The article of - Nr. Buhari Isma'il.
INTRODUCTION
There is an archaic misperception of male nurses by general public despite the fact that males continues entering a nursing profession. It's well known that Nurses are professional, educated, skilled, compassionate, and dedicated to patient care as they ever were, these good qualities are not limited to only female nurses but male nurses as well.
Like female nurses, male a’re also increasingly diverse, specialized, more educated, and in many areas.
It has been reported by "Census.gov" that the number of male nurses has tripled since the 1970s. Still, their (male nurses) number is always increasing compared to the previous report.
HISTORY OF MALE NURSES
By considering the Western World before 1800s, we see that nursing was primarily a man’s job up to a certain point in both Europe and the Pre-Columbian Meso-Americas.
In Ancient Rome, men were seen as caregivers and naturally worked and played a nursing roles rather than women.
During the plagues in Europe, those caring for the patients tended to be men. Even during the US Civil War, nurses were men.
Up until the mid-1800s, the thought of a female nurse was peculiar at best and even scandalous in some communities.
However, the idea that a nurse should be male was by no means agreed upon throughout what would later be known as Europe. In Viking-dominated Scandinavian countries during medieval times, all healthcare not only nursing was considered a woman’s role.
HISTORY OF FEMALE NURSES
Nr. Florence Nightingale was the opening door for women into the nursing profession. As a social reformer who have treated the injured patients during the Crimean War, she pushed for formal education for nurses and began personally training and later heading training programs for midwives and nurses who both learned medical best practices that would help them perform better in their roles.
The fact is that Nr. Nightingale's students at the time tended to be women. So, initially, women became well-trained nurses while male nurses continued to learn on the job. Moving into the 20th Century, this created an imbalance that leaned toward lady nurses.
In the earliest 1901, the Army Nurse Corps (ANC) was established to train nurses to care for soldiers on the battlefield. Because only men could serve as soldiers at the time, the ANC would only admit and train women in their program. This led to a disproportionate number of women in the field and a bit of a stigma for the male nurse. This stigma would follow the profession into the civilian sector, and dominate for the next 50+ years.
RAPID DOMINATION OF MEN IN NURSING PROFESSION
Nursing as a whole is best in-demand and fast growing profession right now. Largely driven by an aging population and a continued uptick in chronic conditions, communities need people to enter a nursing career now more than ever. Given the industry’s expansion, more people are becoming nurses.
ROLES OF MEN IN NURSING PROFESSION
As more men become nurses, more healthcare organizations are seeing the benefits of having male nurses on staff. This is creating a greater demand and expanding career opportunities for men who choose this rewarding profession.
Below are some roles of male nurses:
1. Patients' Representative
The benefits of having male nurses is that it allows patients to feel represented in healthcare. When male patients see both men and women caring for them in a nursing capacity, they tend to feel more comfortable and supported. This doesn't means that female nurses can't represent the patients.
2. Emotional Support
A male patient who may be unable to express weakness around women, may have some comradery with a male nurse that allows them to open up about what they’re experiencing, so they can get better care there by getting emotional support.
3. Nursing Procedures
Some procedures that nurses perform are invasive and can be embarrassing for the patient, such as placing a catheter. A patient may feel more at-ease if a man is doing this.
4. Role Models
Even when you think they’re not paying attention, children are sponges. They soak up what they see and it becomes their “normal”. If young boys only ever see female nurses, they automatically think that all nurses are women. That’s a shame because a lot of those boys would make amazing nurses and also benefit from this rewarding career.
The more men nurses they see, the more they realize: Yes, male nurses are a thing. And as a young boy, they recognize that it’s okay to want to be a nurse. They’re more likely to pursue a nursing career.
As a male nurse, you’re a trailblazer for those who follow you into the field. You’re paving the way for others to enter what can be a very life-affirming and lucrative career.
BENEFITS OF MEN IN NURSING PROFESSION
1. Career Stability
There’s a lot of volatility in many industries. Jobs people once held for a lifetime are disappearing. Male-dominated professions that enabled people to make a good living have now been overrun by automation or obsolesce.
Nursing is a growing profession with a lot of job security, advancement, and money-making potential.
2. More Source Of Incomes
In comparison to a similarly skilled and experienced man working in a traditionally “male-dominated job” with a man who becomes a nurse, the nurse will make about four percent more money especially specialized nurse like CRNA, ERN, etc
3. Flexibility
Nursing is one of the most flexible professions out there, making it easy to find your passion within the field. With a nursing degree, you can move into a variety of industries and types of jobs. And it’s fairly easy to shift into something different if you don’t like the role you’re in without having to go back to school.
Nursing is a highly flexible career that allows you to find the people and place that feel like the perfect match, so you love your career.
4. Traveling To Abroad
Irrespective of your country, with nursing such a growing field, nurses shortage exist in many countries around the world. These countries' hospitals turn to temporary nurses or temp-to-hire nurses to fill the gap.
5. Special Scholarship
Anyone who wants to become a nurse will find opportunities for financing and support. But as a future male nurse, you’ll find opportunities reserved specifically for male nurses.
Many donors see the benefits of increasing the number of male nurses in the field. They generously give to scholarship funds that help men pursue their dreams of becoming a nurse.
6. Most Military Nurses Are Men
Male Nurses have dominated certain nursing specialties, like military nursing.
GROSS MISPERCEPTIONS TO MALE NURSES
There’s a sexist misconception out there that the only reason men become nurses is because they couldn’t cut it in an Medical Profession. This stereotype is understandably harmful and simply not true.
Overwhelmingly, men and women who become nurses do so because they’re attracted to nursing. Being a nurse is very different from being a doctor. It takes a special kind of person to do either job.
Nurses are more likely to get hands-on and spend time with patients. They take care of patients day-to-day, coordinate care among other medical providers, and provide compassionate support. A doctor’s role is typically to diagnose an illness and perform the correct treatment.
This isn’t to say that some people of any gender don’t start one path and switch for any number of reasons. But to assume this is more common among males is just plain silly.
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