Don't call it women's work

Xue Lei treats a patient at the intensive care unit at Peking University Third Hospital. [Photo by Zou Hong / China Daily]

Men are entering the nursing profession in greater numbers and gaining acceptance among patients.

Ten years ago, if someone would have told Liu Bao that he would become a male nurse, he would have felt insulted.

But today, the 30-year-old from Baoding, Hebei province, has a different attitude and is proud of his chosen career. "I had never heard of male nurses before college," says Liu, who is now a nurse at China-Japan Friendship Hospital in Beijing.

"But now I believe being a male nurse is no more surprising than being a male teacher. If a woman can do the job, why can't a man?"

China has nearly 2.5 million registered nurses, and although male nurses represent about 1 percent of the total, their numbers are growing rapidly, especially in large cities, according to the Chinese Nursing Association.

Xue Lei, a 31-year-old male nurse in Beijing, chose the career at the urging of his father, who said it would be easy for him to find a good job after graduating from college. His father was right, and Xue was hired by Peking University Third Hospital in 2007. He is now the head nurse in the intensive care unit.

"My father works in a hospital, and has seen the demand for male nurses," Xue says. "While women are usually considered gentle and careful, men can also be gentle and careful. Besides, men often are much calmer in emergencies and are physically stronger than most women. That gives us advantages working in fast-paced and high-pressure hospital departments."

Male nurses mostly work in intensive care units, emergency departments, operation rooms and mental hospitals. They are also preferred in examinations involving men's genitals, Xue adds.

Being a nurse in the unit is far more complex than simply giving injections and dispensing medicine. Nurses must regularly wash patients' bodies and help them turn over or change positions.

They also observe and report changes in a patient's condition, and prepare drugs and devices for doctors when they need to perform emergency treatment.

As head nurse, Xue is always prepared to coordinate with medical specialists from all over the hospital, because joint efforts are sometimes needed to treat patients.

Xue loves his job, and he believes nurses can help patients both physically and mentally. Nurses help patients maintain their confidence and happiness while they battle diseases through constant care and attention.

Deng Jun, 27, the head nurse at Peking University First Hospital, says that because there are so few male nurses, they might have more opportunities than their female counterparts in training, overseas business visits and career advancement.