“Are you man enough to be a nurse?”
If the percentage of VCU’s male-nursing student population is indicative of this recruitment slogan, more and more patients in nursing homes, hospitals and clinics are finding the answer to that question a firm “Yes.”
Alan Sack, director of institutional reporting and analysis, said males make up about 7.5 percent of students enrolled in the School of Nursing this year, an increase of nearly 3 percent since 2003.
“I know that seems like a small number,” said Joanne Henry, director of the VCU Medical Center’s Community Nursing Organization. “But it’s not. It’s definitely a significant difference.”
Henry, a professor at Theresa Thomas Medical Center, listed a number of reasons why more men are entering the nursing field.
“Men are beginning to see nursing as a career with job security and satisfaction,” she said. “Some have come to the realization that careers in the high-tech industry are not immune to layoffs.”
The professor also attributes the increase in male students to the larger role the U.S. Armed Forces have played throughout the ongoing war in Iraq.
“Men in the medical and nursing fields have some of the most demanding jobs in the military,” she said. “That’s a very important aspect.”
In conjunction with the Virginia Partnership for Nurses, the VCU Medical Center participated in the male recruitment campaign titled “Are you man enough to be a nurse?”
According to its Web site, VPN aimed its campaign at raising the public’s awareness about the opportunities and benefits men can attain in the nursing field.
“The campaign highlights the fact that this career field has excellent job security – something very important in this day and age with a nursing shortage,” Henry said.
While job security remains an important issue for many people, 23-year-old Wayne Davis entered the nursing field for a different reason.
“My parents taught me compassion and love at an early age,” Davis said. “And it shaped my perspective for good. It is inherently fulfilling to help others.”
Davis, a senior specializing in pediatric nursing, however, found himself examining gender-appropriate roles in the nursing field.
“I have been considering whether men have the capacity to connect to a child as well as a woman does,” he said. “Sitting in a rocking chair and bottle-feeding the babies is a great honor and fun, but there’s a nagging feeling that it’s not my place.
“Is it evolution or arbitrary tradition?”
According to the American Nurses Association Web site, the roles of men in nursing have come a long way, but the acceptance of male nurses has not yet filtered into mainstream society.
Part of the problem comes from stereotyping.
“Of course people may speculate about my sexuality,” Davis said. “I think the patients more than the general public can appreciate why a man would want to become a nurse. They learn the nature of the job and its rewards.”
Henry said the most common stereotype MCV faces is the confusion between medical students and nursing students.
“People will mistake male-nursing students for med students,” she said. “But I really believe the old stereotypes are gone.”
Nursing-major Hugh Cline said thus far he has not witnessed any problems with acceptance among fellow female students or clinical patients regarding male nursing.
“I get nothing but positive responses as a care provider,” Cline said. “If you have a good knowledge base and clinical skills, I don’t think it should matter if you’re male or female.”
Moreover, Davis said today there exists an overtone of acceptance and equal opportunity developing in society.
“Though I’m doubtful as to whether this isn’t often ostensible,” he said.
Henry said the Medical Center and the Virginia Partnership for Nurses will continue with the “Man Enough” campaign to recruit more male-nursing students.
“What’s important,” she said “is that we continue to recruit.”