Overcoming Stigmas: Tips For Male Nurses

Nursing is still a female-dominated field. As of 2024, men make up roughly 13% of registered nurses, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, up from about 7% in 2008 but still a clear minority. The stigmas attached to men in caregiving roles keep talented people out of a profession that badly needs them, and that hurts everyone: male nurses, female nurses, and patients. Here is what those stigmas look like and how to push back.

Common Stigmas and Stereotypes

"Nursing Is Women's Work"

Women made up the clear majority of nurses through the 19th and 20th centuries, but men have always filled critical roles and continue to enter the field in growing numbers. Modern nursing began with Florence Nightingale, who founded the first nursing schools in England in the 1850s. Those schools opened doors for women that were otherwise closed, but they excluded men, and nursing came to be seen as "women's work," with nurses cast as assistants to mostly male doctors. That framing still discourages men from entering a profession facing real shortages. Nurses run diagnostic tests, administer medications, and deliver treatment every day. "Nursing and being a good nurse has nothing to do with your gender," says RN Tarik Rabah. "It requires knowledge, training, compassion, confidentiality, as well as dignity and respect for all people, regardless of background, ethnicity, gender expression, age, financial status, sexual orientation, military status, faith tradition, or anything else."

"Nursing Wasn't Their First Choice"

Another myth says men settle for nursing because they could not cut it as physicians. In reality men choose nursing for many reasons, and few see it as a backup or a stepping stone to medical school. "When I first visit patients at home, many assume I'm a doctor and want to know about my background," says Ozail Bennett, RN-TNCC. "I tell them that nursing was always my first career choice and that I love being a nurse. In fact, I think nurses are luckier than doctors because we get to know our patients better, and the job is more personally rewarding." The career backs this up. Nurse practitioners often earn well over $120,000 a year, and the BLS projects NP employment to grow about 46% from 2024 to 2034, one of the fastest growth rates of any occupation in the country. Nurses can move into clinical, managerial, research, or advanced practice roles, with the option to earn a master's or doctorate.

"Men Lack the Empathy to Be a Nurse"

We absorb a lot of bad ideas about men: "men don't cry," "boys will be boys." They sound harmless, but they feed the assumption that men can't care for others the way women do. Research shows men can face real consequences for breaking gender norms at work, and other studies find men show just as much compassion as women in clinical settings. "It seems that many patients and their family members assume male nurses are less empathetic, compassionate, skilled, and patient than their female counterparts," says Bennett. "I've found that it's easy to win people over. It just takes time. Actions speak louder than words. When it becomes clear that you care and treat all patients with dignity and respect, presumptions about your capabilities fade away."

Tips for Male Nurses

Focus on being a great nurse. You are working to be a highly competent, caring nurse, not a male nurse. "The number one thing I can think of to help new nurses, male or female, is to show their passion for helping people," says Joe Shaeffer, DNP, an assistant professor of nursing and former RN. "Showing compassion helps ease tensions in any situation. When people relax, they can develop a level of trust with the healthcare worker that breeds healing. Healing should be the number one goal of all healthcare professionals."

Don't take gender bias personally. Most patients do not care about their nurse's gender, but a few may request a female nurse. Some have good reasons for being more comfortable with one nurse over another. Meet it with understanding and move on.

Get active in the field. Join professional groups like the National Student Nurses' Association, the American Nurses Association, and the American Association for Men in Nursing. They sharpen your skills, connect you with other men in the profession, and help you settle into the work.

Remember why you became a nurse. Some people will see a man in scrubs and assume he's a physician. Over time you learn to ignore it or laugh it off. You're doing the job you chose. "I've found that the best thing I can do is let my actions speak for themselves," says Rabah. "In time, people realize that I'm a caring nurse and good at what I do because I love what I do."