Lived experiences of male nurses: Dire consequences for the nursing profession

The current and impending nursing shortage is well documented in the literature. Nursing needs to look at alternative strategies to meet the demands faced by the nursing shortage in both practice and education. One strategy would be to increase the number of men in nursing. While the percentage of men in nursing has increased incrementally, male nurses are underrepresented in nursing constituting approximately 9.6% of the nursing workforce. Two independent studies resulted in strikingly similar findings suggesting that male nurses are experiencing discrimination, lack of support, and dissatisfaction in the educational and practice environments. To increase the recruitment and retention of men in nursing it is imperative that this critical problem be addressed by nurse educators, managers, and practitioners at every level.