I'm a man and I may not get it. AllNurses just posted an article about getting more men into nursing, there is an association for men in nursing that is trying to get more men into nursing... and I want to hear from experienced nurses about why there should be more men in nursing (if nurses really do think that there should be more men in nursing).
The only good reason(s) for pushing to get more men into nursing would point to what men can do better than women, generally, in the field of nursing. If men have no advantage over women, then there is no good reason to push for more of them to go into nursing. I've never been a fan of any push to get any people of any gender, ethnicity, or race into any specific field; rather, I've always said that each person's merits and desires as they relate to the field should be the only things considered.
I only see one concrete way and one possible way that men could have an advantage over women in nursing, and that is not to say that women don't have certain advantages over men in nursing - I can think of a couple of possibilities anyway. So what do I think are the advantages held by men?
1) Physical strength. This would seem to be a certainty as an advantage, given all I have read about how nurses are often tasked with moving and lifting patients. Since men are usually stronger than women, it would seem that they would be better able to do this and suffer less lasting damage as a result.
2) This one is the "maybe" - and it would be contingent upon certain patients having a preference for a male nurse over a female nurse. I doubt that happens often, but I'd also doubt that it happens never. In this case, the mere condition of being male would be the advantage.
Is there more? (And/or are the two reasons I just listed not relevant?) I would claim that it has something to do with alleviating the nursing shortage, but one of the main reasons for that shortage is a lack of available spots in nursing school, which affects all genders equally... so I reject that claim for now at least.
The push is really a matter of representation, "X group is a minority in Y profession".
Not based on "X group" is better or isn't better at any aspect of the job.
In many areas and professions many groups are underrepresented based on local demographics. Thus you will see a push for more members of that group to join that area or profession. You won't see a push for more male CRNAs or male managers or other areas where the male representation is closer to the female.
At one point in my career I was the only male nurse in a department that covered five specialty areas.
KatieJon and Mountain John, Kudo's to you for having the guts to say what I was thinking. Balance in all things and as Possum said, this is a truly multicultural, non specific gender, varied lifestyle profession that should be at the forefront of accepting and encouraging everyone.
As a male nurse I can absolutely say we are over-utilized for our "muscle" on the unit. We have large and bariatric patients on our unit and I am continually "recruited" on almost every boost and turn for my "muscle". I always help. I'm a team player. However, my willingness to help has wreaked havoc on my back. I'm also continually pulled in all directions to help (with mobility tasks) and that makes it difficult to take care of my patients like I want. Many male nurses will say they've gotten out of bedside nursing because of being utilized like a mobility aide versus a RN. I love being a nurse, but one of the reasons I'm on my way to becoming a NP is so that I don't suffer a career ending injury on the job. It's simply the state of things and managers don't want to address the elephant in the room.
I am a big guy, 6'3" 240lbs. I was an avid weight lifter that worked out with Nautilus machines (negative resistance/strength building) before the good folks at Nautilus divested away from their state of the art machines for cheap, inferior home gym type of junk. I joke and call myself the human Hoyer lift because they always run for me when they can't get someone off the floor or a patient gets violent. I used to like to show off my strength but one day a 300plus pound patient was about to fall head first out of bed. I ran into the room alone as everyone else was 'on their breaks" (sound familiar?) and averted a disaster but afterwards I felt this pain in my abdomen. Now I have an umbilical hernia that they have wanted to operate on for years, but having 2 more years until my bankruptcy ends, I can't afford the time off. I have had it for like 10 years and it doesn't bother me but freaks people out when they see my belly button pops out. That and as I got older they found I have degenerative disc disease and have been having on and off back pain. I am not enjoying the aging process. But yes, this is in response to the guys who talked about being utilized for their muscle. Been there, done it. Only now it is getting harder, a near fatal car accident and getting older, I am not the man I was when I started in the field 25 years ago, yet I still feel compelled to do it. I feel like I am letting people down if I don't play Hercules (ironically, that is the name one of my long term patients calls me). My biggest issue with being a male nurse in a predominately female profession is the amount of discrimination I received trying to get through nursing school, and in the hiring/firing process. I guess I am the big target, when a DON is threatened or under pressure, they usually make a bee line towards me. That way, they can try to save themselves by showing they are really kicking some butt. Go after the big guy. Sometimes I think it has to do with being Native American as well. I have long black hair and piercing brown eyes. Many people will tell me they were afraid of me until they get to know me. The amount of discrimination I have had to endure in 25 years could fill a book. I have been tempted to write that book and name names and places. I would not fear any slander or libel suits because the stories are true with many people to verify them, but that is another subject. It is Easter Sunday on my weekend off. I wanna do all these things but it's like the world shuts down over an xtian holiday that I don't follow. I don't mind xmas but I will be glad when this Easter business is over. Life goes on for the rest of us. If my job wasn't so horrible, I would say I would rather be at work. Maybe I will use the free time to start that book now. I am motivated.
Medscape recently posted another article about "More men in nursing."
There is no "push" to get men into nursing. Posting a few articles here and there is hardly a "push." If you want to see push, look at the various ways in which the STEM and business programs go about attracting female applicants.
Matthew RN, MSN
54 Posts
The push is really a matter of representation, "X group is a minority in Y profession".
Not based on "X group" is better or isn't better at any aspect of the job.
In many areas and professions many groups are underrepresented based on local demographics. Thus you will see a push for more members of that group to join that area or profession. You won't see a push for more male CRNAs or male managers or other areas where the male representation is closer to the female.
At one point in my career I was the only male nurse in a department that covered five specialty areas.