Isn’t it strange that when someone speaks of a male nurse, they almost always specify that he is a male nurse? Well, if we are talking about a male nurse, the part goes without saying. The fact is more male nurses are entering the work force than ever before, and slowly the mindset of all nurses being females is being diminished.
Statistics
Related: Your Footwear is as important as your Stethoscope
Great Reasons Men Should be Nurses
The number of men who work as nurses in the United States has tripled since 1970, going from about 2.7 to 9.6 percent of all nurses. For decades nursing has been a fantastic career option for men who want to enter the medical field, but now’s a better time than ever for men to consider becoming a nurse.Contrary to some assumptions held about nursing, evidence reveals that men make great nurses, and can be just as challenged and fulfilled by the career as women. Men are drawn to the work for the same reasons as any nurse, though there are a few unique factors to consider if you’ve ever thought about being a male nurse. Attitudes about men in nursing have changed.While male nurses were everywhere up until the 20th Century; the role became associated with women in the 1900s. There were even legal bans on men entering the field, which were later lifted when they were proven to be unconstitutional in 1981. Times change, and now attitudes have shifted to be just as welcoming to men as women in the nursing field. If anything, the medical community has a good feeling about men joining the field. So, if you’re a man and are curious about how you might be received as a nurse, rest assured that you will fit right in with a growing number of others just like you.
Many nursing programs aim to make up for the imbalance in male nurses by encouraging more men to enroll. There are even national associations such as the American Assembly of Men in Nursing (AAMN) that hold conferences, conduct research, and create initiatives to help men advance the development of their nursing careers. Male nurses are in high demand.
Now is a great time for men to begin a career in nursing. The United States Bureau of Labor predicts that employment for registered nurses will grow 18 percent by the year 2024, with a job growth rate that’s “much faster than average.” That’s a whole lot of nursing jobs. What’s more, in many places there aren’t enough nurses to fill all of those new positions.
The shortage of nurses crosses all nursing specialties — even faculty for educational nursing programs is running on the lower end of job occupancy. That means that new nurses can expect to graduate into a job marketplace that will be stacked in their favor. Many hospitals desire a mix of genders among their staff, and many men offer the physical strength needed for tasks like moving patients and heavy equipment. If you’re a man looking to enter the nursing field, you can enjoy a job market stacked in your favor in many ways.
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The Bureau of Labor Statisticsreported that nurses have a substantial annual
4. Every nurse can enjoy job stability.
Nurses won’t go out of style. If a recession hits, people won’t decide that medical care is a luxury they can go without. Because healthcare is so crucial to every man, woman, and child on the planet, nurses can go to work each day knowing that their jobs are unlikely to end due to macro-level factors in the economy, or that their profession’s service will fall out of favor as a trend. Whereas fashion, consumer technology, and cupcake crazes offer little to no job security, nursing stands the tests of time. People need medical care no matter what happens to the economy or job market. While that isn’t exactly comforting to ponder in and of it, it is good to know that as long as illness and injury exist, nurses will be at the ready to care for those who need them. You can quickly rise in management.It’s an awful feeling to land a job and quickly realize that you can’t move upward to bigger and better things as you become more skilled. If you’re someone who enjoys rising to the next challenge rather than getting into a groove and staying there long-term, nursing might be a perfect career for you.Nursing offers constant opportunities to refine your skills and become more of an expert than you were yesterday. Leadership roles are available to nurses in every specialty. Your first nursing job may be entry-level, but you can move up quickly into nurse management. With the basic foundation of an excellent nursing education, you can expect the freedom to switch nursing positions down the road and feel the excitement of lifelong learning, male or female.
Related: International Nurses Association - What's Your Superpower? T-shirt
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Statistics
- There were 3.5 million employed nurses in 2011, about 3.2 million of whom were female and 330,000 male.
- Of the nurses, both makes and female, 78 percent were registered nurses, 19 percent were licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, 3 percent were nurse practitioners, and 1 percent were nurse anesthetists.
- While most male registered nurses left home for work between 5 a.m. and 11:59 a.m. (72 percent), a sizable minority (19 percent) worked the evening or night shifts.
- The majority of male registered nurses worked in hospitals (64 percent). The majority of licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses worked in nursing care facilities or hospitals (about 30 percent each). The percentages for hospitals and nursing care facilities are not significantly different from each other.
- In 2011, 9 percent of all nurses were men while 91 percent were women. Men earned, on average, $60,700 per year.
- Men's representation was highest among nurse anesthetists at 41 percent.
- Male nurse anesthetists earned more than twice as much as the male average for all nursing occupations: $162,900 versus $60,700.
Related: Your Footwear is as important as your Stethoscope
Great Reasons Men Should be Nurses
The number of men who work as nurses in the United States has tripled since 1970, going from about 2.7 to 9.6 percent of all nurses. For decades nursing has been a fantastic career option for men who want to enter the medical field, but now’s a better time than ever for men to consider becoming a nurse.Contrary to some assumptions held about nursing, evidence reveals that men make great nurses, and can be just as challenged and fulfilled by the career as women. Men are drawn to the work for the same reasons as any nurse, though there are a few unique factors to consider if you’ve ever thought about being a male nurse. Attitudes about men in nursing have changed.While male nurses were everywhere up until the 20th Century; the role became associated with women in the 1900s. There were even legal bans on men entering the field, which were later lifted when they were proven to be unconstitutional in 1981. Times change, and now attitudes have shifted to be just as welcoming to men as women in the nursing field. If anything, the medical community has a good feeling about men joining the field. So, if you’re a man and are curious about how you might be received as a nurse, rest assured that you will fit right in with a growing number of others just like you.
Many nursing programs aim to make up for the imbalance in male nurses by encouraging more men to enroll. There are even national associations such as the American Assembly of Men in Nursing (AAMN) that hold conferences, conduct research, and create initiatives to help men advance the development of their nursing careers. Male nurses are in high demand.
Now is a great time for men to begin a career in nursing. The United States Bureau of Labor predicts that employment for registered nurses will grow 18 percent by the year 2024, with a job growth rate that’s “much faster than average.” That’s a whole lot of nursing jobs. What’s more, in many places there aren’t enough nurses to fill all of those new positions.
The shortage of nurses crosses all nursing specialties — even faculty for educational nursing programs is running on the lower end of job occupancy. That means that new nurses can expect to graduate into a job marketplace that will be stacked in their favor. Many hospitals desire a mix of genders among their staff, and many men offer the physical strength needed for tasks like moving patients and heavy equipment. If you’re a man looking to enter the nursing field, you can enjoy a job market stacked in your favor in many ways.
Related: How to Manage the Mess between Notes
The Bureau of Labor Statisticsreported that nurses have a substantial annual
4. Every nurse can enjoy job stability.
Nurses won’t go out of style. If a recession hits, people won’t decide that medical care is a luxury they can go without. Because healthcare is so crucial to every man, woman, and child on the planet, nurses can go to work each day knowing that their jobs are unlikely to end due to macro-level factors in the economy, or that their profession’s service will fall out of favor as a trend. Whereas fashion, consumer technology, and cupcake crazes offer little to no job security, nursing stands the tests of time. People need medical care no matter what happens to the economy or job market. While that isn’t exactly comforting to ponder in and of it, it is good to know that as long as illness and injury exist, nurses will be at the ready to care for those who need them. You can quickly rise in management.It’s an awful feeling to land a job and quickly realize that you can’t move upward to bigger and better things as you become more skilled. If you’re someone who enjoys rising to the next challenge rather than getting into a groove and staying there long-term, nursing might be a perfect career for you.Nursing offers constant opportunities to refine your skills and become more of an expert than you were yesterday. Leadership roles are available to nurses in every specialty. Your first nursing job may be entry-level, but you can move up quickly into nurse management. With the basic foundation of an excellent nursing education, you can expect the freedom to switch nursing positions down the road and feel the excitement of lifelong learning, male or female.
Related: International Nurses Association - What's Your Superpower? T-shirt
Please follow us on Facebook, Linkedin, Pinterest, Twitter
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