Recruitment of Men Into Nursing

Recruitment of Men Into Nursing

Date, Month and Year

The role of nurses in health sector is very crucial. The nursing profession day by day is ranking high as a trusted profession above physicians and other healthcare. The nursing workforce presently suffers from acute shortage of nurses. The studies have been found that the aging workforce, low unemployment and global nature of such shortage contribute progressively to the nursing shortages. Way outs are required to be devised for assuring a sufficient inflow of nurses, particularly in field of education, healthcare delivery systems, policy and regulations and image. Several studies investigating into the nursing shortages have indicated that the shortage at present is quite different from the traditional shortages in the field. Presently women have wide choices for a career. (Nevidjon; Erickson, 2001)

Moreover, the diversion of the way patients are cared in a managed care environment is accelerating the shortage. The diminishing length of hospital stays and more acute care in the ambulatory and home environment has led to necessitate more experienced and efficient nurses. It has already been felt that the scarcity in nursing workforce is due to shortages in supply of the workforce rather than its demand. In the recent years the enrollment in nursing schools is noticed to have been diminishing. The American Association of Colleges observed the enrollment in bachelor's degree programs is exhibiting a decreasing trend over the last five years. There is persistent trend of 4.6% decline in enrollments in bachelor's degree courses and 1.9% decline in enrollment to master's degree courses on nursing. The strategies of recruiting students have been seen as the long-term solution to the prediction for a still worse shortage over the next ten years. Recruiting the minority students and young men has been seen as the most coveted strategy for counteracting nursing shortages. (Nevidjon; Erickson, 2001)

In their reply to the question of what they will do after being grown up, very few boys reply to become teachers, librarians or social workers. Only two percent of boys have opted for such professions against the twenty percent of girls selecting the same in a survey. High school boys prioritize nursing as the least probable choice of their career. Studies have indicated that the occupational aspirations are as sex diverse as the workforce itself. Boys and girls find different occupational values and expectations from parents, school text books guidance and vocational counselors. (Williams, 1995)

The National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses of the year 2000 has indicated that the male nurses constitute about 6% of the present RN nursing workforce. The workforce having been split more evenly in terms of gender is considered to have improved communications and entails a more balanced worldview with regard to experiences. Moreover, more and more men in the female dominated nursing profession will enhance the image of the profession while addressing both the male and female patients. In this survey of the males in nursing profession accorded three prime reasons for selecting the nursing as their job- their wish to help people, the growth capability of the industry as a result of its several career opportunities and that it entails job stability. However, most male nurses found that many traditional features still are present in the profession those still outweigh other professions to be more suitable for male population. Moreover, most of them have indicated that nursing profession is strangled with the misconceptions that support the view that nursing is a female profession which is dominated by women and men are not appropriate for the professions since they are not caring and men in nursing are gay etc. (Hart, 2005)

While the hospitals and nursing colleges are mostly absorbed in making efforts to make good for the shortage of nurses the stalwarts are looking at the males in America as the future players on the nursing team. The absence of diversity in nursing, both in terms of gender and ethnicity, is equally vital problem as that of the nursing shortage. The enhancement of diversity by the nursing college and hospital recruiters is felt urgently in view of the present trend of 95% of nurses being females. It has already been acknowledged that the health care requirement cannot be fully met without making the nursing profession a more equal as well as diverse workforce. Irrespective of the fact that such efforts of recruiting men in nursing are not new, the attributes of nursing is changing and it tends to be more rugged looking. The nursing schools are enthusiastically recruiting males and at the same time the men are also presently approaching nursing colleges in search of career opportunities, increased salaries, job flexibility, loan repayment, higher bonuses and job security. The male nurses are no more confined to the critical care units, ER's and emergency transport helicopters. They are presently found engaged in informatics departments, labor and delivery, law firms, forensic police divisions, corporations as well as in entrepreneurial initiatives. (Eveloff, 2003)

Recruitment and retention of males in to nursing by the nursing schools can be split into four facets such as recruitment of the young, marketing, retention and alumni recruitment. All such parts are equally significant and the end result rests with the success in every phase. The recruitment of young male nurses is considered both critical and also enjoyable. The males from Generation 'X' and 'Y' are found to be fast paced, high tech, interactive, excellent response learning and therefore prove them to be fast learners. Since the Generation X and Y are fast learners the young children are considered to be 'Z' or Zip generation. There is no much difficulty in educating and recruiting the males of X and Y Generation and the number of males in nursing can be increased also focusing on the Generation Z or young male members. (Eveloff, 2003)

While the nursing colleges are prepared to solve the requirements of such students colleges of nursing are developing and incorporating the use of online courses, high tech learning jobs, computer stimulations, virtual reality caves and theatres as well as human simulated computer models. Such high tech strategy is encouraging the young ones by raising their interest while choosing between their careers. The second factor is marketing. The marketing ads have been devised infusing the ideas of gender free language and bold print having photographs of males in action shots. Websites have been restructured to include such images. The marketing efforts also reach the jobless college students attracting to choose nursing as their career. Such marketing ads are found useful to the counselors of the schools and colleges being informed about the scarcity of nurses in order to be educated of bringing diversity in the profession. The intelligent and brilliant young ones are being educated not only to choose medicine but also to consider about nursing while choosing their career. Counselors are striving to educate the young ones the difference between primary care physician, a family nurse practitioner as well as a physician's assistant. Irrespective of the fact that caring and compassion have always been formed integral element of the health professions, brilliant students are allured by multifarious elements while selecting their career, the prime being salary. (Eveloff, 2003)

The third phase is efforts for retention that is ensured through team follow through. The committees and events are being formed for focusing on diversity in order to make everyone involved feel comfortable in the profession. Efforts towards diversification of the profession has since long been considered in terms of ethnicities however on the basis of gender being ignored. It is the high time to include those into the strategy. Lastly, the alumni recruitment is considered important so as to stimulate the male nursing students as well as alumni to be recruited and assist them to become mentors and role models for the future male nurses and continue teaching in nursing. (Eveloff, 2003)

Recruitment process mostly involves communication of image, choices with regard to employment, service, scholarship as well as learning about new situations and opportunities available. Advent of new advanced technologies like Internet and information technology makes possible provision of many alternative strategies to the valued traditional methods of print media and advertising along with person to person interactions and interviews. An effective website of nursing school enables the present and potential nurses educate about the institution on real time basis. The students before entering the institution sought a review on the historical perspective of the institution, current profiles, important activities and benchmark data which can easily be provided them to them instantly with a click of the mouse through the websites. (Montgomery S; Fitzpatrick; Kim, 2002)