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Many professions have been benefiting from gender equality in recent years – nursing included. In what was primarily a female-dominated industry, men make up more than 12% of registered nurses, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
Nursing has always offered a variety of benefits for both men and women. Still, there has to be a reason why more men are deciding that nursing is the right career move for them. Read on to find out why.
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Variety of Educational Facilities
In past decades, it may have been challenging to find an educational facility advertising nursing as a career path for both genders. However, that has changed in recent years. Programs like RNtoBSNProgram.com now exist that welcome any gender with open arms. Men no longer have to look far and wide for an educational program that accepts them and welcomes them to learn like anyone else.
Demand for Men
Many healthcare facilities are putting feelers out for male-identifying nurses to apply. Some patients feel more comfortable with either men or women assisting with intimate procedures, such as enemas, catheter insertion, and using the bathroom. With a near-equal mix of both genders making up medical staff, hospitals and medical facilities can ensure they are catering to their patients’ preferences as much as possible.
Scholarships for Men
Not every identifying male with a desire to enter the nursing industry has the means to do so. However, with scholarships now available through The American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN), it’s now more possible than ever before. Donors and AAMN members put money forward each year to award at least four scholarships to men to begin their nursing careers.
Opportunities for Travel
When you earn a degree in nursing, international doors start opening. Men are beginning to realize that by becoming nurses, they can travel the world while still making money. After all, nursing education can translate across many different countries. Even though helping people can be many people’s initial reason for getting into nursing, it doesn’t hurt that they can see the world and experience new cultures simultaneously.
Career Stability
Many jobs throughout history were once in demand and now no longer exist, such as human alarm clocks, lamplighters, and rat catchers. However, one job that has been in demand throughout each part of history is nursing. Someone will always need medical treatment, which can offer peace of mind for any man wanting to make sure he can always provide for his family. Some specialties also attract more men than others, such as ICU nursing, ER nursing, critical care nursing, and flight nursing.
Pay Stability
When you’ve previously worked in jobs with inconsistent pay, maintaining the lifestyle you want can be challenging. Some men notice that by moving into a historically female-orientated industry, they benefit from consistent income and even a pay increase. What’s more, the annual income you start on is not what you have to remain on throughout your nursing career. Given the opportunities for advancement, there is always room to earn more.
The Stigma Is Shifting
In past years, it was thought that a woman in scrubs was a nurse, while a man in scrubs was a doctor. If a man was a nurse, he was simply doing it to get into medical school, or so people assumed. Those views and stigmas are shifting, with many people not assuming a person’s role by their gender.
In the past, some men may have even feared embarking on a nursing career in case their peers ridiculed them or looked down on them. Given the increasing number of men entering nursing careers, it’s evident that general attitudes are changing.
Educating From a Young Age
During secondary school education, students are given information on a variety of career paths they may like to embark on once they leave school. In past years, many of those roles would be angled towards genders, such as building and engineering for males and nursing and cooking for females.
However, students can now access information on a variety of roles that interest them. Female students can learn more about building, while males will be given all the information they want on nursing. With this information being offered at a secondary education level, it can show students while they’re young that they have the right to enter any industry they please, whether it’s traditionally single-gender dominated or not.
A nursing career can offer many benefits to those who embark on it. However, it has become obvious over the past several years that more men are starting to enter what has historically been a female-dominated industry. They have then been able to reap the many rewards a nursing career has to offer.
