes a lot of pride in a high NCLEX pass rate.

I don't suppose it's entirely a coincidence that the guys in my class are pretty motivated, or that the male nurses I work with seem generally very conscientious. You do have to overcome some things, even to be interested in nursing, and that may help weed out those who aren't so motivated.

(Which isn't at all to say there aren't a lot of highly motivated women, or that I have admired every male nurse I've known. There are also plenty of guys who get into nursing for job security and the chance to make a decent living with comparatively little education--in fact, those were major attractions to me, though not the only ones.)

Still, while it's abundantly obvious that we are a minority in nursing, I'm only joking when I call us a downtrodden minority. I think we have plenty of legitimate issues which need to be addressed, but if I truly thought nursing was an awful place for men, I'd do something else.

[talaxandra]

A search of 210 active NINR grant Principal Investigators yielded 183 women, 18 men, and nine scientists of indeterminate gender (many of whom exercised the expedient of obscuring gender by including only a first initial).

If 6% of nurses are men, doesn't that mean that there men are statistically over-represented as principal investigators? (6% of 192 [186 women + 9 unknown gender] is ~12).

I'm certainly not arguing that we don't need more men in nursing, or that there isn't a significant gender imbalance, but I don't think that men are less likely than women to progress (or 'prosper') in nursing. 50% of my charge nurses have been men, and about 40% associate charge nurses. Out of a dozen lecturers there were three men (33%) and that was 15 years ago. Perhaps it's different in the US, but in Australia our male: female ratio of registered nurses is similar to that in the US/UK/Canada.

[Tony35NYC]

Very interesting article. It isn't difficult for anyone to climb the ladder in any area of nursing and I agree with the Grant Doctor's advice. Seriously, there are so many opportunities out there and so many different directions in which one can take one's nursing career if one wants to. There are many grants and scholarships available, and although some of them are restricted to students in certain states or to certain ethnic minority groups, others are not. In fact, some of these sponsoring agencies couldn't care any less about your gender as long as you can make the grade, if you know how to write a half-way decent essay, and if you can give some pretty good references. Money is always tight when you're in college, but I've learned that when it comes to a nursing degree, there are ways to get other people to pay for it if you're willing to do a little research. I didn't try too hard, and I received, not just one, but three nursing scholarships so I know there's stuff out there.

I don't understand why Lambservant feels so intimidated by female nurses, or why he is looking only for grants. Since he's already working as an LPN or RN he could ask his employer to pay his tuition and book costs for a BSN or higher degree. Many hospitals offer this in exchange for a one or two year commitment. If he's a US citizen he could try to tap the federal financial aid programs for grant money. He could also check the state DOH for nursing education sponsorship programs, or loan forgiveness programs. Then there are free information sites like fastweb.com and discovernursing.com where he could look up other scholarships and grants. Not to be forgotten is the financial aid office at the school he plans to attend. The people who work in these places know where and how to get money for students with great financial need. I've seen them work magic for people who were told they could never receive grants from the federal or state financial aid programs.

[nyforlove]

Thanks Tony--assuming I am accepted (should hear any day now), I will follow your advice. I'm also in NYC and will message you if I am accepted! Thanks again.

Very interesting article. It isn't difficult for anyone to climb the ladder in any area of nursing and I agree with the Grant Doctor's advice. Seriously, there are so many opportunities out there and so many different directions in which one can take one's nursing career if one wants to. There are many grants and scholarships available, and although some of them are restricted to students in certain states or to certain ethnic minority groups, others are not. In fact, some of these sponsoring agencies couldn't care any less about your gender as long as you can make the grade, if you know how to write a half-way decent essay, and if you can give some pretty good references. Money is always tight when you're in college, but I've learned that when it comes to a nursing degree, there are ways to get other people to pay for it if you're willing to do a little research. I didn't try too hard, and I received, not just one, but three nursing scholarships so I know there's stuff out there.

I don't understand why Lambservant feels so intimidated by female nurses, or why he is looking only for grants. Since he's already working as an LPN or RN he could ask his employer to pay his tuition and book costs for a BSN or higher degree. Many hospitals offer this in exchange for a one or two year commitment. If he's a US citizen he could try to tap the federal financial aid programs for grant money. He could also check the state DOH for nursing education sponsorship programs, or loan forgiveness programs. Then there are free information sites like fastweb.com and discovernursing.com where he could look up other scholarships and grants. Not to be forgotten is the financial aid office at the school he plans to attend. The people who work in these places know where and how to get money for students with great financial need. I've seen them work magic for people who were told they could never receive grants from the federal or state financial aid programs.

[ddavispct]

I don't feel because you are a male you should get a grant. Men want to be treated equally just like women. I feel just because there aren't as many men in the nursing field as women don't make you a minority. If that was that case, then women would be a minority in police force, fireman, etc. So, don't use because you are a man as an excuse.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

I don't feel because you are a male you should get a grant. Men want to be treated equally just like women. I feel just because there aren't as many men in the nursing field as women don't make you a minority. If that was that case, then women would be a minority in police force, fireman, etc. So, don't use because you are a man as an excuse.

True, women have struggles as minorities in such fields for years. I do wish there was more of an equal balance of men and women in the field, but as to special grants etc, I am not sure.

Men at my school as well (like nursemike) are admitted easily and have special treatment. I would have to say that equal number of men got accepted with my group as women, and there are far more women applying than men. The program population is by far made up of mostly women.

I think it's great for more men to enter the field, but it should be equally for both genders. I am sure that women entering predominantly male fields don't get that.

Just my humble opinion.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

I feel just because there aren't as many men in the nursing field as women don't make you a minority. If that was that case, then women would be a minority in police force, fireman, etc. So, don't use because you are a man as an excuse.

I guess it depends on how you define minority. "The definition of a minority group can vary, depending on specific context, but generally refers to either a sub-group that does not form either a majority or a plurality of the total population, or a group that, while not necessarily a numerical minority, is disadvantaged or otherwise has less power (whether political or economic) than a dominant group." http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minority

If you strictly go by numbers, the men in nursing, women in fields such as the police force and fire department (not using the sexist term fireman here), then men indeed are a minority and women a minority in those other fields.

If you further add the criteria that males are disadvantaged then that's debatable because many women on this board have made posts that it has been their experience that men in nursing are priviledged.

The "excuse" that males get minority grants to attract more of them to nursing can certainly be a heated debate.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

Men at my school as well (like nursemike) are admitted easily and have special treatment. I would have to say that equal number of men got accepted with my group as women, and there are far more women applying than men. The program population is by far made up of mostly women.

I'm not sure I'm understanding you. You say an equal number of men and women are accepted in your program and you're saying the program population is by far made up of mostly women? Can you clarify please?

I have no idea whether females are given preferential treatment in hiring practices in police forces, etc. but I do know that miniorites are targeted to balance not only the population in the force, but the neighborhoods they police. In San Francisco even gays and lesbians were targeted by the police force for hire.

I was fortunate to go to a school that was first-on-the-list-first-in-the-school, without regard to anything else. So I don't have an opinion on males being fast-tracked past more qualified females. It doesn't quite site right with me.

I'm also on the fence on whether gender should be a criteria for grants in nursing. I'm more for that than I am for entry into school. But I'm undecided, perhaps a good debate on this board will get me off the fence, even if this thread is 10 months old.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

What I meant to say Tweety is that out of the people who apply there are only a few men compared to women yet if there were 20 spots, about 20 of them (most of the men that applied) got accepted and the other 20 women. There are also special grants for men pursuing a career in nursing. Not sure what it is called but I can find out. I am not trying to say they weren't qualified or anything of that sort, it's just a mere observation and nothing else. Will leave it at that though and stay away from the subject cause you are right it can get heated and I am not up for that.....LOL

I do agree with you that is it goes both ways, some can argue they experienced discrimination while others say the opposite.

[Tweety, BSN, RN]

What I meant to say Tweety is that out of the people who apply there are only a few men compared to women yet if there were 20 spots, about 20 of them (most of the men that applied) got accepted and the other 20 women.

So you're class is half men. That's unusual. I would understand ill feelings then, in a field dominated by women, the women are being shut out at that school because they are women.

[RosesrReder, BSN, MSN, RN]

I found this article which I found interesting http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0FSL/is_4_77/ai_99983125