NY Times: Men Seen as One Answer to Nursing Shortage

NY Times: Men seen as one answer to nursing shortage

April 13, 2003 -- A piece by Eve Tahmincioglu in today's New York Times describes efforts to recruit male nurses as one way to combat the growing nursing shortage, featuring positive quotes from men who have switched to nursing from fields ranging from policing to the high-tech industry. The article shows how men can make a difference in nursing, and highlights the satisfaction, pay and job security nursing offers in today's tough job market. The piece also underlines the importance of fictional depictions of male nurses by leading with a description of some nurses' negative reactions to the 2000 film "Meet the Parents" and recent "Scrubs" episodes. Readers may not realize that some, including the Center, felt that these works actually featured positive male nurse characters undermining the stereotypical views held by others. But this is a small complaint about a largely helpful article