Some male students defy stereotypes in predominantly female majors.
It’s not uncommon for Ty Tracy to feel outnumbered in his nursing classes.
Tracy, a sophomore studying nursing, is one of 45 male students in Ohio University’s Bachelor of Nursing program for the 2015-16 academic year, said Regina Schwartz, a spokeswoman for the College of Health Sciences and Professions.
The program has 309 students. That means only 15 percent of OU’s undergraduate nursing program is male.
“Honestly, I’ve never really thought too much about it,” Tracy said. “We definitely are a minority, but I just never have had a problem or missed out on an educational opportunity because of my gender.”
Education is another program at OU that has low male enrollment.
Kimberly Barlag, spokeswoman for the Patton College of Education, said about 26 percent of the college’s undergraduate students are male.
She said the numbers are preliminary for fall 2015.
Jacob Dummermuth, a junior studying middle childhood education, said he thinks males might not go into the field because of past experiences.
“They may have witnessed a past teacher seem uninterested in his or her job, which led to them being a poor teacher,” he said. “I also believe males view teaching as a daunting job. There are kids that need watched, papers to be graded and lesson plans written every week.”
Though many males still aren’t in the education field, Dummermuth said he thinks the number is on the rise.
“In regards to male-female makeup, I think it has changed over the years,” he said. “The numbers are still low on the male side, but there is a steady trend of males choosing the educational career path.”
Dummermuth said he hadn’t encountered any struggles yet, but he expects more to occur as he advances in his career.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="a048c216-d01d-11e5-8e0c-0fb3a8dd5b45"}}
“I embrace the fact that I am in a predominantly female field,” he said. “No matter what grade level, schools need great male teachers, and I want to be a great teacher.”
Tracy said male nurses will occasionally see patients who are not comfortable having men treat them, which is something women may not encounter as often.
“Some patients will turn you away because of their cultural background,” he said. “We’re taught to not really be offended by it, so it’s not a huge issue.”
Nursing Lecturer Kim Resanovich said she has seen an increase in the number of male students in the nursing program since 2007 and an increase in males in the profession in general throughout her career.
At one point, she said she would only see about one male nurse.
“Now that pendulum has swung,” Resanovich said. “I think it’s multi-factoral. The media has done a better job of informing the public that nursing isn’t just for females.”
She said an increasing respect for nursing, increased pay and the variety of jobs nursing offers could also be a reason for an increase in male nurses.
“It’s changing the way the public views nurses,” Resanovich said. “They now see them as an integral part of the public health care team and not just a handmaiden to the doctor.”
She added that sometimes male nurses can be asked to do things, primarily physical activities, that females may not be able to do, though any awkward moments occur for both males and females.
"It should be an even playing field, but I don’t know that it is," Resanovich said. "Our guys are sometimes taken advantage of for their size. I suspect that that’s pressure on them."
Tracy said he sees about nine male students in his classes of about 100 people, and Dummermuth said he typically has about five to seven other male students in his classes.
As of 2011, about 9 percent of all nurses were male, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. That percentage has nearly tripled since the 1970s.
However, men in the nursing field averaged at about $61,000 per year, and women averaged approximately $51,000.
Tracy said all of his nursing professors have been female, and his classes typically are about 90 percent female.
“To be a nurse in general, you have to have a caring and compassionate personality,” Tracy said. “It may be because a lot of guys hold in emotions, so that’s why we get that stereotype that we’re not nurses. But actually, it’s some of the biggest tough guys that give the best care emotionally and physically.”
@kcoward02
