June is Men’s Health Month, an annual observance aimed at raising awareness of preventable health problems and encouraging early detection and treatment of disease among men and boys.
Currently, men die an average of 5 years younger than women, and they surpass women in 9 of the top 10 causes of death. They are also less likely to see the doctor regularly and to have insurance than women.
2014 marked the 20th year since Congress recognized National Men’s Health Week, supported by the Men’s Health Caucus in Congress and the APHA Men’s Health Caucus. Find out about the progress made in improving men's health here.
Men are also significantly underrepresented in the nursing workforce. Check out this recent piece by CareerStaff on the shortage of men in nursing -- only 12% of the nursing workforce today. While this may be an improvement from 2% in 1960, there is a long way to go for achieving gender diversity.
This AMN Healthcare Workforce blog post summarizes well the impact increasing gender diversity among nurses can have:
"On a larger scale, the health of populations could be improved if nurses, the occupation with the largest scale of hands-on patient care, better represent the people they serve."
AMN Healthcare's Chief Clinical Officer Cole Edmonson, DNP, RN, FACHE, NEA-BC, FAONL, FAAN, and Vice President of Clinical Operations Paulette Anest, MSN, RN, wrote that "care quality is dependent on the relationship between practitioner and patient; practitioner characteristics that match patient populations could be key to more effective treatment and successful outcomes."
As we celebrate Father's Day on June 20, we hope you will join us in raising awareness around Men's Health as well as the need for gender diversity in nursing and nursing education!