By Liz Ciocher
Staff Writer
Slowly but surely, the nursing profession is becoming less and less dominated by the female-driven stereotype. Although different from women, male nurses have been contributing the same amount of skill and knowledge as the leading females. But are they treated the same?
Following the pandemic, nursing schools and the nursing profession have become more popular among young adults. As young men become interested in the profession, they enroll in nursing schools and programs.
When it comes to their education, male students at the College say they haven’t experienced anything significantly different from their female counterparts. The biggest difference, according to sophomore Tyler Conn, is just that he stands out from his other classmates.
“I’m more noticeable in the room since I stand out in the crowd, but that’s about it,” Conn said. “Indirectly I do stand out to the professors. Freshman year, teachers would know my name just by looking at me, but it’s nothing super overwhelming.”
From an outside-the-College perspective, Monmouth University student Jared Kilfeather, one of three male students in a 55 student junior nursing program, has had a similar experience in the classroom, and he views this positively.
“I think [nursing professors] like me more, and being the only guy kind of makes it like they know me right away,” Kilfeather said in an interview. “But when it comes to classes and tests and stuff, the professors look at me the same as the girl sitting next to me.”
Though they might stand out in the crowd, nursing professors at the College can vouch that their male students do not receive differing treatment. Professor Marc Stetson, a male nursing professor at the College, hasn’t noticed any differences in how he or his students are treated.
“From what I’ve seen, they’ve been very accepted,” Stetson said. “I’m not treated any differently either.”
Nursing schools have been doing a good job of accepting their male students, but in some specific cases in hospitals, but male students have faced some challenges in clinical settings. Most especially when their clinical studies are focused in a maternity ward or anything gynecological.
“I know when people need specific ‘women things,’ like cleaning up and catheters, some are resistant to men doing these things,” said junior nursing student Keigan Craig. “Also, in my job as a UAP [Unlicensed Assistive Personnel], I’ve had many occasions where I've been sent out, [the patient] saying, ‘I need a woman to do this.’”
This has been something male nursing students have been facing for years. While reflecting on his experience as a nursing student in the past, Stetson recalls a similar experience to Craig.
“In nursing school, I barely had a maternity rotation,” Stetson said. “Dads were not having it. I think there were some situations that culturally and spiritually some people preferred a woman nurse over a man, and that’s understandable.”
Of course, male students are aware of their position as a minority in the nursing programs. In some ways, this contributes to their inspiration to become nurses in hopes of changing the stereotype.
Craig is one of the students experiencing this type of inspiration.
“I think I do like being part of the smaller group and changing the stereotype,” he explained, “and it definitely gave me motivation to keep going to try and put an end to the stigma.”
For others, being part of this minority group is just a “fire plus,” to quote Kilfeather.
As a whole, male nursing students and professional nurses do not seem to be exposed to much discrimination. There are a few exceptions to this rule, but nothing the men take too personally.
“My peers do a good job of making me feel comfortable,” Conn said. “Nobody treats me differently, we’re all just nurses and that’s really just how it feels. We’re all in this together. There is a difference in the numbers, but it really doesn’t feel like it.”
