Men in nursing
Encyclopedia
Nurses are traditionally and predominantly female; of the 2.1 million registered nurses in the United States
, for example, only 5.4% are men. Men also make up only 13% of all new nursing students.
created a hospital and provided nursing care. It has been asserted, without proof, that the brotherhood was first organized during the great plague in Alexandrian episcopate of Dionysius the Great (second half of 3rd century). They received their name from the fact that they risked their lives (paraballesthai ten zoen) in exposing themselves to contagious diseases. In addition, they constituted a bodyguard for the bishop. Their number was never large. The Codex Theodosianus of 416 (xvi, 2, 42) restricted the enrollment in Alexandria to 500.
There were numerous other nurses that were male throughout the Middle Ages. St. Benedict started the Benedictine nursing order. The Alexian Brothers, in the 14th century, provided nursing care for the victims of the Black Death. These two organizations are still in existence today.
Military, religious, and lay orders of men continued to provide nursing care throughout the Middle Ages. Some of the most famous of these were the Knights Hospitalers, the Teutonic Knights
, the Tertiaries, the Order of Saint Lazarus
, the Order of the Holy Spirit, and the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony.
St. John of God and St. Camillus de Lellis were both nurses who are now considered saints. St Camillus invented the symbol of the red cross and created the first ambulance service.
In 1783 James Derham
, a slave from New Orleans, earned his freedom by working as a nurse. He went on to become the first black doctor in the United States.
Walt Whitman
(1819–1892), a poet and a writer, volunteered as a hospital nurse in Washington, DC during the Civil War.
Nursing schools for men were common in the United States
until the early 1900, more than half of those offering paid nursing services to the ill and injured were men. Yet by 1930, men constituted fewer than 1% of RNs in the United States." As they found other, more lucrative occupations, they left nursing behind.
In the past, men usually became nurses involuntarily "on to spot" in the midst of war, often religious wars, in an effort to save their fellow soldiers' lives. War was not the realm of women. This was the case until Florence Nightingale
was allowed on the battlefield to minister to soldiers.
The American Assembly For Men in Nursing was founded in 1971. The purpose of AAMN is to provide a framework for nurses as a group to meet, discuss, and influence factors which affect men as nurses.
In Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan
, 458 U.S. 718 (1982), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Mississippi University for Women's single sex admissions policy for its nursing school violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause
. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
wrote the landmark opinion.
In the 1980-1990’s, "inflation, a shortage of nurses with the accompanying rise in nurses’ wage, as well as a change in gender attitude, brought many men into the profession."
As many Western nations are facing a shortage of nurses, many governments and nursing schools are actively recruiting more men as nurses. In example, when the University of Pittsburgh increased its admission requirements for its nursing program, the number of male applicants spiked significantly.
Spokesman Thomas Holly stated on behalf of all male nurses in University of Limerick
that they are currently celebrated in all hospitals throughout the Mid-West of Ireland
and female nurses continually look forward to seeing male nurses arrive on wards.
Men are commonly seen working in the US Armed Forces and in VA medical facilities
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, for example, only 5.4% are men. Men also make up only 13% of all new nursing students.
Historical perspective
During plagues that swept through Europe, male nurses were primary caregivers, and in the 3rd century men in the ParabolaniParabolani
The Parabalani , or Parabolani , were the members of a Christian brotherhood who in the Early Church voluntarily undertook the care of the sick and the burial of the dead, thus hoping to die for Christ...
created a hospital and provided nursing care. It has been asserted, without proof, that the brotherhood was first organized during the great plague in Alexandrian episcopate of Dionysius the Great (second half of 3rd century). They received their name from the fact that they risked their lives (paraballesthai ten zoen) in exposing themselves to contagious diseases. In addition, they constituted a bodyguard for the bishop. Their number was never large. The Codex Theodosianus of 416 (xvi, 2, 42) restricted the enrollment in Alexandria to 500.
There were numerous other nurses that were male throughout the Middle Ages. St. Benedict started the Benedictine nursing order. The Alexian Brothers, in the 14th century, provided nursing care for the victims of the Black Death. These two organizations are still in existence today.
Military, religious, and lay orders of men continued to provide nursing care throughout the Middle Ages. Some of the most famous of these were the Knights Hospitalers, the Teutonic Knights
Teutonic Knights
The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem , commonly the Teutonic Order , is a German medieval military order, in modern times a purely religious Catholic order...
, the Tertiaries, the Order of Saint Lazarus
Order of Saint Lazarus
This article concerns the order of knighthood named after Saint Lazarus. For other uses of the name Lazarus, see Lazarus .The Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem is an order of chivalry which originated in a leper hospital founded by the Knights Hospitaller in 1098 by the...
, the Order of the Holy Spirit, and the Hospital Brothers of St. Anthony.
St. John of God and St. Camillus de Lellis were both nurses who are now considered saints. St Camillus invented the symbol of the red cross and created the first ambulance service.
In 1783 James Derham
James Derham
James Derham was the first African-American to formally practice medicine in the United States though he never received an M.D. degree....
, a slave from New Orleans, earned his freedom by working as a nurse. He went on to become the first black doctor in the United States.
Walt Whitman
Walt Whitman
Walter "Walt" Whitman was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse...
(1819–1892), a poet and a writer, volunteered as a hospital nurse in Washington, DC during the Civil War.
Nursing schools for men were common in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
until the early 1900, more than half of those offering paid nursing services to the ill and injured were men. Yet by 1930, men constituted fewer than 1% of RNs in the United States." As they found other, more lucrative occupations, they left nursing behind.
In the past, men usually became nurses involuntarily "on to spot" in the midst of war, often religious wars, in an effort to save their fellow soldiers' lives. War was not the realm of women. This was the case until Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale
Florence Nightingale OM, RRC was a celebrated English nurse, writer and statistician. She came to prominence for her pioneering work in nursing during the Crimean War, where she tended to wounded soldiers. She was dubbed "The Lady with the Lamp" after her habit of making rounds at night...
was allowed on the battlefield to minister to soldiers.
The American Assembly For Men in Nursing was founded in 1971. The purpose of AAMN is to provide a framework for nurses as a group to meet, discuss, and influence factors which affect men as nurses.
In Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan
Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan
Mississippi University for Women v. Hogan, 458 U.S. 718 was a case decided 5-4 by the Supreme Court of the United States. The court held that the single-sex admissions policy of the Mississippi University for Women violated the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United...
, 458 U.S. 718 (1982), the U.S. Supreme Court ruled 5-4 that Mississippi University for Women's single sex admissions policy for its nursing school violated the Fourteenth Amendment's equal protection clause
Equal Protection Clause
The Equal Protection Clause, part of the Fourteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, provides that "no state shall ... deny to any person within its jurisdiction the equal protection of the laws"...
. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor
Sandra Day O'Connor is an American jurist who was the first female member of the Supreme Court of the United States. She served as an Associate Justice from 1981 until her retirement from the Court in 2006. O'Connor was appointed by President Ronald Reagan in 1981...
wrote the landmark opinion.
In the 1980-1990’s, "inflation, a shortage of nurses with the accompanying rise in nurses’ wage, as well as a change in gender attitude, brought many men into the profession."
Increasing numbers
More men are joining women by entering the nursing profession. "Study after study demonstrates that men come to the nursing profession for the same reasons women do. They want to care for sick and injured people, they want a challenging profession, and they want reasonable job security with good wages".As many Western nations are facing a shortage of nurses, many governments and nursing schools are actively recruiting more men as nurses. In example, when the University of Pittsburgh increased its admission requirements for its nursing program, the number of male applicants spiked significantly.
Spokesman Thomas Holly stated on behalf of all male nurses in University of Limerick
University of Limerick
The University of Limerick is a university in Ireland near the city of Limerick on the island's west coast. It was established in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick and became a university by statute in 1989 in accordance with the University of Limerick Act 1989...
that they are currently celebrated in all hospitals throughout the Mid-West of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and female nurses continually look forward to seeing male nurses arrive on wards.
Men are commonly seen working in the US Armed Forces and in VA medical facilities
United States Department of Veterans Affairs
The United States Department of Veterans Affairs is a government-run military veteran benefit system with Cabinet-level status. It is the United States government’s second largest department, after the United States Department of Defense...
.
External links
- http://aamn.org/
- http://www.rnmen.com/
- http://www.minoritynurse.com/men-nursing
- http://www.malenursemagazine.com