Men in Nursing Occupations

8/10/2019 Men in Nursing Occupations

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U.S.CensusBureau 1 MeninNursingOccupations

Men

in

Nursing

Occupations

American

Community

Survey

Highlight

Report

IssuedFebruary2013

Introduction

Healthcareisoneofthefastestgrowingindustries.1Theagingofourpopulationfuelsanincreasing

demandforlongtermcareandendoflifeservices. Skillednursingcarehasalsoexpandedinschools

andretailclinicsandintheprovisionofmentalhealthservices.2Thisdemandhasresultedinlow

unemploymentratesamongnurses,rangingfromabout0.8percentamongnursepractitionersand

nurseanesthetiststo4.3percentamonglicensedpracticalandlicensedvocationalnurses.

In2011,therewere3.5millionemployednursesintheU.S.and78percentwereregisterednurses.A

predictedshortageofnurseshasincreasedrecruitingandoccupationalretrainingeffortstoincreasethe

poolofemployableworkersinthisfield.Theseeffortshaveincludedrecruitingmenintonursing.

Previously,decades

of

legal

barriers

kept

men

out

of

the

field

and

nursing

schools

often

refused

to

admitmen,apracticedeemedunconstitutionalbytheU.S.SupremeCourtinacasebroughtagainsta

statesupportedschoolin1981.3Schoolsarenowactivelypursuinghighermaleenrollmentintheir

nursingprograms.Therelativelyhighwagesandexpandingjobopportunitiesmakesthisfieldattractive,

offeringstabilityevenduringrecessions.

Thisreportpresentsestimatesofmeninnursingoccupationsusingdatafromthe2011American

CommunitySurvey(ACS).Startingin2010,theCensusBureaubegancollectingdataonfivespecific

nursingoccupations:registerednurse,nurseanesthetist,nursemidwife,nursepractitioner,andlicensed

practicalandlicensedvocationalnurse.Priorto2010,twonursingcategorieswereavailable:registered

nurseand

licensed

practical

and

licensed

vocational

nurse.

Nurse

anesthetists,

nurse

midwives,

and

nursepractitionerswerecombinedwithregisterednurses,limitingtheanalysispotentialofthedata.

Takingadvantageofthenewlyavailableoccupationalcategories,thisreportshowsthepercentageof

menineachofthedetailednursingoccupationsandmensmedianearningsineachoccupation.This

reportisbasedonanewsetoftablesthatpresentselectedcharacteristicsofmenandwomeninnursing

occupations.Thesetablesprovideestimatesonemploymentstatus,age,race,Hispanicorigin,

citizenship,educationalattainment,workhours,timeofdeparturetowork,medianearnings,industry,

andclassofworkerbysexforregisterednurses,nurseanesthetists,nursepractitioners,andlicensed

practicalandlicensedvocationalnurses.ThetablesareavailableontheCensusBureausIndustryand

OccupationStatisticsWebsiteathttp://www.census.gov/people/io/publications/reports.html.Because

ofasmallnumberofsampleobservations,nursemidwivesareexcludedinthetablesandreport.


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WhatistheAmericanCommunitySurvey?

TheAmericanCommunitySurvey(ACS)isanationwidesurveydesignedtoprovidecommunitieswith

reliableandtimelydemographic,social,economic,andhousingdataforthenation,states,

congressionaldistricts,counties,places,andotherlocalitieseveryyear.Ithasanannualsamplesizeof

about3.3millionaddressesacrosstheUnitedStatesandPuertoRicoandincludesbothhousingunits

andgroupquarters(e.g.,nursingfacilitiesandprisons).TheACSisconductedineverycounty

throughoutthenation,andeverymunicipioinPuertoRico,whereitiscalledthePuertoRico

CommunitySurvey.

Beginning

in

2006,

ACS

data

for

2005

were

released

for

geographic

areas

with

populationsof65,000andgreater.ForinformationontheACSsampledesignandothertopics,visit

www.census.gov/acs/www.

Highlights

Therewere3.5millionemployednursesin2011,about3.2millionofwhomwere

femaleand330,000male.

Ofemployednurses,78percentwereregisterednurses,19percentwerelicensed

practicaland

licensed

vocational

nurses,

3percent

were

nurse

practitioners,

and

1

percentwerenurseanesthetists.

Mensrepresentationamongregisterednursesandlicensedpracticalandlicensed

vocationalnursesincreased.About2.7percentofregisterednursesweremenin1970

comparedwith9.6percentin2011.Mensrepresentationamonglicensedpracticalandlicensed

vocationalnursesgrewfrom3.9percentin1970to8.1percentin2011.

In2011,9percentofallnursesweremenwhile91percentwerewomen.Men earned,on

average,$60,700peryear,whilewomenearned$51,100peryear.

Mensrepresentationwashighestamongnurseanesthetists:41percentweremen.

Malenurseanesthetistsearnedmorethantwiceasmuchastheaverageformeninallnursing

occupations.Malenurseanesthetistsearned,onaverage,$162,900peryear,whilemens

averageforallnursingoccupationswas$60,700peryear.

Evenamongmenandwomeninthesamenursingoccupations,menoutearnedwomen.

Womenworkingasnursesfulltime,yearroundearned91centsforeverydollarmalenurses

earned.


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HistoricalTrendsinNursingOccupations

Thoughnursinghadsignificantmalerepresentationuntilthe1800sbecauseoftheearlyassociation

betweennursingandthemilitaryandreligiousorders,mensrepresentationinnursingexperienced

significantdeclineinthe1900swiththeemergenceofmodernnursingandnewlegalbarrierstomens

entry.4

However,

mens

representation

in

nursing

has

been

growing

since

the

1970s.

Figure

1shows

the

increaseinmensrepresentationamongregisterednursesandlicensedpracticalandlicensedvocational

nursessince1970.About2.7percentofregisterednursesweremenin1970comparedwith9.6percent

in2011.Exceptforasmalldeclinein1980,mensrepresentationamonglicensedpracticalandlicensed

vocationalnursesgrewfrom3.9percentin1970to8.1percentin2011.*

Figure1.PercentageofNursesWhoAreMenFrom1970to2011

*Thedifferencebetweenthe2011estimateandthe2000and2006estimatesforpercentageoflicensedpracticalandlicensed

vocationalnurseswhoaremenisnotstatisticallysignificant.

2.7%

4.1%

5.7%

7.6%

8.9% 9.6%

3.9%

3.4%

6.4% 7.6%7.8%

8.1%

1970 1980 1990 2000 2010

*Includes nursepractitioners

andnurseanesthetists.Data

nursepractitioners andnurse

anesthetistswerenotshown

separatelyuntil2010.

Source:U.S.

Census

Bureau,

1970 Decennial

Census,

1980,

1990, and

2000

Equal

Employment

Opportunity

Tabulation,

and

2006

and

2011AmericanCommunitySurvey

Registerednurses*

Licensedpractical

andlicensed

vocationalnurses

2006 2011


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Untilrecently,theCensusBureaudidnotcollectrefined

categoriesofnursing,preventingnuancedanalysesoftrends

innursing.Startingin2010,theCensusBureausplitthe

occupationalcategoryofregisterednurseinto4occupations:

registerednurse,nurseanesthetist,nursemidwife,andnurse

practitioner.We

are

now

able

to

examine

mens

representationinmorespecificnursingoccupations.Because

educationalrequirements,jobtasks,andearningsvary

significantlybytypeofnurseoccupation,itisimportantto

lookattrendsinmorerefinedoccupationalcategories.

MeninNursingOccupations

Menaremorelikelytobefoundinhighlypaidnursing

occupations.Although

women

make

up

adisproportionate

shareofallnursingoccupations,mensrepresentationis

highestamongnurseanesthetists.About41percentofnurse

anesthetistsaremen.Figure2showsmensmedianearnings

ineachofthenursingoccupationsalongwiththeir

representationineachofthenursingcategories.Nurse

anesthetistsearnmorethantwiceasmuchastheaverage

forallnursingoccupations.Malenurseanesthetistsearn,on

average,$162,900peryear,whilemensaverageforall

nursingoccupationsis$60,700peryear.

NursingOccupations

Registerednursesassesspatienthealth

problemsandneeds,developand

implementnursing

care

plans,

maintain

medicalrecords,andadministercare.

Licensingorregistrationisrequired.

Nurseanesthetists administer

anesthesiaandmonitorpatients

recoveryfromanesthesia.Specialized

graduateeducationisrequired.

Nursemidwivesdiagnoseand

coordinateallaspectsofthebirthing

processand

provide

gynecological

care.

Specializedgraduateeducationis

required.

Nursepractitionersdiagnoseandtreat

illnessesandmayorder,perform,or

interpretdiagnostictests.Insomestates

theymayprescribemedication.

Specializedgraduateeducationis

required.

Licensedpracticalandlicensed

vocationalnurses

provide

patient

care

andmayworkunderthesupervisionof

aregisterednurse.Theymustbe

licensed.

Source:StandardOccupational

Classification2010availableonlineat:

www.bls.gov/soc.


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Figure2.MaleMedianEarningsbyPercentMaleinNursingOccupations:2011

Knownastheglassescalatoreffect,menhavetypicallyenjoyedhigherwagesandfasterpromotionsin

femaledominatedoccupations.5Asmenenterednursingingreaternumbers,theyweremorelikelyto

becomenurseanesthetists,thehighestpaidnursingoccupation,andleastlikelytobecomelicensed

practicalorlicensedvocationalnurses,thelowestpaidnursingoccupation.Evenamong menand

womeninthesamenursingoccupations,menoutearnwomen.Figure3showsthatwomenworkingfull

time,yearroundearn93centsforeverydollarmenearnasregisterednurses,89centstothedollar

amongnurseanesthetists,87centstothedollaramongnursepractitioners,and91centstothedollar

amonglicensed

practical

and

licensed

vocational

nurses.*

While

womens

earnings

in

nursing

fields

are

notonparitywithmens,thewagegapissmallerthantheaverageacrossalloccupations:77centsto

thedollar.6

*Thedifferenceinfemaleearningsbetweennursepractitioners,nurseanesthetists,licensedpracticalandlicensedvocational

nurses,andregisterednursesisnotstatisticallysignificant.

8% 9% 9% 9%

41%

$40,200

$61,900 $60,700

$96,400

$162,900

LPN/LVN Registerednurses Average(allnurses) Nursepractitioners Nurseanesthetists

Source:U.S.CensusBureau,20111yearAmericanCommunitySurvey

Note:Nursemidwivesareexcludedduetoasmallnumberofsampleobservations.


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5.Williams,ChristineL.1992.TheGlassEscalator:HiddenAdvantagesforMeninthe"Female"

Professions.SocialProblems39(3):253267.

6.DeNavasWalt,Carmen,BernadetteD.Proctor,andJessicaC.Smith.2012.Income,Poverty,and

HealthInsuranceCoverageintheUnitedStates:2011.U.S.CensusBureauReportP60243.

DataSourceandAccuracy

ThedatapresentedinthisreportarebasedontheACSsampleinterviewedin2011.Theestimates

basedonthissampleapproximatetheactualvaluesandrepresenttheentirehouseholdand

noninstitutionalizedgroupquarterspopulation.Samplingerroristhedifferencebetweenanestimate

basedinasampleandthecorrespondingvaluethatwouldbeobtainediftheestimatewerebasedon

theentirepopulation(asfromacensus).Allcomparativestatementsinthisreporthaveundergone

statisticaltesting,andcomparisonsaresignificantatthe90percentlevelunlessotherwisenoted.In

additionto

sampling

error,

nonsampling

error

may

be

introduced

during

any

of

the

operations

used

to

collectandprocesssurveydatasuchasediting,reviewing,orkeyingdatafromquestionnaires.Formore

informationonsamplingandestimationmethods,confidentialityprotection,andsamplingand

nonsamplingerrors,pleaseseethe2011ACSAccuracyoftheDatadocumentlocatedat

www.census.gov/acs/www/Downloads/data_documentation/Accuracy/ACS_Accuracy_of_Data_2011.p

df.

Disclaimer

Thisreport

is

released

to

inform

interested

parties

of

ongoing

research

and

to

encourage

discussionofworkinprogress.Theviewsexpressedarethoseoftheauthorandnotnecessarily

thoseoftheU.S.CensusBureau.

Contact

Forquestionsrelatedtothecontentsofthisdocumentandtheaccompanyingtables,contact

theauthor:

LianaChristinLandivar

[email protected]

(301)7635878

IndustryandOccupationStatisticsBranch

Social,Economic,andHousingStatisticsDivision

U.S.CensusBureau

Documents

Men in Nursing Occupations