Increasing number of men become nurses

nurse school nursesMale nurse. Photo: Pixabay.com

The number of male students who started nursing education in Norway has increased from 23% in 2011 to just over 27% in 2018.

 

Lecturer Carl Christian Bachke at the University of Agder told NRK news that he believes the percentage will continue to increase.

“It’s not unreasonable to believe that in ten years, almost half of the nurses in Norway will be men,” said Bachke, who has studied nursing education in Norway.

Today, only one in five nurses are men. But figures from the nursing education programs from this year’s ‘study start’ show that the trend of recent years is persisting and more, and more, of the students are men.

Bachke said that in the 60’s and 70’s there were up to 50% males in the profession. Much due to the fact that one needed strong hands to help some of the patients who physically needed work to be carried out. From the 80’s and onwards, the percentage of men fell again.

Bachke emphasised that nursing education is a very safe way to find work.

“I usually call it ‘kinderegg education’. It allows jobs in the education, health and care sectors. Then we are talking hundreds of thousands of jobs all over Norway.And there is a huge need for labour in those sectors,” said Bachke.

 

© NTB scanpix / #Norway Today