Losing Ground: Why the Sudden Drop in Male Nurses Matters

By Rose O. Sherman, EdD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN

Becker’s Hospital Review recently reported on a stunning reversal. After almost a decade of improvement, the number of men in nursing is now declining. Men represented 10.4% of registered nurses in 2024, down from 11.2% in 2022, according to data from the National Council of State Boards of Nursing’s 2024 National Nursing Workforce Survey.  RegisteredNurse.jobs, a nursing job platform that reportedly lists about 70,000 active nursing openings nationwide, told Becker’s that fewer than 5% of RN candidate profiles created on the platform to date are men.

For nearly a decade, the narrative was clear: more men were entering nursing. It was a win for diversity and workforce volume. While the drop seems small on paper, it represents the first major decline after years of steady growth (up from 8% in 2015).  The reasons why need to be studied. A relevant context is the timing of the data collection (March to December 2024). The years leading up to 2022 saw severe pandemic-era disruptions, an explosion of high-paying travel nursing contracts, and acute staffing crises. As the market stabilized through 2024, many nurses shifted roles or left bedside care entirely. Because male nurses have historically been more highly represented in acute, high-stress specialties such as emergency medicine, critical care, and travel nursing, they may have been disproportionately involved in this post-pandemic career migration. Their loss in these areas could not come at a worse time, as turnover is now up in acute care areas for 2026.

Data from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) shows that male enrollment in undergraduate nursing programs is currently hovering around 11.9%. While this is a slight, fractional tick down from its peak, the broader story in academia isn’t that men are suddenly fleeing nursing schools. Right now, men make up roughly 11.9% of nursing students, but only 10.4% of the active RN workforce. This gap suggests the problem might not be a lack of interest among men entering the profession, but rather a retention issue after they graduate. Whether due to culture shock during clinicals, a lack of male mentorship, or rapid burnout in their first 24 months at the bedside, we are losing men somewhere between the classroom and the long-term career. While undergraduate male enrollment is stagnant, men are disproportionately pursuing advanced degrees once they do stay in the field. Men slightly outpace women in earning Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) and doctoral degrees.

The Questions We Need to Be Asking Male Nurses

• The data shows a sudden drop in male RNs over the last two years. In your immediate circle, are you seeing male colleagues leave the bedside, and if so, where are they heading?
• Male nurses have historically been highly represented in high-stress specialties such as the ER, ICU, and flight nursing. Do you think the workload, burnout, and turnover in these areas is contributing to the decline in the number of male nurses?
• The average nurse salary crossed $101,000, and sign-on bonuses are still everywhere—yet recruitment of men has stalled. What do you think is a bigger barrier for men entering or staying in the field right now: the lingering cultural stereotypes, or the actual daily working conditions?
• If you were talking to a young Gen Z guy who is considering nursing but hesitant because of the gender imbalance, what would you tell him about the reality of the job today?

Ultimately, the numbers tell us that the traditional nursing pipeline is leaking. Men are entering the classroom, albeit in small numbers, but a combination of factors, including some we may not yet fully understand, means they are not staying in the profession. True diversity isn’t just about who we welcome through the front doors of our hospitals and nursing schools—it’s about creating an environment sustainable enough to keep them there. We are losing ground with male nurses and need to better understand why.