However, Li feels that in the fast-paced, high-pressure world of ICUs, emergency rooms oroperating rooms, male nurses have an advantage.
“In ICU, there are paralyzed patients that need to be moved or turned over quickly,which cannot usually be done by a female nurse on her own,” he said, explaining why moremen work in such departments.
Hospitals are also more willing to place male staff in these high-pressure environmentsbecause they require less communication with the patients or patients’ families, therebyreducing the chances to a male nurse suffering abuse or discrimination. “Most peopledidn’t mean to humiliate us but their words still hurt our feelings. Hospitals don’t wanttheir male nurses quitting because of this,” added Li.
After the May 12 earthquake in Sichuan province in 2008 (the second anniversaryfalls on the same day as International Nurses Day), nearby hospitals sent their male nursesto the disaster zone to help rescue victims as it was believed they would work better inthe harsh and dangerous environment, said Yu Mingcheng, a former male nurse with theMianyang Central Hospital.
“Every five minutes after the earthquake, a truck full of at least 20 casualties droveup to our hospital. Several male colleagues and I had to carry the victims to the operatingrooms,” he said.
Although still few in numbers, male nurses are welcomed by the majority of hospitalsin China, said Zheng Shanhai, an ICU doctor at China Meitan General Hospital inBeijing.
Women provide wonderful support but “it’s undeniable that in some importantoperations that could last eight hours, male nurses are more likely (to have the stamina) topersist to the end,” he said.
Nationwide, hospitals are hiring more men onto their nursing staff, (Zheng said hisunit recently accepted a handful of male interns), yet experts say many quit just a few yearsinto their career.
“It is becoming easier for them to find a job but it is just as hard to keep, due tothe pressure from prejudice,” said Zheng. “I have never seen a male nurse work for morethan 10 years in the industry, while it is easy to find a doctor with decades of experienceeverywhere.”
Ex-nurse Yu agreed and, although he only left the profession because he was promotedto an administrative position, said: “Most men change jobs because of social discriminationand poor salaries.”
In his spare time, Yu now runs the China Nursing Forum, one of the largest onlinesocial networking groups for the country’s nurses. Of the website’s 100,000 registered usersthough, just 400 are men.
“About 40 percent of the male nurses that use the forum have talked about their desireto change to another job,” said the part-time webmaster. “Once I asked eight male nurses- all students on a nursing training course that I run - about their career choice andonly one said he didn’t regret picking this profession.”
When Yu was promoted in 2008 - a result of his outstanding performance duringthree years in the job - many of the male colleagues were jealous, he said. “They told methey loathed the endless cleaning and drug dispensing. The discrimination and poor salaryis also torture for them and puts them under both mental and financial pressure.”
As a rookie in 2005, Yu earned just 500 yuan (70) a month. “Five years have passedand a nurse’s monthly wage is no more than 1,500 yuan,” he added.
Changing attitudes
To reduce running costs, many Chinese hospitals hire temporary staff, make thesituation even more volatile, according to a 2005 report on nursing by the Ministry ofHealth.
Traditionally, men are still the main breadwinners in China - yet nursing fails tooffer either the salary or the status. “One of my male colleagues told me he can earn moremoney working as a waiter in a small restaurant,” said Yu. “Some male nurses can’t findgirlfriends because of their low incomes.”
Similar to Li’s experience in Beijing, when Yu began training as a nurse in Sichuan in2002 he was the only man among 600 trainees. At the time, he believed a man’s “physicaladvantage” would make it easier for male nurses to not only find a job but also excel in it.
Due to the increasingly serious employment situation in China, Yu and Li said theyboth chose the profession for the same reason. Yet a male nurse who did not want to beidentified told China Daily he had no idea what was involved in nursing work before hestudied it. Now, working in a mental hospital in Zhejiang province, he said he is tired ofpeople’s reaction to him and regrets his choice.
“Sometimes medical schools persuade boys to choose nursing in order to increase theemployment rate, but the male students do not know the pressure until they eventuallystart in the job,” said Yu. “The situation won’t change unless people change their attitudesand nurses’ pay is increased.”
There are 1.74 million nurses in China, according to figures released by the Ministryof Health. Although there are no official statistics on how many are men, nursingassociation chief Ying estimated that they make up less than 1 percent. He said there islittle hope of that number increasing rapidly over the next few years.
In March, Li won the 2010 Outstanding Nurse Award in Beijing. He was the manamong 30 winners. “I don’t know where my nursing work will take me,” he said. “I’m justfocusing on doing my job the best I can.”
May 10, 2010