Nursing work has long been regarded as a female-dominated career, yet male nurses were involved initially, with their entry and departure influenced by numerous factors. After 1840, with the introduction of Western medicine to China, patients increasingly required hospitalization, particularly for medical equipment and surgical treatments. Nursing emerged as a separate profession from doctor-led medical practices.
Early training for male nurses were provided in the nascent hospitals of China. However, male nurses were frequently utilized as inexpensive labor, often juggling multiple roles, involving served as doctors' assistants, surgical assistants, and performed various other tasks within the hospital. The subordinate position of male nurses in comparison to doctors led to a lack of professional respect, leading many to view nursing as a temporary career while they sought to become doctors.
In the 1920s, influenced by Western feminist ideas, nursing became a popular career for women, further marginalizing male nurses. Some nursing schools refused to admit male nursing students. Furthermore, the low income of male nurses failed to meet the needs of their families, contributing to a continuous decline in their self-identity. Some even took the initiative to request nursing schools not to recruit male students. Male nurses who were already employed also aspired to switch to careers as military doctors or public health doctors, or to learn other skills such as medical technology, maintenance, and logistics.
In summary, leaving the nursing profession became the preferred choice for male nurses in the Republic of China.

During the Republic of China, more than 100 nursing books were published in China, covering 17 aspects including basic nursing, comprehensive nursing, pediatric nursing, military nursing, infectious disease nursing, basic medicine, nutrition, family nursing, eye nursing, internal medicine nursing, surgical nursing, maternity nursing, psychological nursing, nursing profession, nursing ethics, public health nursing and nursing history. The least number of nursing books were published in 1914 and 1916, which may be related to the early stage of nursing education after the establishment of the Chinese Nurses Association. The largest number of nursing books were published in 1935, 1936, 1947, 1948 and 1949, which may be related to the fact that nursing just began to get on the right track before the war, and after several years of restoration after the war, nursing has burst out new vitality. Most of these books were translated and compiled by the Chinese Medical Association in the early days, reflecting that nursing was not independent at that time, and the community of doctors gave as much support as possible. The Chinese Nurses Association also participated in the compilation and review of some books, which shows that nurses are also making continuous efforts to develop nursing careers.