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Abstract: The objective of this literature review is to describe the perceived or real barriers to men seeking a career in nursing, and to suggest strategies for ameliorating barriers. A literature search exploring barriers existing for men pursuing nursing was conducted. Although the literature underscored the structure of nursing has changed substantially over the last fifty years, these changes have not always provoked a change in the public's perception of nursing. Barriers for men entering nursing still exist. Implications for gender diversity in nursing are discussed. Precis: Strategies for decreasing barriers experienced by males entering nursing are warranted
Key Words: Nursing, Men, Barriers, Stereotypes, Gender Roles
BACKGROUND
As a result of ongoing media attention Americans have become increasingly aware of the nursing shortage in the United States. Many steps have been taken to counter the shortage. Numerous universities have created accelerated nursing programs to help highly motivated candidates quickly obtain advanced practice degrees and start new careers as nurses. College scholarships, government sponsored debt forgiveness, and hospital based tuition reimbursement programs have also become commonly available for nursing students looking to decrease the financial burden of financing nursing programs (American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN), 2004).
Despite these efforts the number of new nursing graduates and licensed nurses is rapidly declining. Between 1995 and 2003, 19,820 fewer nursing school graduates registered for the national licensure examination for nurses, representing a 20% overall decrease among the potential applicants. As of June 2001, 126,000 new nurses were needed to fill vacancies in hospitals across the country. Today, 75% of all vacancies at hospitals are for nursing positions (AACN, 2004).
The authors posit one possible reason for the shortage is that public perception of nursing as a traditionally dominated female profession may deter some male applicants from seeking admission to nursing programs. This perception fortified by cultural and political understandings of acceptable sex-roles, has dominated despite the progress made by women into male dominated professions such as business or medicine.
The shortage of men in nursing in the United States when compared with other countries is even more profound. Today about 7.9 percent registered nurses in the United States are men while ten percent of registered nurses in the United Kingdom are male. (www.bls.gov/cpslhome.htm). Additionally, twentythree...