Men in nursing: The early years

Abstract

Objective: Nursing is as old as mankind and the nature of what it means to be a man in nursing has a wide and varied history. Men have been at the forefront of nursing practice from before the birth of Christ – the first record of male nursing originates from ancient India. Slowly over time the image of the male nurse has given way to the dominance of women largely thanks to Florence Nightingale. The aim of this paper is to discuss the contribution men have made to the profession of nursing through the early years of nursing’s history in particular from 250BC to the early 1900’s.

Methods and result: Design: A historical review. Data Sources: The search strategy included research studies both qualitatively and quantitatively, as well as anecdotal and discursive evidence from 1900-2015. Implications for Nursing: The predominance of the history of has always had a focus on the female perspective. Men have had played a significant part in the development of that history. Acknowledging the role men have contributed in developing and promoting nursing practice is equally as valid and as such should be recognised accordingly.

Conclusions: Male nursing has had a varied history from the first recoded nursing school in 256BC to its slow eventual slow demise from the 1840’s. Records reveal the work of the male nurse was seen predominately within secular institutions and personified aspects of care that focused totally on patient wellbeing both physically and spiritually.