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By Bahk Eun-ji
While nursing professionals still remain predominately female, the number of male nurses has steadily been growing in recent years. The concept of male nurses is nothing new, but the trend is obviously set to accelerate.
Figures show that men in nursing are increasing every year ― 3,460, graduated from the 203 nursing colleges across the country in 2019.
According to the Korean Nurses Association (KNA), men comprised 14.7 percent of all successful test takers of the national nursing exams this year. Among a total of 21,582 test applicants, 3,179 men passed.
The figure is far above the 3.36 percent recorded back in 2008. Of the total 13,330 applicants for the exam at the time, only 449 were men. Over the last 13 years, the number and proportion of male applicants who passed the exam has increased each year.
And for the first time, the number of male nurses in Korea has surpassed 20,000 since licenses for male nurses were first issued in 1962, reaching 21,042.
"Male nurses, who have been considered rare in this field, are also recognized as proud professionals," said the KNA official. "The positive image of male nurses is also gradually spreading."
Mo Hyung-jung, vice president of Korea's Male Nurses' Association, cited the growing number of male nursing professors as the reason for the growing number of male nurses.
"There are 26 male professors in the 203 nursing colleges nationwide. You might think 26 makes up only a small portion, but it is a huge achievement for us if you consider there were no male professors in the colleges only five years ago," Mo said.
As the number of male nursing professors increased, this changed the perception that there would be difficulty in allowing male students into schools.
"In addition, the male nursing professors began to state that male nurses were also needed in the medical field," Mo said.
With more men working as nurses, the hope is that they will become a widely accepted part of the healthcare ecosystem. However, they often deal with stereotyping and face prejudice while on the job.
Some male nurses are even thinking about leaving their jobs.
A 33-year-old nurse working at a university hospital in Seoul, who wished to be identified only by his surname Noh, said it is because of the societal view that he is a man performing a women's job, and the higher levels of discriminatory treatment he faces in comparison to his female peers.
"So many patients have asked me like 'Oh, are you a nurse? Why did you become a nurse? You are a man. I thought you were a doctor.' Of course I'm used to it, but sick of it at the same time," Noh said.
"When I was preparing for the nursing college entrance exam my parents would say things like 'How can a man be a nurse?' and 'A man should be a doctor.' Even some of my friends teased me, 'Are you sure you're not going to nursing school to meet a girl?' but I just chose to be a nurse, considering my aptitude and professionalism because I like being able to help others, and I thought it was a promising job for those in an aging society," he said.
"There are many male nurses in foreign countries. It certainly takes a man's power to help a heavy patient, move medical equipment, and control a struggling patient. But many people still have outdated views."
Noh said he wants people just look at him as a nurse, not a "male" nurse.
According to a report titled "Study on the Experience of Male Nurses Adapting to General Hospitals" published by the Nursing Administration Society in December last year, male nurses cited a lack of a sense of belonging due to their underrepresentation in the organization; the title of "male nurses" instead of just "nurses"; the lack of facilities for male nurses in their workplaces; and deep-rooted gender stereotypes as major reasons for difficulties they face while conducting their job.
"In an era when the number of male nurses is increasing, a culture of respecting nurses as medical personnel regardless of their gender, should be established," Mo said.
Kim Jong-kyung, a professor at Dankook University's College of Nursing, also advised, "At the hospital organization level, we need to come up with systematic management measures to realize gender equality."
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