More men should go into nursing

As the number of Americans needing care continues to rise, many health systems are struggling to find qualified nurses. Demand for qualified nurses is expected to increase nationally, with nearly 200,000 annual job openings expected. This situation is partly due to a mass exodus of nurses reaching retirement age. At this critical moment facing our nation’s health care systems, men remain an untapped group whose recruitment into nursing could make a difference.

Despite these persistent and growing nursing shortages, men remain underrepresented in the profession, making up only 12% of nurses nationally. Concerted and sustained efforts are urgently needed to recruit more men to join the nursing profession and be able to provide high-quality, evidence-based care in communities across the country.

Earning a nursing degree provides a vital employment driver for many first-generation students and a gateway to the ever-fleeting American dream of financial stability. Nursing careers offer the potential for job stability; competitive salaries; upward mobility; leadership journey; opportunities to work in rapidly changing and technology-driven practice environments; and finally a variety of professional paths

When I was applying to college, my parents, themselves small business owners without a college degree, offered me practical advice shaped by what they saw around us. As unemployment increased and major employers closed or downsized, many of my friends left our community as their families moved in search of work.

But our neighbors working at the local hospital or in family medicine practices have remained stable and kept their jobs in a time of social and economic upheaval. It was in this landscape that I realized the stability and growth that a career in healthcare provides.

Even in the current economic context, nursing remains a stable and financially attractive option. Median salaries for registered nurses approach six figures, and median salaries for registered nurses exceed $130,000.

Despite strong earning potential and an expanding job market, the proportion of men in the nursing workforce has remained largely stagnant in recent years.

Research indicates that integrating men into healthcare teams can enrich workplaces and patient experiences. A report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine asserts that a more diverse nursing workforce, including gender diversity, strengthens health systems’ ability to provide culturally competent, patient-centered care while simultaneously fostering trust and communication with patients from different backgrounds.

Increasing the number of men in nursing could benefit patients by strengthening the dynamics of healthcare teams. Mixed-gender teams have been shown to contribute positively to collaboration and interpersonal communication in professional settings, including within healthcare teams.

When clinicians and patients are of the same gender, patients may feel more comfortable, communicate more freely, and be more willing to engage in sensitive discussions or physical examinations. In some healthcare settings, male patients may be more involved in their care with a male registered nurse or nurse practitioner.

Even with these financial benefits, improved patient care and contribution to team dynamics, the proportion of men entering nursing remains low, potentially due to barriers that limit participation or interests in the profession.

While training at a top nursing program, I was one of only two men in a class of approximately 100 trainees. My classmate and I often discussed how the financial stability of the profession attracted us to nursing, but we also recognized that the motivation to continue our nursing education was driven by opportunities to work in rapidly changing clinical environments and by male leaders who encouraged us to pursue higher education in nursing.

Today, I am a faculty member at a nursing school and see little substantial growth in the number of men in nursing lecture halls. As an educator, I find this perplexing, given that recruiting more men could help meet national calls to grow, strengthen, and diversify the nursing workforce. Data indicates that male applicants tend to come from more diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds and that a greater proportion of them pursue higher education than their female colleagues. The benefits of pursuing advanced nursing education among male applicants are evident by the growing number of men in leadership positions in health systems and academia. The nursing workforce will benefit from recruiting highly qualified future leaders, of all genders, whose diverse perspectives strengthen and advance the art and science of the profession for the well-being of patients.

The lack of male students in nursing schools is indicative of a systemic workforce challenge and highlights the urgent need for increased efforts to recruit and retain men in nursing practice, education, and research.

To close the persistent gender gaps in nursing, leaders must invest in accessible funding for nurse education, expand male outreach, and increase the number of men working in nursing as mentors to future candidates. Rising costs are already limiting access to higher education for many, and recent federal policies misclassifying nursing as a non-professional degree will only further restrict access to funding for nursing school applicants. These changes to student loan debt are expected to reduce the number of nurses on waitlist and further increase the severity of nursing shortages.

Higher education institutions must invest time and resources to attract men and boys from their local communities to apply to their nursing programs.

For example, each year my institution hosts a Nursing Development Fellowship (FIND) program that provides current students from underrepresented backgrounds pursuing non-health care majors with a two-week immersive experience to learn about nursing and various nursing roles in health care before applying to one of our nursing degree programs. The program complements recurring career workshops, led by my nursing school faculty colleagues, offered at local high schools, community colleges, and, historically, black colleges and universities in the Atlanta area. In these programs, nursing faculty members showcase the range of careers available to underrepresented groups in nursing, including men. These efforts have helped increase the number of men enrolled in our school’s graduate nursing programs.

The historic gender gap in nursing has continued to propagate prejudices about what a nurse should look like. Many have traditionally misinterpreted nursing as feminine and subservient, but to become an effective nurse in the modern healthcare landscape, candidates must undergo complex and rigorous training. Far from the “pink collar” stereotype, nursing is a highly skilled, technology-driven profession that requires quick thinking and an advanced skill set to meet the complexity of today’s patient care.

We must continue to highlight this aspect of nursing, including the men who run nursing homes, conduct research, and change health policy. This can be done through media campaigns by national organizations highlighting the work of men in nursing. Watching the latest season of HBO’s “The Pitt,” I saw male actors playing nurses and nurse practitioners seamlessly integrated into gender-diverse teams caring for very serious patients. Presenting these stories can help combat outdated perceptions of nursing and expand the pool of nursing candidates.

Additionally, nursing schools must continue to recruit and position more male faculty to teach in prerequisite courses and interact with male students early in their training. Health systems can strengthen the nursing workforce by working with academic practice partners to recruit more men into graduate nursing programs, encouraging male employees in other allied health professions to consider pursuing nursing education, and creating opportunities for mentoring and leadership development among men in nursing. Strengthening and expanding opportunities for men to access nursing care is essential to address workforce shortages.

My nursing journey has been shaped by a supportive family and opportunity. Not all potential nursing candidates have the same resources that I was fortunate to have access to. To make significant progress in increasing the number of men in nursing, we must sustain national efforts to expand access and ultimately reverse the growing trend of nursing shortages facing communities nationwide.

Nicholas A. Giordano, Ph.D., RN, is a nurse and assistant professor at the Nell Hodgson Woodruff School of Nursing at Emory University in Atlanta. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, a former Hillman Fellow in Nursing Innovation at the University of Pennsylvania, and a Fulbright Scholar.

STAT’s coverage of health issues facing men and boys is supported by Rise Together, a donor-advised fund sponsored and administered by the National Philanthropic Trust and established by Richard Reeves, founding president of the American Institute for Boys and Men; and by the Boston Foundation. Our funders are not involved in any decisions about our journalism.