A growing number of men are joining the ranks of nursing, says a study that takes the pulse of a predominantly female profession.
The percentage of male registered nurses jumped from 2.7% in 1970 to 9.6% in 2011, the national study finds.
Men's representation among licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses rose from 3.9% in 1970 to 8.1% in 2011. LPNs work under the direction of doctors and registered nurses; they are referred to as licensed vocational nurses in California and Texas. The study, released Monday, presents data from the 2011 American Community Survey.
Liana Christin Landivar, the report's author, says the demand for long-term care and end-of-life services is growing because of the nation's aging population.
"A predicted shortage has led to recruiting and retraining efforts to increase the pool of nurses," says Landivar, a sociologist in the Census Bureau's Industry and Occupation Statistics Branch. "These efforts have included recruiting men."
Karen Daley, president of the American Nurses Association, says the profession is attractive for a variety of reasons. The work is rewarding and versatile, she says: "This is a career with job security, and the salaries are very competitive."
She adds that men "are more likely to be in the subfields with higher earnings -- nurse practitioners and nurse anesthetists." Nurse anesthetists administer anesthesia and monitor patients' recovery from it.
There were 3.5 million employed nurses in 2011. Though women made up 91% of the nursing workforce, men had higher earnings. In 2011, men, on average, earned $60,700 a year, compared with $51,100 a year for women. Other findings:
Of the employed nurses, more than three-fourths were registered nurses, about 19% licensed practical and licensed vocational nurses, and 3% nurse practitioners. About 1% were nurse anesthetists.
The highest percentage of men was among nurse anesthetists, 41%.
Male nurse anesthetists earned about $162,900 a year.
Daley says gender stereotypes are breaking down as more men enter the profession.
"The more diverse our profession gets, the better it is for patients," she says.
"It's very important that our diversification reflects what is happening in the larger population."
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