When you think of a nurse, you think of a woman, and for the most part, that archetype isn’t wrong. In the United States only about 5%-6% of working nurses are men. Men haven’t always taken a back seat in the nursing profession. In fact, women didn’t begin to dominate the nursing field until after the turn of the 20^th Century.

At that time, the gender shift in the profession was both rapid and profound. In 1900, about half of all students in Registered Nurse programs were men, and men often attended special nursing schools designed just for them. By 1930, however, only about 1% of all Registered Nurses in the US were men.  What is the history of men in RN programs (Registered Nurse Programs) and what changed?

Men were often used as nurses in battlefield environments. Documentation from as early as the 3^rd century AD shows that men provided hospital care and recuperative support during the plagues that affected Alexandria, Egypt. The nurses, called Parabolani, were limited in number, but took their name from the fact that they regularly risked their own health to care for men who had succumbed to the contagions that wracked the city.

Male nurses continued to serve during the Black Plague in the Middle Ages. The Benedictine Order of monks as well as the Alexian Brothers were both commissioned to provide care to victims of the Black Plague. These orders still exist today and still provide health care as part of their religious missions. Other religious orders, such as the Knights Hospitalers, also provided medical care to victims of illness and injury during and after The Crusades.  St. Camillus, a male nurse, invented both the Red Cross battlefield symbol and the first known ambulance service.

Why did the number of male nurses decline so sharply in the early part of the 20^th century?  The role of men as nurses was largely driven by war. Women were not typically found on the battlefield, and men were often conscripted by circumstance or necessity to provide health care to their soldier compatriots. As a peacetime profession, nursing was not very lucrative. Male nurses, many of whom had served as soldiers, moved to permanent careers with better economic opportunities. At the same time, the large number of men serving overseas in World War I created new nursing opportunities for women

In the US, a significant number of men work in nursing roles in the military and in the Veterans Administration, continuing the long tradition of men in wartime or military nursing careers. Ironically, as nursing wages increased substantially in the latter part of the 20^th century, more men returned to RN programs throughout the country.

That doesn’t mean, however, that men are attracted to the profession for its financial benefits.  While financial considerations can keep men out of a nursing career, several significant studies show that men enter the nursing profession for the same reasons women do: largely because they’re searching for a way to take care of people, or provide compassionate service.  For men, nursing is often a second career choice that follows another career in a public service profession.

That “second career” approach to nursing often defuses the claim that male nurses are simply men who couldn’t (or didn’t) complete medical school.  In fact, few students who complete RN programs started out in medical school. Most men pursue a career in nursing as either a first-choice career or a second-career option.

Studies have shown, however, that male nurses tend to leave the profession at about twice the rate that women do. A study conducted by a researcher at the University of Pennsylvania in 2009 showed that about 7.5% of male nurses left the profession within four years of entry, compared to about 4.1% of women in their first four years.

The researcher attributed the loss of male nurses to a lower tolerance for disrespect from other health care professionals.  Men also tend to use the general nursing profession as a gateway to other health care careers as critical care health providers and nurse anesthetists. Other analysts say that chronic staffing shortages, mandatory overtime and poor retirement benefits also cause men to reconsider the nursing profession.

My cousin’s daughter recently graduated from a cosmetology school. Even though I don’t know much about her school, she always wants the best so it is probably the best school in their area. I haven’t talked to her personally but from looking at her pictures it seems that she has learned a lot about how to apply cosmetics. I saw her in class doing make overs on mannequins and she did a really exceptional job. She is very good in combining make-up colors and in hairstyling. I would like to learn about the basic fundamentals of cosmetics myself. I want to learn how to put make-up on and do hairstyling.

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I have a degree in civil engineering but am planning to pursue a different career in the future. I don’t know when but I am planning to take some nursing degree programs because I found out that there are many job opportunities in that field. This time I am planning to take courses online for a change.

That way I can work at my own pace and on my own time. It also saves me lots of money on gas by not having to drive back and forth to school. One of the universities that I am considering is Walden University. If you are thinking about furthering your education by taking courses online, check out WaldenU.edu to find out more.

I have plans to take some nursing degree courses but it probably won’t happen anytime soon. I have other things of higher priority right now. My hubby prefers that I will look for online degree programs because they are much cheaper and I don’t have to leave home. It also saves me time driving back and forth to school, money on gas and wear & tear on our car. I haven’t decided yet which school I want to sign up with. I am still looking for the one that will give me the best quality education.

I was still in bed when my sister from Germany called. My hubby woke me up and told me that my sister was waiting online. When I signed in, I saw her and my brother from the Philippines both online. My brother wanted to voice chat with me. It sounded like it was going to be a serious conversation so I called his computer. I thought that he just wanted to chat with me to get some ideas about his school projects. Instead it was the other way around. He told me that he wanted to shift to a different course. I was speechless for a few seconds. I couldn’t believe what I just heard. His reason was that nursing is very tiring and he is scared of going on duty at the hospital. I did not consider that to be a very good reason. I thought that he wanted to be a nurse. I very clearly asked him before he enrolled this year if he wanted to pursue a career in nursing and he said yes, without a doubt.

My hubby and the rest of the family couldn’t believe his decision. Last month he was given an award as one of the top achievers in his class of two hundred eleven students. I was trying to tell him that everything would be fine and he would get used to the hospital duties if he just stuck with it. Later that night, my folks went to see him in the city and talked about his change of plans. I thought that after my parents talked to him it would change his mind. Instead he said that his decision was final. He wanted to shift to a different course but he doesn’t know yet which one.

I am very disappointed about his decision and so is my father who was very proud of him from the beginning. My brother has the most awards and honors received of any of his siblings including myself. I just hope that whatever course he will be taking next semester he will finish it. I told him that if he change his mind again that he might as well pack his things and return to the village because I was not going to pay his tuition anymore. Maybe he should do some farming first and that will help him make up his mind.

This week is my siblings’ university week at their school. It means that they don’t have classes the whole week. It is somewhat like a school break but is not actually one because they still need to go to school for attendance and participate in outdoor activities. At least they have a short break from their classes. After that, on Monday, their classes will resume and they will be back to normal. Their final exams are also fast approaching. They will be during the first week of October. That is one of the reasons I am working hard, so that I can send money for their tuition fees.

I am proud of my brother for being honored as one of the top twenty achievers in their class of 217 students. No one was expecting his award and we were all surprised about it, even my brother himself. He is now in his second year in nursing at a private Catholic university. I am hoping that he will continue to do well in all of his studies.