Men in Nursing: Understanding the challenges men face working in this predominantly female profession Introduction Nursing became

predominately a female profession in the late 19th century. Though Florence Nightingale made major contributions in the nursing profession, she was greatly involved in excluding men from this profession by affirming that nursing was a discipline for female. She did work hard in establishing nursing as a laudable profession for respectable women, ignoring the past indispensable contributions made by men (Black and Germaine-Warner, 1995). Nightingale saw the males task restricted to physical jobs like moving or lifting patients and never appreciated their caring task. At a time when women are flocking to once male-dominated fields like law and medicine, men are slowly discovering the female-dominated field of nursing, with its relatively high pay, job flexibility, and manifold opportunities for advancement.

Summary of the Article Now a day, we dont only see females in nursing, it is not unusual to see males caring for individuals, and work in clinics, hospitals, though nursing is a dominantly female profession. Males are now entering this, pursuing nursing as their career. In study conducted by the McWilliams et al published in the American Journal of Nursing, January 2013, they trying to find the different challenges men facing in nursing. These are the results of their study: Men are drawn into nursing because of their families and friends, and male nurses have more job opportunities and job advancement. Though there are more opportunities in nursing for males, why is it there are little statistics of males in nursing? These are the reasons why, first Nursing is related to femininity and also being a nurse is again related to being a gay. Mens perception of giving up their jobs and role as a family man is unmanly. This is why there is more number of male drop outs in nursing schools. Other reasons why there are little male nurses can be seen in the associate degree or in baccalaureate degree, male nursing students felt isolated, they have anxiety and fear of rejection also male student nurses are hesitate to do intimate assessment because they feared that their touch means something like sexual assault instead of just plain professionalism. Others perception of male caring is equal to sex and there is a question is men are able to care.

Submitted by: Mark Joseph S. Tunac, RN

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Men in Nursing: Understanding the challenges men face working in this predominantly female profession McWilliams et al also found out that the main source of discrimination is in the faculty, with the greater number of female students compared to males, males are always the center of attraction the instructors always challenge male students, and male nursing students felt that the clinical instructor have different expectations from them. Also male students dont find confortable in doing journals, because it relates to emotions, and as we know males are not that emotional, being emotional is equated with females. Most of nursing literature represents females, and there is little or no literature that represents male nurses. Male students are regarded as token males With all these disadvantages, there are also advantages for male nurses, in work area alone, male nurses are more favorable by the physicians compared to females. Male nurses also assigned in a high-tech but low touch environment. Most of male nurses work in administration.

Implication Though male nurses face challenges in nursing still there are lots of opportunities for them, in this present time, we should change our perception regarding male nurse; we should not take consider the gender in terms of caring as long as he cares for you, know what hes doing its ok. We believe that what men can do, women can. Today what women can do, men can. In the academe, there should be equality between genders, there should be male point of view in terms of caring, and we should not only focus on what the literature says, because it only focuses on female caring. There should be representation of male caring when teaching nursing specially now, that male is now going into nursing. Improve the Nurses Image by Stimulating the School of Nursing to, Increase the Number of Males in Nursing Academia; Establish Mentorship Programs for Prospective Male Students. Peer Support for Male Nursing Students; Create an Equal Educational Opportunities for Men and Women Especially in clinical Settings.

To Be a Good Nurse We Need to Have Some Feminine and Masculine Characteristics!

Submitted by: Mark Joseph S. Tunac, RN

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