Australian College of Nursing seeks to recruit and retain more males
A notable contribution to International Men’s Day on 19 November 2020 was the Australian College of Nursing, who acknowledged the men "whose expertise and compassion is pivotal to improving the health and wellbeing of patients across the world."
"We are lucky to have an amazing group of men in our ACN Tribe who are dedicated to increasing the number of males in nursing," said ACN on its Facebook page.
A dedicated website page has been set up by ACN to share personal stories of men in nursing, created at the 2019 Australian College of Nursing Forum in Hobart.
"Each story is a unique, passionate and raw description of being a man in nursing."
ACN established The Australian College of Nursing Men in Nursing Working Party – a group dedicated to improving the nursing workforce to allow for the greater retention and recruitment of men.
As part of this initiative, females in nursing talk about the contribution their male colleagues are making to the profession.
“In my experience of nursing and midwifery, I have found men to be great working colleagues, who have a natural ability to remain calm and confident in times of stress or adversity,” says nurse Kate Barnewall.
“They communicate well with people of all ages and I have witnessed men draw out conversation and confidence in male patients, who may otherwise be reluctant to share with female nurses, which helps bridge a connection to addressing men’s health concerns.
“I have found male nurses to be very respectful of the history of nursing (which is traditionally a female profession) but also keen to add value to the modern landscape of nursing.”
Adds Ariel Yokota: “Those who choose to be a nurse feel a call and a passion to care and support people in times of need, responding to this call has nothing to do with gender.”
Read: Perspectives on men who care
To celebrate International Men’s Day 2020, ACN invited former High Court Justice the Hon. Michael Kirby to speak at its online series on developing collaborative leaders and men in nursing.
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