Should Nursing Be Recognized as a STEM Profession?

When asked if nursing is a STEM career, many may assume it is recognized as a STEM-designated degree program. Nursing students take courses robust in science, math, and technology.

“Nurses in every aspect of healthcare engage with technology and are the first to implement the use of new technology as it emerges,” says Tammy K. Stafford, DNP, assistant clinical professor and graduate program coordinator at Angelo State University.

Without STEM, nurses wouldn’t be able to provide evidence-based, scientific, and innovative practices to their patients.

But in the realm of STEM, nursing is not recognized as STEM education by the U.S. government. This can lead to social, political, and economic barriers.

Find out why some nursing professionals believe nursing should be recognized as a STEM profession and what they feel needs to happen to get there.

In 2001, Judith Ramaley, Ph.D., from the National Science Foundation coined the term STEM. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and math. She defined it as:

“An educational inquiry where learning was placed in context, where students solved real-world problems and created opportunities — the pursuit of innovation.”

In 2007, a few studies revealed adding “A” for art, to create STEAM education, provided innovations through:

The addition of art to STEM education allowed students to expand their imaginations and become innovators through art.

STEM/STEAM eventually transformed into an educational concept integrating into classrooms of all grade levels. Past presidents like Barack Obama and George W. Bush have also promoted STEM education.

In 2022, the Biden-Harris administration started an initiative called Raise the Bar: STEM Excellence for All Students Initiative. It is designed to:

There are many reasons for STEM programs. STEM education competitively positions the U.S. in the global market, prepares students for STEM careers, and increases the amount of STEM-prepared students in the job market.

To be recognized as a STEM degree drives funding. Through ARP by the Biden-Harris administration, $120 billion dollars is dedicated to K-12 STEM education programs. Federal education funds are also reserved for STEM education throughout higher education.

Federal and state agencies promote and fund STEM programs. Scholarships are offered to students interested in STEM fields. But the STEM field and which professions fall under the umbrella term continues to be up for debate.

A nursing degree is composed of a variety of courses on the fundamentals of nursing. Prerequisites to nursing classes begin with the same as many other STEM degrees.

“They include math, higher-level math, and chemistry just like other STEM fields,” Nancy A. Mimm, DNP, an assistant professor at Harrisburg University, points out.

A master’s in nursing, for instance, includes:

The science- and math-focused curriculum prepares nursing students to examine and create data that dictates evidence-based practices, Mimm says. A nursing degree also fosters inquiry, logical thinking, and collaboration as a team, similar goals to a STEM education.

“Nurses are scientists as we examine, evaluate, and recommend treatments and interventions,” Mimm says. “We then assess them for effectiveness to promote the best optimum health and well-being outcomes for populations and individuals.”

Nurses cannot do their job without the use of math. Math is used by nurses to ensure proper calculations of medication dosages that are provided safely to patients.

“Nurses also use math to analyze data to determine changes made and changes needed to improve the quality of care while controlling healthcare costs,” Stafford says.

The nursing profession is also considered an art. Regarding STEAM, the nurse curriculum contains prerequisites in liberal arts, including social and behavioral science and the humanities.

“Nurses demonstrate empathy and compassion soft skills as well. Many nurses are creative and use the arts to convey and teach concepts,” Susan J, Farese, MSN, RN, says. For example, Farese explains she teaches poetry, especially Haiku, as a therapeutic avenue for stress management. She also uses art as an educational method.

Mimm adds, “Nursing is … an art of caring, compassion, and empathy to help to empower individuals and communities to have their best health and well-being.”

When it comes to engineering, many may think a nursing degree doesn’t encompass engineering. But that’s quite the opposite. While nurses might not consider themselves engineers, they are at the heart of engineering, Stafford says.

“As trained problem solvers, nurses are engineering every day in their work as demonstrated by their ability to identify problems and often create a workaround to ensure the delivery of quality patient care,” Stafford explains.

Nurses also use the scientific method in every portion of their role. “This method is the exact method that every scientist utilizes,” Mimm says.

Because nurses are immersed in every aspect of the healthcare facility, they are often the ones who identify areas that need improvement, especially with technology and systems practices.

The U.S.Bureau of Labor Statistics includes nursing as a STEM field and STEM adjacent, recognizing practitioner occupations as STEM professions. Higher education has also embraced nursing as a STEM profession, with several universities including nursing in their science programs.

But the Department of Commerce’s Economics and Statistics Administration does not consider nursing a STEM education.

The Department of Homeland Security and ICE also does not include nursing on their list as STEM.

Like medicine, although nurses apply math, biology, and technology to their daily practice, medical and nursing schools are typically not included as a STEM field. Nursing is considered an applied science that can be perceived, as one literature review points out, as “a jack of all trades and a master of none.” This, perhaps, is a reason why nursing isn’t considered STEM/STEAM.

There are barriers the nursing profession faces when nursing isn’t considered a STEM degree. For example:

Over 85% of nurses are women. Perhaps if nursing was recognized as STEM, it could increase the percentage of women in STEM, attracting more funding and workforce development.

There are a few initiatives that can push the agenda to recognize nursing as a STEM profession. Here are seven:

Nursing’s designation as a STEM profession is essential for the future of nursing. The nursing shortage is only predicted to worsen. If nursing was considered STEM, it could improve workforce development, funding, and immigration policy. It could also lead to more scholarship opportunities for those interested in pursuing a nursing-STEM career.