What the Men Left Out: An Analysis of Nursing, Gender, and the Sociology of Professions.

The birth of medical sociology is often traced back to the 1950's. During this time, sociologists who were interested in medicine began forging relationships with physicians to develop research projects that often took place in hospitals (Bradby 2012; Hollingshead 1973). As such, much of the early work in medical sociology centered the role of physicians in healthcare and largely overlooked other healthcare providers such registered nurses (RNs), nurse practitioners (NPs), and other auxiliary workers. Although the purview of medical sociology has swelled, medical sociologists' fixation on physicians has remained stable over the years, and there is a dearth of research on healthcare professionals who are not physicians. The aim of this paper is to explore the field of nursing through a sociological lens, focusing on the obstacles nurses have faced in the pursuit of professionalization. I begin with an overview of the classical theories of professions (i.e. Abbott and Freidson) as well as a feminist critique of this body of work. I then cover the empirical literature on nursing and the professions and provide a brief overview of the gendered history of healthcare. This highlights the historical processes that have shaped the differential statuses and jurisdictions in medicine and nursing that have led to the crystallization of male privilege in theory and practice. I then discuss the structural and cultural constraints on nursing as an occupation, and nurses' responses to these constraints. Lastly, I review the limitation of this work, opportunities for research and provide concluding remarks. This paper builds on both medical sociology and the sociology of work and professions literatures and addresses calls to explore how the changing nature of medical work impacts occupational groups, and how white male privilege has led to social closure in healthcare. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]