Males In Healthcare

9 Pages 2342 Words

The Impact of Male Nurses on the Maternity Unit


Abstract

The number of men entering the baccalaureate nursing program is continuously increasing. The maternity rotation has caused much ambivalence for both the male nursing student and postpartum mothers. Educators can help the male nursing student recognize the patient’s concerns, discomforts as well as their own preconception before entering the maternity unit. The male student, therefore, must make an effort to understand the patient’s fears and overcome their intrinsic preconceptions about the maternity unit. Today’s nursing is focused on Family Centered Care. The male student nurse can utilize this information and become an important member of the health care team striving to provide Family Centered Care within the maternity unit
























The Impact of Males on the Maternity Unit
Men working in the nursing profession can be dated back to 800-600 B.C, India. During this era, hospitals were built to provide basic nursing care and consisted totally of men (Davis & Bartfay, 2001). In Canada, the first nurses who provided care for the sick were also men (Lodge, Mallett, Black & Fryall, 1999). In a study conducted by Davis & Bartfay (2001) male RN nurses constitute approximately 4.6 % of all practicing nurses in Canada. In recent years, the trend has changed and a greater number of males are entering into the nursing programs. Patterson and Morin (2002) have cited a continuous rise in the number of male applying to the baccalaureate nursing programs. The requirements for the degree of nursing entail working within many different disciplines. The maternity unit is one area that has caused much discussion about the students’ preconceptions and the patient’s feelings towards a male providing postpartum nursing care. The focus in nursing is clearly based on family centered care (Blundell, 1990). The male nurse must be...