Ancient Rome possesses the oldest records of known male nurses. The plague that struck ancient Rome brought about the need for people to assist the ailing. Men took up the work and assisted the victims of the plague. The American civil war also saw the emergence of the first American nurses. Victims of the civil war got assistance from members of the military who offered to do the work of assisting the wounded. Most of these people were medics who were members of the military as well.
It is historically known that men have been the dominant group in matters of war and the fact that these first American nurses were men is not a shock. A number of other significant things have taken place since the times of ancient Rome and the American civil war and the field that was pioneered by men is not theirs any more. Women have taken over and much work will evidently have to be done to balance the equation or give the profession back to the pioneers.
Historical events leading to female domination in the field of nursing Despite the presence of a very small number of female nurses in the Rome situation during the plague and the American civil war, their participation got serious recognition and prominence. The absence of female fighters and the presence of female nurses daring enough to go to the battlefront and nurse the wounded accounts for this unique recognition.
The fact that men were considered brave enough to give assistance to the wounded given that they participated in war did not help matters and male nurses went unnoticed despite their numeral superiority. A heavy shot in the arm for female nurses came in 1901 when an exclusively feminine nurse group emerged. Going by the name the United States Nurse Corps, the organization did much in making everyone believe that nursing is a feminine profession. Earlier on in the eighteen hundreds, another organization that was also meant for females only had been formed.
It went by the name American Nurses Association and it maintained the policy of recruiting and accepting only female members until the nineteen thirties when men began gaining entry. It was very late during the Korean battle that the United States Nurses Corps decided to recruit male members into the group. By this time, government departments, public and private organizations had already formed their own picture of their ideal nurse. The ideal nurse was female and any male purporting to be a nurse was only trying to intrude into prohibited or forbidden territory.
Up to date, female nurses, members of the wider medical fraternity, governmental and non-governmental organizations and othr individuals do not hold the male nurse in high esteem and this is why the male nurse has had to contend with discrimination form nearly all angles. Another big historical contribution towards the dominance of females in the field of nursing goes is closely connected to the famous lady by the name Florence Nightngale. Florence understood that the entire female flock was a collection of natural nurses.