According to the United States Census Bureau’s Industry and Occupational Statistics (2012), 9.6% of all registered nurses (RN) were male as of 2011. This is over a 300% increase since 1970 where the prevalence of men in all nursing fields was only 2.7%. Although the prevalence of men in nursing fields has increased, the statistics show that there are significant challenges of recruitment of males into the nursing role, and retaining them.
Chad E. O’Lynn, and co-author Russell E. Tranbarger of Men in Nursing, describe challenges men face when choosing a career in nursing for themselves. Some of these barriers include a gender-role conflict where men may not choose to nurse because of sociocultural influences on gender perspectives of men …show more content…
Care in nursing can be described as advocacy, educating, therapeutic communication, provide the spirit of healing and psychosocial support, as well as emphasis to support the community through each level of caring. In the hospital setting, the way in which men and women offer their care differs. O’Lynn and Tranbarger describe the discrepancies may be circumstantial (i.e.. restraining an aggressive patient), but many are attributed to the gender role paradigm of the masculine and feminine styles of care (pp. 132. Ch 6). The feminine style of care is perceived as maternal, nurturing, and intimate; whereas a masculine style may assume the role akin to friendship. O’Lynn and Tranbarger cited Helen J. Streubert to describe that in multiple interviews with student nurses, gender and the challenges posed by the societal expectations of men in and the nursing profession were experienced when providing intimate care for patients. The authors also cite Paterson et. al as they describe that caring as a male differed from that as their female counterparts. Paterson et. al explained that women were socialized to care by freely displaying emotions and touching, described as natural to women, but the males interviewed had sensed frustration and tense because of their inability to confidently adopt these feminine caring characteristics (O’Lynn & Tranbarger, 2007). The male student nurse interviews provided insight into what the nurse-patient relationship looked like in comparison of men and women in nursing. With my experience as a caregiver, and the interviewed cohort of Paterson et. al and Streubert, female nurses often present themselves as touchy and maternal-like to patients, when men (myself included) often develop a relationship with the patient that is similar to the dynamic of a friendship. I can attest to these assumptions, and conclude
Chad E. O’Lynn, and co-author Russell E. Tranbarger of Men in Nursing, describe challenges men face when choosing a career in nursing for themselves. Some of these barriers include a gender-role conflict where men may not choose to nurse because of sociocultural influences on gender perspectives of men …show more content…
Care in nursing can be described as advocacy, educating, therapeutic communication, provide the spirit of healing and psychosocial support, as well as emphasis to support the community through each level of caring. In the hospital setting, the way in which men and women offer their care differs. O’Lynn and Tranbarger describe the discrepancies may be circumstantial (i.e.. restraining an aggressive patient), but many are attributed to the gender role paradigm of the masculine and feminine styles of care (pp. 132. Ch 6). The feminine style of care is perceived as maternal, nurturing, and intimate; whereas a masculine style may assume the role akin to friendship. O’Lynn and Tranbarger cited Helen J. Streubert to describe that in multiple interviews with student nurses, gender and the challenges posed by the societal expectations of men in and the nursing profession were experienced when providing intimate care for patients. The authors also cite Paterson et. al as they describe that caring as a male differed from that as their female counterparts. Paterson et. al explained that women were socialized to care by freely displaying emotions and touching, described as natural to women, but the males interviewed had sensed frustration and tense because of their inability to confidently adopt these feminine caring characteristics (O’Lynn & Tranbarger, 2007). The male student nurse interviews provided insight into what the nurse-patient relationship looked like in comparison of men and women in nursing. With my experience as a caregiver, and the interviewed cohort of Paterson et. al and Streubert, female nurses often present themselves as touchy and maternal-like to patients, when men (myself included) often develop a relationship with the patient that is similar to the dynamic of a friendship. I can attest to these assumptions, and conclude