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Why Are There Not More Male Nurses

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Submitted By Junesmith599
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Walk into any hospital in the country and there will more than likely be a nursing staff that consists almost entirely of female nurses. However, while waiting to see a physician, you more than likely expect a male doctor to walk into the room. Both health professions deal with nurturing and caring for patients, so why is it that male nurses get such a bad reputation? They make up for 6.6% of the nursing population, an increase from 5.7% from 2006. (Shah) The answer may be found by looking into gender roles, stereotyping, and the history of nursing as a profession. Nursing began with the care of infants and children. Hundreds of years ago, mothers would have been considered to be nurses. However, when diseases started to spread, people soon realized that love and nurturing were not enough to heal the sick. Early practices of nursing can be correlated with the age of Christianity, "modeling its practice after the teachings of Christ, caring for the sick, feeding the hungry and burying the dead. Therefore, during this period the history of nursing is intricately tied to the Church" ("Gonursingschools"). After the crusades, the world was ready for change. One of these changes that took place would have a major impact on the history of modern nursing. The Establishment of an institute in German:
"Deaconess Institute at Kaiserswerth, Germany. A small hospital was opened which included a training school for deaconesses. Their training system was a close parallel to the educational system for nurses that we see today. Graduates of this program assumed positions in all four corners of the globe and took their place in the history of nursing"("Gonursingschools"). However, the name which is most synonymous with nursing is Florence Nightingale. She became a nurse during the Crimean War. Because she was so dedicated to caring for the soldiers, she is responsible

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