Opportunities to Diversify the Pediatric Nursing Workforce: A Focus on Male Nurses

Introduction: Pediatric nursing has been a profession dominated by women, but patients benefit from representation of both men and women. We describe characteristics associated with male pediatric nurses and consider potential pathways to greater male pediatric nurse workforce participation.

Method: We used data from the 2018 National Sample Survey of Registered Nurses, a nationally representative survey of nurses that estimates characteristics of the workforce. We present summary statistics to describe demographic, work setting and work environment characteristics of male and pediatric nurse workforces. Analyses accounted for complex survey design and weighting.

Results: Only 7% (N = 108,752) of the pediatric registered nurse workforce and 3% (N = 779) of the pediatric nurse practitioner workforces were male. Notable demographic and educational difference exist among compared workforces.

Discussion: Males are significantly underrepresented in pediatric nursing. Much effort and intention need to be directed towards increasing male representation in pediatric nursing.