Research Related
to Males in Nursing
Profile of a
Nurse
- Nursing has traditionally been a female profession.
Personality profiles of nurses in general gave a marked
traditional female picture - dependent, succorant, high in
religious orientation, advocators of the status quo, more interest
serving than in economic gains, and highly orientated to being
submissive to those in authority (Muklenkamp and Parsons, 1972,
Journal of Vocational Behavior, p.273).
Some Differences in
Male & Female Nurses
- One of the forces that will and is now contributing to a
change, is the number of male nurses. The entering age of men into
nursing and their prior educational level were higher than that of
their female counterparts. Eighty percent remain in nursing or a
health related field. In addition, male nurses support
professional organizations to a greater degree than female nurses,
as evidenced by increased subscriptions to professional journals
and increased membership in professional organizations (S. Mannino
1963, Nursing Research, 12, p.185-188).
Specialties Chosen
by Male Nurses
- The subjects developed coping skills to deal with reactions to
their status and accordingly selected nursing specialties where
role conflict was decreased, such as urology and psychiatry, while
avoiding paediatrics and obstetrics (P. J. Bush 1976, Nursing
Forum, 15 (4), p.390-405).
Males Take Different
Perspective
- Males feel professionalism relies on acquired knowledge,
accumulated technical competence, and a "limited partnership"
rather than a servant relationship with the physician in providing
health care (D. Auster 1979, Journal of Nursing Education, 18,
p.19-28).
Males More
Technical
- Men have greater anticipation for the technical functions of
nursing and a preference for critical and acute care, though there
was an absence of traditional preferences for administration and
anesthesiology (A. Schoenmaker, & D. Radosevich 1976, Nursing
Outlook, 24, p.298-303).
Can Male Nurses Be
Empathetic?
- Hogan's Empathy Scale was administered by M. R. MacDonald in
June 1977 (American Journal of Nursing, 77, p.998) to 15 male and
15 female nursing students and to 15 male and 15 female
non-nursing college students. Male nursing students were found to
have the highest empathy rate of all groups, while male
non-nursing students had the lowest.