Men in Nursing: Why it’s okay for men to care

• Nursing: A rewarding and vital career choice for men

Nursing is a fulfilling career choice for men which has a number of benefits to the health care profession. The “desire to help people” or “ability to make a difference” have been highlighted by men as an influencing factor to pursue a nursing career.^i ii Other important factors include a stable career, being influenced by a family member or close friend who was already a nurse and a desire to secure a job with a variety of career paths. Nursing also offers a career choice for men interested in an occupation that combines science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) knowledge with people-centred work environments, ⁱⁱⁱ a factor that is consistent with current Government initiatives to enhance the focus on STEM subjects in schools.^iv

We also know there are significant benefits to increasing the number of men in the nursing profession. Gender diversity in nursing can have a positive impact on improving the work culture,^v and the quality of patient care.^vi For some patients it is culturally and/or psychologically preferable to have access to a male nurse,^vii and increasing the number of men in nursing will expand the recruitment base and help meet rising demand for nursing services.

• The shortage of men in the nursing profession

Despite crucial importance of male nurses, the nursing profession has historically been gender stereotypical with membership dominated by women. Many factors that traditionally deterred men from entering nursing such as antiquated titles of matron and sister, low pay, and perceptions of patient discomfort no longer exist or have been refuted by research findings.^{viii ix} Furthermore, social perceptions are changing and men entering nursing are now influenced by knowledge gained from family and friends in the profession.^x

Despite these progressions, numbers of male nurses still remain low. Registration data in 2017 shows that men make up just 11.75% of the registered nursing workforce in Australia. ^xi These figures are on par with comparable countries where the proportion of men is similarly low, 10.2% in the United Kingdom, 7.2% in the United States of America and 6% in Canada.^xii The majority of men who do choose nursing as a career path do so after the age of 20^xiii and mainly work in critical care area’s (21.8-27%), management (11.3-19%) and mental health (7-27%).^{xiv xv}

Actively promoting and engaging men to enter the nursing profession will be a key policy that adds to buffer the looming deficiencies of nurses in our health and aged care systems. To do this we need to remove society’s stereotypical barriers for men wishing to become nurses and promote an image that it is ok for men to care.

• ACN Men in Nursing Working Group

The ACN Men in Nursing Working Group has considered these issues and is working on strategies to change the perception of nursing in Australia to be more inclusive of men. The objectives of the men in nursing working party are to:
1. Increase the number of men entering the nursing profession after school as their first profession
2. Meet the predicted shortfall of nursing workforce demand
3. Remove the stigma that nursing is a profession for women only
4. Encourage men to work in areas of nursing outside of critical care, mental health and administration/management
5. Retain men in nursing
6. Understand the issues faced by men entering and staying in the nursing profession
7. Send an overarching message to the community that it’s ok for men to care.