The American Nurses Association has recognized men’s health nursing as a specialty in the profession.
This makes nursing the first healthcare profession to define a nationally recognized men’s health specialty supported by a formal scope and standards document, according to a Feb. 26 association news release.
Men and boys experience higher rates of premature mortality, suicide, occupational injury, substance use and delayed engagement in preventive care, according to the release. Establishing the specialty will advance how men’s health is addressed in nursing, and creates a structured framework, professional practice, education and ethical responsibilities specific to men and boys.
“From the beginning, our goal was simple but ambitious: to ensure that boys and men are no longer invisible in our frameworks of care,” Julian Gallegos, PhD, MBA, APRN, member of the American Nurses Credentialing Center Board of Directors, said in the release. “Establishing men’s health as a nursing specialty creates the infrastructure, accountability, and professional identity needed to close long-standing gaps in prevention, diagnosis, and treatment for male patients across the lifespan.”
Dr. Gallegos collaborated with Curry Bordelon, DNP, MBA, CCRNP, co-lead, and the American Men’s Health Nursing Alliance to create the “Men’s Health Nursing Scope and Standards of Practice.”
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