Male nurse: A concept analysis

Use of the term male nurse is common in nursing wherever the practice setting may be, but no formal analysis has been done to illuminate the meaning of the concept. The term male nurse is often problematic to those referred to, as the label carries stereotypes that further marginalize this extreme minority in the nursing profession. The Nurse Registration Act of 1919 (UK) banned men from nursing de jure, whilst Nightingale's reform of nursing education established the same de facto years before. This potent mix of tradition and law served as the basis for sex-segregation and feminization of nursing. Fast forward to today-in the centennial of the Nurse Registration Act-women still dominate nursing, and attempts to recruit and retain men into the profession remains to be a very challenging task. Walker and Avant's methodology was utilized in this concept analysis. Seven defining attributes of the male nurse were identified: perceived as a male, credentialed as a nurse, increased visibility, nonconformist as to career choice, cautious caregivers, stereotyped/stigmatized, and increased role strain. Antecedents, consequences, and illustrative cases were also discussed. Gender-based labels such as male nurse are injurious to nursing, as it preserves sex-segregation as well as stereotypes that affect both men and women in the profession. This concept analysis corroborates the need to degender nursing and caring, which is a recurrent theme in nursing literature. Ultimately, degendering nursing should translate to measures to increase the proportion of men in the nursing workforce. A gender-balanced workforce, coupled with degendered notions of caring will strengthen the nursing profession and optimize our ability to serve our clientele.