Gender Stereotypes Pursuing The Nursing Profession

According to the article, "Male Nurse":Experiences of Men in the Nursing Profession", one of the challenges that face men in nursing is the idea of being perceived as the "muscle strength". Because of this, men were often enlisted for more physically demanding task (Bernard Hodes Group, 2005), such as lifting and performing manual duties that requires strong physical strength. The research concluded that one way of retaining male nurses in the profession is to de-gender caring and changing the gender stereotypes (Hemsley- Brown & Foskett, 1999). Focusing on the caring aspect of the profession is essential to the profession, regardless if you are male or female.

Stereotypes affect all of us, more so when we are not aware of them. Recognizing stereotypes helps us to move past them. Choose one stereotype about nursing. In at least three paragraphs, describe the stereotype, show an example of the stereotype from literature, television, a movie, etc., and then describe how the stereotype could positively and negatively affect the image of nursing. Cite your sources in APA format. Save your work as a Word document and submit as an attachment in Blackboard.

The Motion picture film, “Sentimental Women Need Not Apply”, highlighted that the first group of nursing students were all white women (1988). Black women were unwelcomed in some nursing schools hence nursing schools were establish for colored people only (Gary & Hott, 1988). One nurse shared that the lack of black doctors rendered black nurses as the sole healthcare providers in some communities. After years of speaking out against segregation, any capable human, regardless of race or gender can now become a nurse. In the 21st century both men and women of all cultures are welcome to becoming a nurse. Though nursing remains a female dominated profession, the gap between male and female nurses has narrowed. In 1970, three percent of nurses were males compared to ten percent in 2013 (Tanner,

For many years, both men and women have tried to overcome gender roles in the workplace. Female nurses have traditionally been the majority and because of this, many of the expectations of the nursing profession seem to favor the feminine roles. In the 1850’s, a British woman by the name of Florence Nightingale became the ideal image of the professional nurse when she discovered sanitation issues that brought the mortality rates down from 47.9% to 2.2% for soldiers in barracks during the Crimean War. Upon returning home she discovered she had become arguably the most famous Victorian with the exception of Queen Victoria herself (BBC News, 2006 as cited in Wikipedia). Since that

“Males make up about 5% of all RNs working in the United States today” (Poliafico). Nursing is a profession in the health care field that concentrates on the nurturing care of individuals. The United States currently lacks testosterone (the male hormone) in the nursing field. The subject is something many people have thought about at least once in their lives. Some may argue nursing is a career meant for a woman, while others may argue it is a non-gender specified career option. Either way, the world has come to accept the lack of men in nursing. The nursing profession should be for both men and women, but society puts a stereotype on the ‘average nurse’ preventing men from being accepted into this career.

Nurses in the USA make up the biggest workforce of any country in the world. However nurses continue to be in short supply even with an aggressive campaign to attract foreign nurses (Brunetto et al., 2013). It is estimated that “the United States will need to have produced 1.13 million new RN’s to fill the future demand” (MeMenamin, 2014). Of the current-working nurses in the United States, “males represent approximately 7% of the nursing workforce…”(Colby, 2012). The percentage of men in nursing must improve if nursing is to become diversified. Although the number of men in the nursing profession is slowly growing, they will not have an impact on the future nursing shortage. In order for men to choose nursing over other professions, men should be exposed to the historical contributions of men in nursing, as well as changing the perception of male nurses. The lack of male representation in the field of nursing is due to “the feminization of modern day nursing by Florence Nightingale” (Colby, 2013) in the nineteenth century. Nightingale saw all women as nurses and believed that those who entered the nursing field “were doing what came naturally to them as women (Evans, 2003).” According to Evans (2003), “The failure to recognize their contributions leaves male nurses with little information about their professional background and historical position, a situation in which nurse Okrainec (1990) suggests perpetuates the notion that male nurses are anomalies.”

Thus explaining that regardless of one’s skill set they base the choice of career or lack of career on their cultural beliefs and when a male or female steps outside of the boundary that society has placed they are chastised for their decision. For example, in 2013 94% of nurses were females and only 6% were males, Wilson (2013) indicated the primary reason for this being that society views nursing as a care taking role with the best nurses having a maternal instinct (p. 1). Therefore, placing a more family orientated role on the nursing field. Although, Wilson (2013) also established that regardless of nursing being a more female orientated career, males still made approximately $1,100 more than their female counterparts. Leading to the realization that society even in a female oriented career field still places more value on men than women when it comes to a career driven

Today, most people perceive nursing as a women profession. Men who enter this field have been looked at as outcasts. Many individuals feel that a man does not belong in a “female” profession. I believe that statement to be untrue and unfair. The issue of gender discrimination in nursing is the same as any other professions. The only difference is nursing is dominated by women, and men are the minority fighting for equality. My goal in this paper is to help you understand why I’m arguing that men should be welcomed in the nursing profession.

Eliminating the comparison of male and female students in the nursing field will greatly diminish the gender bias that has been affiliated with the female dominated field (nursing). By executing such an act will more than likely bring change to a struggling profession. Due to the

Eliminating the comparison of male and female students in the nursing field will greatly diminish the gender bias that has been affiliated with the female dominated field (nursing). By executing such an act will more than likely bring change to a struggling profession. Due to the

Current statistics also support the idea that an increase in male nurses would help resolve the impending nursing shortage and in turn, decrease male unemployment rates. Although the U.S. is not currently experiencing a lack of nurses, these shortages historically come in cycles (Egenes, 2012, p. 21). Egenes declares, “In a recent study, Peter Buerhaus (2009) of the Vanderbuilt University School of Nursing predicted a national shortfall of 260,000 registered nurses by 2025” (2012, p. 21). The next nursing shortage is, therefore, expected to be drastic and should be prepared for. Bringing males into the field can be a significant factor in resolving this issue. Additionally, through this increase, men will experience a decrease in unemployment

A patient’s culture background influences their behavior. But it is important for the nurse to keep in mind that not all patients from the same culture have the same values and beliefs. A nurse has to be aware of the patient’s cultural background and respect it. If a nurse stereotypes patient they may consider the nurse as insensitive and incompetent. Different patients perceive a nurse’s actions differently. For one patient, a nurse sitting close to them may perceive it as caring and warmth; another may perceive it as an invasion of their personal space. Asian, American Indian, Arab patients perceive eye contact as a sign of disrespect and they stare at something else when the nurse is talking to them. A nurse should be culturally aware of

Even after decades, not much has changed regarding men in this specific career path. When we see movies like “meet the parents” in which the father in law constantly makes fun of Ben Stiller for being a male nurse when he clearly loves his job doesn’t seem to be fair. It is interesting to note that women today have taken positions in programs such as engineering, medicine, and law. However, they are not talked about as much as men in nursing field. Although females continue to exceed men as nurses significantly, the stats of male nurses have increased. The document “Men in nursing occupations” by liana Christian

Despite the numerous challenges they encounter, researchers have reported certain privileges that come from being a male in nursing. For example, males tend to garner more power, money, and respect than their female peers. Williams (1995), described this phenomenon as “the glass escalator” (in contrast to the female

Among twenty leading female-dominated professions, registered nurses (RN’s) are the second most occupation that employed women in 2006¬. Similar to many traditionally female professions, the percentage of male in nursing is small. In fact, male nurses only comprised eight percent of RN’s in 2008. Although much effort has been made to recruit more men into nursing, many contributing factors have driven them away from this profession. Those factors include poor nursing image, negative public perception, low economic status, and gender stereotypes. One of the most significant factors that deter men from entering the profession is stereotypes. Research shows that men might be more likely to encounter stereotypes than discrimination;