Males taking nursing in Calgary rises so much they started a guys’ club

Most people may think of nursing as a female-dominated profession and while it still is the number of male students is rising so much at the University of Calgary it started a guys' club.

This year about 13 per cent of students entering the program are men - including students transferring to the program - that number is actually 21 per cent.

While it may seem low, it soars above the national average of 6.2 per cent for the profession, according to the Canadian Nurses Association.

"This year we noticed a lot more, so we wanted to start the club to get more guys excited about coming in," says Tyler Hume to the Calgary Herald. Hume is a third-year nursing student and is also president of the new club. "Another reason we're starting it is just to let people know that guys can care, we can be these compassionate people."

Hume originally planned to complete a nursing degree to fulfill requirements for med school, but says he fell in love with patient care and now plans to stick with the career.

One of Hume's classmates, Ryan Wilkie, entered the program after completing a science degree to get involved with patient care.

"A lot of people think nursing is just about the caring and helping others, which it is, but it's also a lot more that people don't realize," says Wilkie to the Herald.

The faculty's dean, Dianne Tapp, says to the Herald the school is working hard to get the message out that "nursing is a great career for men and women."

Figures in the U.S. show a similar trend of more males entering the profession.

The percentage of males entering the program over the past decade has been about nine per cent. The 13 per cent this year is an all-time high for the Calgary school.

(Reuters Photo)