We’ve probably all heard the saying, “Women in STEM.” This slogan is associated with hard work, great praise, and honor. However, what if I said, there’s almost a reverse in another industry? That industry is, drumroll please . . . NURSING!
Similar to being a woman in STEM, men in nursing deserve similar recognition due to them being the minority or “men”ority. Just recently, in 2023, 12.6% of the nursing population in the U.S. identified as male.
With this already considerably low percentage, nursing is UCLA’s most competitive major with an acceptance rate of just under 1%. Being accepted into nursing is an outstanding achievement, so being a man in nursing is highly honorable.
Nursing at UCLA and nursing in general is a highly female-dominated industry. Out of the entire class of 2026 cohort, there are around 60 women and 5 men. Let’s find out more about their experiences with breaking the barriers and how they are working towards inspiring more men to pursue nursing despite stereotypes.
a nursing student’s perspective
Jude Marting, Nicholas Flores, and Billy Alvarez (as photographed left to right in the cover image) from the class of 2026 cohort shared their perspective, as third-year nursing students at UCLA.
What initially inspired you to pursue nursing?
Nicholas Flores:
My mom inspired me because she’s a nurse. She’s probably my biggest inspiration. I visit my mom at work a lot and I talk to her coworkers. She’s always had a lot of male coworkers. I’ve always talked to them. I always felt like, being a man in nursing isn’t like something bad. People try to make it seem like it’s kind of like a bad thing because you’re, like, the “only one.” But every guy I’ve met who’s a nurse has loved their job and being a nurse. So that’s always reinforced my desire to be in the medical field.
Billy Alvarez:
When I started looking into nursing, it was more of the interpersonal relationships with the patients that I was focusing on. Practice is great, but talking to the patients and seeing them improve is what I wanted to do in, like, medicine as a whole.
I went into it expecting a large, like, sex divide. I knew it wasn’t gonna be male-dominated. But, I mean, honestly, I don’t care. The guys are super chill. It kinda worked out in the end. There’s a lot of toxic masculinity in other industries, so I’m glad it’s not geared towards that. It’s not a lot of competition. It’s a lot of cooperation. You don’t have to compare yourself to some kind of deal.
Jude Marting:
I’ve always found that at my job, I wanted to help people in some way or shape or form. Having a job that benefits others is important to me, and I think you have a job that benefits only yourself. You’re bound to get bored, tired of it, and it’s gonna become a purgatory almost. You’re forced to go there every day, but I feel like by helping people, you get to go there every day, and you get to impact someone else’s life instead of just getting paid. And I love that aspect. My parents were high school teachers, and this is just kind of a thought I’ve been passed down. Nurses will see fewer patients than doctors, but connect them on a personable level. You get to know them and treat them physically and emotionally. I wanna hear their story. I wanna be able to impact their lives.
What is the biggest misconception about men in nursing?
Nicholas Flores:
I think the biggest misconception is probably that the men are just there to do the heavy lifting.
I’ve talked to my mom about this. She talks a lot about how the men help with moving patients and stuff. I feel people kind of assume that, like, that’s, like, a lot of what they do, but they help to support the team of medical professionals just like other nurses.
Billy Alvarez:
I feel like the largest misconception is that men choose nursing because they’re not suitable for medical school. It’s a huge misconception, we have really smart people who can go to med school, but it’s just not for us. It’s not the right fit. Most of us do kinda want that balance between the nurse the nursing provides and the sort of fluidity of being able to change our specialty.
Jude Marting:
They’re kind of the “grunts” and not really helping the patients very much.
They’re kind of seen as assistants to the doctors by society, but I think as I’ve learned more in nursing school, there are a lot of things that we do. We’ll be performing CPR. We’ll actually be giving shots, actually getting in the room, and reading vital signs. We’re able to do a lot more than I thought we’d be able to originally.
I think the media kind of portrays the doctors doing all this stuff, and in reality, the nurses do most of it. Nursing is portrayed as more like a feminine kind of thing, but I think it’s a profession that’s for everyone. I think it is for everyone who’s passionate about helping other people.
funny stories
Nicholas Flores:
I’ve been pointed out more because of my height than, like, my gender. When I was volunteering one time at Ronald Reagan, the nurses asked, what I was majoring in, and I told them nursing. And the first thing they pointed out was like, “Oh, you’ll be really good at putting the IV bags up and stuff.”
Billy Alvarez:
When I walked into the classroom for the first nursing class, I saw just women. I didn’t mind. But, I thought, “this is gonna be an interesting 4 years of university haha.” Then I saw the other 3 guys in the class walk in, who were Nick, Jude, and Audric. Nick and Jude stick out like a sore thumb because they’re tall. Like, they’re extremely, extremely tall.
I wanted to go and interact with them because seeing other guys that also kinda wanted to pursue nursing is amazing. I still remember interacting with Jude for the first time. He was just so bubbly. He just seemed, like, so intermeshed with everyone.
Jude Marting:
There’s gonna be some times when people expect that I should know more than I do. They’ll ask me questions like, “Hey, what it is X” and that is something I have not learned yet. I don’t know everything yet since I’m a nursing student, but I’m not a nurse. So I don’t know that answer yet haha.
What advice would you give to young men considering nursing but feeling hesitant due to gender stereotypes?
Nicholas Flores:
There are stereotypes about everything. You have to be the one to forge your own path. You know what I mean? It is kind of intimidating coming into it, but a lot of people are very supportive of it. We’re currently, like, in the process of changing. We’re the generation that will change nursing into a more equal field, in terms of men and women. If you’re going to pursue it, you’re gonna have a lot of support.
Billy Alvarez:
I would say the easiest thing would be to say, **** the haters. Easiest way easiest, blunt way to say it. Just do it. Just do it. If nursing calls out to you, it’s really just because, you know, maybe there’s something that interests you. Just like how most of us have chosen nursing either for, like, the change in specialty or work-life balance or intimacy with patients as opposed to other doctors who are more, like, practice-oriented or not even barely getting to see the patient outside of, like, surgery or outside of, like, one on one assessments.
Jude Marting:
This is your life, and I think we’re too far in society to be thinking of jobs in a specific category. We’re too far in society to be thinking of jobs as male or female. Like, at this point, they’re just jobs. If your heart’s in the right place and that’s what you wanna do, 100% do it. There’s gonna be so many fantastic people you’re gonna meet there, so all the haters don’t matter. If you’re doing what you love, does it really matter what anyone else is saying?
a new nurse’s perspective
A new PCICU Nurse at Loma Linda University Children’s Hospital and 2024 UCLA Nursing Summa Cum Laude graduate, John Calonia, also gave some insight into how his perspective on being a man in nursing has shifted from transitioning from a nursing student to a registered nurse.
What do you think, like, the biggest challenges and rewards you’ve experienced as a male nurse have been?
Definitely biggest challenge, at this point, is getting through nursing school. Nursing school is very difficult. I look back, like, 2 years ago thinking, like, “Oh, what an innocent little child who did not know what he was doing.” You get through nursing school, you graduate, and you go through new grad, and you’re like, oh, I’m actually still learning.
That’s okay too. Nursing is a profession where you have to constantly be down to learn, and be always curious. Making sure that, like, you’re fueling your brain and, like, keeping that passion for this work going is very important because at the end of the day, nursing, as fulfilling and as, like, interesting and as cool as it is, it’s very difficult. Making sure that you’re always finding ways to keep yourself motivated is important.
Do you think male nurses are perceived differently by patients, colleagues, or society compared to female nurses?
There were a lot of female patients in our obstetrics rotation or maternity rotation, which a lot of my male classmates would not be able to care for. Certain patients requested an all-female team. Male nurses are oftentimes the ones who are called to, like, help with more laboring, lifting, and maneuvering.
In terms of, like, my colleagues, I would say that everyone is sort of on the same team. It never hindered me or made me feel ostracized by the fact that all of my coworkers are female because it’s a very woman-led profession and are a team.
have you noticed, like, any advantages or disadvantages in your career advancement, as a male nurse?
My cohort right now is 49 people, and there are about 7 guys in there. I feel like that is in line with the national average. Around 14%. So I wouldn’t say that, like, oh, there was a preferential treatment in terms of employment towards men. At the end of the day, I am the only new hire who is a man on my specific unit. I wouldn’t necessarily say, like, there was preferential treatment just because it follows the national average.
how do you envision the future of nursing in terms of gender balance?
At the end of the day, like, having a diverse workplace is super beneficial to everyone involved, and having more of a perspective from the male side of things would be really cool to see in the future of the profession.
In terms of myself, I think the biggest way to get the word out there is outreach to high schools. I feel like a lot of clubs at UCLA do. There’s, this club, Men in Nursing, and being a part of that helped to spread the word.
an experienced nurse’s perspective
Dr. Robert “G” Giesler, DNP, MSN-EDU, RNC-NIC, RRT, is a professor of Nursing at UCLA and is a longtime nurse and the current faculty advisor for the student organization MIN, “Men in Nursing.” He shared his perspective on navigating the industry and gave advice for young nurses, looking back.
What’s it like, being a man, in nursing?
“It’s fun filled with excitement every day. I absolutely love being a male nurse! I am 6 ft tall, so I’m always asked to reach things that are high. I have changed countless water bottles in the break room. For aggressive clients, having a male nurse is reassuring to most charge nurses. I do get treated a little differently though. As a male nurse, I really need to watch my verbal and non-verbal actions.”
Do you think male nurses are perceived differently by patients, colleagues, or society compared to female nurses?
I think there are definitely societal perceptions and stereotypes towards male nurses such as they are gay, effeminate, less compassionate, and caring than female’ nurses, which may negatively contribute to their recruitment and retention in nursing programs. I also think that this creates added stress to the male nurses already stressful life.
Looking back, what are some of the biggest challenges and rewards you’ve experienced as a male nurse?
I felt as a male nurse, I was sometimes seen as an outsider in the nursing community, and I must work harder than my female counterparts to be respected and gain the same level of recognition. I also needed to contend with sexism and often had to deal with criticism that I was not qualified. I know male nurses also face unique challenges when it comes to geriatrics care.”
The rewards outweighed any challenge. Nursing gave me a sense of purpose in life. An identity of who I was which eventually led me to be who I am now. Never did I think I could achieve so much in life if it wasn’t for the fact that I had the foundation of nursing to grow off of. In the end, it is not about anything but seeing your sick client become well enough to go home. To me that’s all that matters is the client.
How do you envision the future of nursing in terms of gender balance, and what role do you see yourself playing in shaping that future?
Yes, we should mentor other men and provide valuable insight and guidance to young men considering nursing as a career. We can help them navigate the challenges of nursing school and provide them with a male perspective on the profession.
We can serve as mentors. Serving as a mentor, we can help ensure more young men enter the nursing profession each year. We can be an advocate. We have a distinct outlook when promoting gender diversity. As a man in a predominantly female profession, we can provide a strong.
Joining organizations such as Men in Nursing (MIN) will help to provide new nursing students with a sense of guidance and support. By doing so, this will help help to create a healthier
breaking down gender barriers
Based on these experiences, there is still a lot of work to be done in the nursing field to promote a more equal gender ratio.
Fortunately, there’s substantial hope since more bold, young minds are joining the industry! A future with a diverse population of nurses where every patient feels represented by their medical professionals is certainly near.