If you are a man considering a career in nursing, you will be outnumbered significantly. Historically, nursing was a rather masculine career, and even the famous Walt Whitman was a nurse in the Civil War. Many men are taking up nursing, despite the profession currently being female-dominated. Enrollment of men in schools of nursing has steadily increased within the past few years. From 2008 to 2009, male students enrolled in a nursing program peaked at 13.8 percent, according to "Nursing Education Perspectives." There are organizations, like the American Assembly for Men in Nursing, that support this under-represented gender.
Typically, students in baccalaureate nursing programs are younger. Only 14 percent of these students are age 30 or over, reports "Nursing Education Perspectives." However, 49 percent of students enrolled in a two-year associate degree program are over the age of 30. So, the age demographics of students enrolled in nursing programs vary greatly depending on the type of program. The average age of the registered nurse was 46 years old in 2008, as opposed to 45.2 in 2000, according to the American Association of Colleges and Nursing.
Minorities have the largest general representation in entry-level baccalaureate nursing programs, with 26.3 percent of students in these programs belonging to a minority race. African Americans make up the largest minority percentage at 11.1 percent, followed by Asian or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander at eight percent. After that, Hispanics or Latinos make up 6.5 percent of baccalaureate programs. In addition, 73.7 percent of students are white and only 0.7 percent are American Indian or Alaskan native, according to the American Association of Colleges and Nursing.
About 45 percent of qualified applicants were turned away from two-year associate degree programs from 2008 to 2009 due to teacher and funding shortages. Despite this, minority students shouldn't be deterred from applying, as there are many programs, initiatives and scholarships to aid minorities in applying for and paying for school. Minority representation in nursing school baccalaureate programs has increased nearly seven percent from the year 2000 to the year 2009, according to the American Association of Colleges and Nursing.