Increasing the Number of Male Registered Nurses & Advanced Registered Nurse Practitioners
in the State of Florida
Submitted by: Kumar Jairamdas, RN
West Central Region
Statement of Concern
The number of male registered nurses (RN’s) and advanced registered nurse
practitioners (ARNP’s) in the state of Florida is significantly less than the number of Florida
female RN’s and ARNP’s. Despite state-wide nursing recruitment and retention strategies, a
significant increase in the number of male nurses in Florida has not been observed. There is
currently no state-wide formal recruitment program for men to enter the nursing profession.
An increase in the number of male nurses in the state of Florida is needed in order to better
serve our patient populations and to encourage diversity in nursing.
Rationale
Background Information
Nursing, in Western cultures, has been traditionally viewed as a female role. The
number of men becoming nurses has grown significantly over the past several decades. In
1980, there were approximately 45,000 RN’s in the USA; but that number has grown to over
168,000 in 2004 (HRSA, 2006). Nationally, men still occupy a small sector of RN’s. In 2010, the
total national average male RN population was 7% (HRSA, 2010). Florida data from 2010-2011
show that about 10% of RN’s and 14 % of ARNP’s in Florida’s nursing workforce are men
(FCN, 2012).
The Institute of Medicine (IOM), in its “Future of Nursing” report, recommended that
more men should be recruited into the nursing profession (IOM, 2011). Numerous reasons
have been cited as barriers for men entering nursing. Such barriers include social stereotypes,
Western cultural gender roles, the predominance of women in the profession, and perceived
religious/cultural values (IOM, 2011). In order to better facilitate care for male patients and
add diversity to the nursing workforce, the IOM recommends actively recruiting men to the
nursing profession.
Pertinent Definitions
Schools and colleges of nursing are only those that are accredited by National League
for Nursing and the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. Nurses, in this proposal, refer
to RN’s and ARNP’s.
Overview on Nursing Role/Function
The men in nursing are not widely dispersed throughout the profession. The available
data on male nurses indicates that they work primarily in critical care, emergency department,
and in inpatient medical-surgical units (Hodes, 2005).
Legal/Ethical Considerations
Male nursing students and male nurses have reported gender-related concerns in their
clinical settings. 57% of surveyed male nursing students reported perceived gender-related
difficulties , and 56% of male nursing students reported a perception of feeling like “muscle” for
female nursing staff to help lift heavy patients (Hodes, 2005). More alarming is that even more
men (71%) who complete nursing programs have the perception that they are “muscle” for
female nursing staff to help lift heavy patients in clinical settings (Hodes, 2005). Fifty percent
of men reported communication and other problems with female nursing staff due to being of
the male gender (Hodes, 2005). It is concerning that male nurses and male nursing students
are encountering and perceiving discrimination from their fellow nursing professionals in the
clinical environment.
Consequences to Patient Care
With approximately half of the population being male, having a persistently small
percentage of male nurses only serves to further increase the already present health disparities
in men. Having increased numbers of male nurses may encourage more men to seek
healthcare.
The IOM recommends that the nursing profession diversify to meet and encourage the
increasing diversity of patient populations (IOM, 2011). Men bring unique cultural and social
perspectives to the clinical care environment and will help alleviate the nursing shortage (IOM,
2011).
Statement of Position
Upon review of relevant and current available data, it is determined that there is a
significant disparity in the number of male nurses compared to female nurses in the state of
Florida. There are no current state initiatives to increase the number of men in the nursing
profession. Active recruitment of men to nursing educational programs may significantly
increase the number of men in the profession. Such recruitment methods and subsequent
positive results may serve as a future best-practice beacon for the rest of the profession on a
national level.
Recommendations for Actions
In cooperation and partnership with accredited colleges and schools of nursing,
hospitals, primary, secondary and postsecondary schools and guidance counselors, third-party
stakeholders, and the American Assembly for Men in Nursing (AAMN), it is with great sincerity
that the Florida Nurses Association is requested and recommended to initiate a plan (see
Appendix A) to actively recruit men to the nursing profession, both at the RN and advanced
practice levels, in the state of Florida. A critical part of this recruitment plan should include
recruiting and retaining male doctoral-prepared nursing school faculty.
Appendix A
Preliminary Action Plan for Increasing the Number of Florida male RN’s & ARNP’
1.) Establish a task force appointed to engage the action plan
2.) Establish a needs assessment, establish what is already available, invite representatives from
FNSA and AAMN, pair with organizations with similar goals
3.) Collect available data
4.) Develop a media campaign to help attract men and young men into the nursing profession
5.) Share developed media resources with members of QUIN council
6.) Develop an educational program and resources for the Florida School Counselor Association
7.) Evaluate plan
8.) Report back to FNA on findings/action plan progress
References
Florida Center for Nursing (FCN) (2012). Florida’s RN and ARNP supply 2010-2011, October
2012. Orlando, FL: FCN. Retrieved from:
http://www.flcenterfornursing.org/DesktopModules/Bring2mind/DMX/Download.aspx?
Command=CoreDownload&EntryId=450&PortalId=0&TabId=151.
Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) (2010). The registered nurse population:
findings from the 2008 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses. Rockville, MD:
HRSA.
Hodes Research (2005). Men in nursing study. Retrieved from:
http://aamn.org/docs/meninnursing2005survey.pdf.
HRSA (2006). The registered nurse population: findings from the National Sample Survey of
Registered Nurses, March 2004. Rockville, MD: HRSA.
Institute of Medicine (IOM) (2011). The future of nursing: leading change, advancing health.
Washington, DC: National Academies Press. Retrieved from:
http://books.nap.edu/openbook.php?record_id=12956.
Kaiser Family Foundation-statehealthfacts.org (KFF) (2010). Distribution of medical school
graduates by gender, 2009. Retrieved from:
http://www.statehealthfacts.org/comparetable.jsp?ind=435&cat=8&sub=101&yr=
92&typ=1.
Young, A., Chaudhry, H.J., Thomas, J.V., & Dugan, M. (2013). A census of actively licensed
physicians in the United States, 2012. Journal of Medical Regulation. 99(2):11-24.
Euless, TX: Federation of State Medical Boards. Retrieved from:
http://www.fsmb.org/pdf/census.pdf.