UA Works to Recruit More Men to Nursing Profession

Note to Media: At about 11 a.m. on April 6, representatives of the Capstone Chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing will begin conducting health screenings at the UA softball stadium near the entrance. This could provide a photo/video opportunity. 

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. —The number of men pursuing nursing careers has grown dramatically over the past two decades, and The University of Alabama is doing its part to continue increasing those numbers.

In 1980, there were 45,060 male nurses, according to a 2010 report by the Institute of Medicine. That number grew to 168,181 in 2004. Despite the growth, the report stated that men only make up 7 percent of all registered nurses.

For years, the stigma of being a male in a female-dominated profession has contributed to the lower percent of men entering the field, but that opinion is changing, said Dr. Anthony Roberson, a UA associate professor and the director of Practice and Community Partnerships at the Capstone College of Nursing.

In 2010, the American Assembly for Men in Nursing launched an initiative to increase the number of men in nursing programs and in the workforce to 20 percent by the year 2020. In order to get there, colleges have  increased recruitment efforts, and many have had great success, Roberson said. UA stands at about 12 percent, while some colleges are in the 20 percent range, he added.

“The schools who have significantly increased male enrollment are really targeting the students at a young age,” Roberson said. “They are starting in middle school, educating and familiarizing them with the profession. Having more male faculty in a program also helps with student recruitment.”

For 21-year-old UA junior Alex Bullough, of Florence, it was not a question of what to pursue, but where to pursue it. Always interested in the medical field, Bullough was drawn to the patient interaction that nursing provided. When he learned about UA’s nursing program and visited the campus, he knew it was where he would attend.

“Nursing is helping people in a very necessary, but basic, way,” he said. “Health care is something everyone will need at some point in their life, so it’s a perfect way to help people.”

The 2010 Institute of Medicine report emphasized the importance of recruiting male nurses, not only because men provide unique perspectives and skills that are important to the profession, but also to help contribute additional diversity to the workforce.

“Some men prefer to be treated by other men, especially when they’re talking about gender-specific issues, like prostate cancer,” Roberson said. “There might be better communication and trust between the two men.”

The men in nursing concept is not solely aimed at male recruitment. It is also about increasing the discussion of men’s health issues and providing more education about those issues. The Capstone Chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing does just that. With an active membership of about 35 students, the organization has held health screenings geared toward men and raised funds for those screenings.

“The life expectancy of males is less than that of females, which is directly linked to poorer health among males,” Roberson said. “Men don’t seek preventative care like women do, and that’s what we’re trying to change.”

But rather than wait for the men to come to them, the students are taking the education to where men congregate — athletic events. The organization’s first free health screening was at a UA baseball game last year. This year, they will offer one beginning at 11 a.m. at the April 6 UA-Missouri softball game outside the entrance of the softball field. Students will check cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure, heart rate, weight and body mass index. Based on the results, which take less than five minutes to receive, the students will then educate the participant on how to change some of their habits, if needed.

“We want to reach as many people as we can,” Roberson said. “We just want to make a difference. If we provide education for one person, that’s one person who might get the help they need to improve their life.”