WALL STREET JOURNALARTICLE HIGHLIGHTS THE GROWING NUMBER OF MEN IN NURSING The number of men in the U.S. with the job of registered nurse has nearly tripled in the past two decades according to a Nov. 30, 2025 article in the Wall Street Journal.The article, "The Hot New Job for Men: Nursing," reports the number of male registered nurses has increased from roughly 140,000 in 2000 to approximately 400,000 in 2023. That figure puts the percentage of nurses who are men at 14%, up from about 9% two decades ago.The article says part of the reason for the influx of males into the profession is that many of the manufacturing jobs that have been moved overseas, replaced by automation or phased out of the American economy were jobs mostly filled by men. "As a result, other occupations traditionally dominated by women are now gaining a larger share of men, including elementary and middle-school teachers and customer-service representatives," according to the articles author, Harriet Torry.Jason Mott, AAMN president, is quoted in the story as saying many men are entering the field because of the professional opportunities. “What I hear a lot from female students is, ‘I’ve always wanted to be a nurse, I like helping people,’ where the men tend to look more at job security and job stability,” Mott said. The article also cites U.S. Labor Department statistics that show the number of workers in the healthcare field has increased at roughly twice the pace of overall job growth since the COVID-19 pandemic. The Labor Department also says the average pay for an RN is roughly $95,000 per year, compared with an average nationwide salary of $65,000.

FROM JERSEYS TO SCRUBS:NEW YORK TIMES HIGHLIGHTS NFL PLAYERS WHO HAVE MOVED INTO NURSING CAREERS AFTER FOOTBALL The New York Times recently profiled three former NFL players who are currently employed as nurses, and two current players who are studying for nursing degrees while continuing their playing careers.The article, written by Jancee Dunn and published Oct. 19, 2025, noted that while it's not unusual for NFL players to move into careers as coaches or broadcasters after their playing days, nursing is such a new choice that none of the five players interviewed for her piece knew that any of the others were involved in the profession.The retired players -- D'Brickashaw Ferguson, who spent 10 years as an offensive lineman; Patrick Hill, a former running back; and Nate Hughes, a former wide receiver -- and current players Clyde Edwards-Helaire of the Kansas City Chiefs, and Chandler Brayboy of the Jacksonville Jaguars, all mentioned that facets of professional football prepared them for nursing, such as the physical demands, attention to detail, the need to perform a job under pressure, as well as the mental toughness and resiliency both professions require.AAMN President Jason Mott was also interviewed for the piece and noted that, while some men are still intimidated by entering a field that is so largely dominated by women, NFL players being involved with nursing can create new role models for young boys who have an interest in the profession. "This is awesome for boys to see," Mott said in the article.

TEACHING FIELD LOOKS TO NURSING FOR WAYSTO ATTRACT MORE MALES As the percentage of men in the teaching profession has continued to decline, the percentage of men in the nursing profession has increased. Those trends have not gone unnoticed by educators.An article published Feb. 4, 2025 on the Education Week webpage (edweek.org) notes the percentage of men who were teachers declined from 33 percent in 1980 to just 23 percent in 2022. Over that same period, the percentage of men in the nursing workforce increased from less than 3 percent to more than 11 percent.Among the reasons cited for the increasing number of men in nursing was the decreasing stigma associated with men pursuing a career in what remains a predominantly female profession. AAMN board member Frankie Hamilton is quoted in the story about his experience when, in his early 20s, he switched professions from teaching to nursing.“Right out of undergraduate school, in 2004, I was working with nurses a lot of the time, but every nurse I worked with was female,” Hamilton told EdWeek.org's Elizabeth Heubeck. “I was like, everyone thinks nursing is just for women.” Hamilton said he encountered gender stereotypes early in his nursing career, but less frequently today in his role as director of ambulatory care services at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx neighborhood of New York. Melissa Gomes, associate professor of nursing and associate dean for diversity, equity and inclusion at University of Virginia’s School of Nursing, said the media's attention on the positive impact of nurses during the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic shifted the public's focus on what it means to be a nurse, with less of a focus on gender.But the article notes the biggest advantage nursing has over teaching as a potential career for males is not only a higher salary, but opportunities for more diverse career pathways and advancement. "Teachers ... have fewer career pathways in education available to them," Heubeck writes. "If they don’t want to pursue positions in administration, which generally require additional education and training, they often remain in the classroom or leave the field altogether. It’s an issue that’s gaining more traction recently."