What you’ll learn in this article…
- Projected 189,000 RN openings annually demand workforce diversification.
- UAB's inclusive marketing yields nearly 1 in 6 male nursing students.
- Only 1 in 8 nurses are men, but targeted recruitment can close the gap.
The nursing workforce is undergoing a demographic shift as schools actively recruit men to fill critical gaps. As of July 2026, only about one in eight nurses are men, yet the U.S. Labor Department projects 189,000 annual registered nurse openings over the next decade.1 Models like the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) show that intentional outreach works: nearly one in six nursing students there are male, far outpacing the national average.1 For a profession facing a chronic shortfall, recruiting more men through deliberate strategies is a practical solution, not a symbolic gesture.
Why Nursing Needs More Men: The Shortage and Diversity Imperative
Recruiting more men into nursing is no longer a peripheral diversity goal: it is an urgent workforce strategy necessary to address the nation's projected shortage of registered nurses.
The Current State of Male Participation in Nursing
Despite modest gains over the past decade, men remain significantly underrepresented in nursing. In 2022, men made up about 12% of the nursing workforce. More recent data from 2024 shows that among registered nurses specifically, the male share hovers around 10.4%.2 While this reflects a slow upward trend from roughly 9% ten years ago, progress has been incremental, and nursing continues to be one of the most gender-skewed health professions.
A Looming Shortage Demands a Broader Talent Pool
The urgency of increasing male participation becomes clear when viewed against the backdrop of a deepening nursing shortage. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics projects 189,100 annual openings for registered nurses through 2034, driven by both job growth (5%) and the need to replace retiring nurses.3 With total employment reaching 3.39 million in 20243 and an estimated shortage rate of 10% in 20264, relying on traditional recruitment demographics will not be enough. Men represent a largely untapped pool of potential candidates, a pool that could meaningfully narrow the workforce gap if recruitment efforts successfully break through long-standing barriers that male nursing students often face.
How Gender Diversity Strengthens Patient Care
Beyond filling vacancies, a more gender-balanced nursing workforce offers documented care quality benefits. Research suggests that diverse healthcare teams improve communication, enhance patient trust, and lead to better clinical outcomes, particularly when provider demographics reflect the populations served. Male nurses can also bring different perspectives to care delivery, and in some settings, such as psychiatric units or with male patients who may feel more comfortable discussing sensitive issues with another man, they fulfill a distinct and valuable role.
The Workforce Equation: Why More Men Means Fewer Vacancies
Workforce modeling by nursing scholars indicates that even a modest rise in male representation could have an outsized impact on the shortage. If men were to enter nursing at a rate comparable to other allied health professions, say, 20% to 30%, the additional supply of nurses could potentially reduce annual vacancy rates by several percentage points. This isn’t just theoretical; institutions like the University of Alabama at Birmingham are already demonstrating that intentional recruitment of men can meaningfully boost male enrollment. Scaling such efforts nationally could turn a slow demographic crawl into a strategic solution for the nursing profession’s most pressing challenge.
Breaking Down Stereotypes: What's Holding Men Back?
The nursing profession offers stability, high demand, and meaningful work, yet deeply ingrained stereotypes, a form of Sexism in Nursing Is a Problem, continue to steer many men away. On one side, there are 189,000 annual registered nurse openings projected by the U.S. Labor Department, reflecting the nursing shortage; on the other, as of July 2026, only about one in eight nurses are men, according to NPR.
The Persistence of Gender Stereotypes
Common misconceptions frame nursing as "women's work," a role that requires maternal nurturing rather than clinical expertise. Some still believe male nurses lack empathy or that the career is not "masculine" enough. Professor Curry Bordelon of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) captures the slow progress of changing these perceptions with an apt analogy: "We're never going to flip the entire iceberg. But I can get one little ice cube at a time out of it."
Barriers That Keep Men Away
These stereotypes create real deterrents. A lack of visible male role models in nursing can make the field feel unwelcoming. Fear of being viewed as less competent, or facing social stigma from family and peers, often discourages men from applying to nursing programs. The perception persists that nursing is a caregiving extension of domestic roles, rather than a rigorous, science-based profession.
A Career Worth Pursuing
Yet these barriers stand in stark contrast to the reality of a nursing career, which offers competitive salaries (evident in the Male vs Female Nurse Salary data), rapid advancement, and the chance to work in high-acuity specialties like critical care, emergency medicine, and psychiatric nursing, areas where male nurses often thrive. The demand for nurses is urgent, and men are needed to bring diverse perspectives to patient care. Beyond financial stability, nursing provides a profound sense of purpose and the ability to make a tangible difference in patients' lives.
The lingering "male nurse" stereotype remains a significant recruitment roadblock, deterring men from a stable, growing career. Nursing schools like UAB are countering this by showcasing male students and faculty in all marketing, proving that nursing is for everyone.
How UAB Is Pioneering Male Recruitment in Nursing Education
What specific steps is the University of Alabama at Birmingham taking to bring more men into its nursing programs?
The UAB School of Nursing has built a nationally recognized model for male recruitment that combines visible representation, proactive outreach, and a supportive institutional culture. The results are evident: men now make up close to 1 in 6 nursing students at UAB, a rate well above the national average of about 1 in 8.1
Strategic Marketing That Reflects the Student Body
UAB intentionally features male students in all its marketing materials, such as brochures, website imagery, social media, and advertisements. This deliberate visibility counteracts the lingering stereotype that nursing is a women-only profession. By normalizing the image of men in scrubs, the school sends a clear message that men belong in nursing classrooms and clinical settings.
High School Outreach and Early Exposure
The school sends teams of male and female nurses into high schools to talk about nursing careers. These visits allow skeptical teenagers to meet male nurses face-to-face, ask questions, and see nursing as a viable, well-paying career path. This early exposure helps overcome preconceptions before students even apply to college.
Support Systems That Sustain Commitment
Retention is just as important as recruitment. UAB Hospital, the school's academic medical center partner, runs an employee resource group for men in nursing. This group offers mentoring, professional development, and camaraderie, helping male nurses build networks that reduce isolation and boost job satisfaction. Professor Curry Bordelon, a faculty member, captures the incremental strategy: "We're never going to flip the entire iceberg. But I can get one little ice cube at a time out of it."1 That philosophy of sustained, small-scale change permeates the program, and faculty report very high satisfaction and retention among their male students.5
Results and Recognition
The payoff is measurable. Over the past two decades, male enrollment at UAB has doubled.1 Certain specialties show even larger shifts. The Nurse Anesthesia program, for instance, enrolled 48% men as early as 2017.2 UAB's School of Nursing has been named a Best School for Men in Nursing for six consecutive years,3 and UAB Medicine has earned Best Workplace for Men in Nursing honors multiple times.4 These accolades affirm that a deliberate, multi-layered approach can transform a nursing program's gender balance, one ice cube at a time.
According to the 2025 AACN Annual Report, men now make up 12.6% of baccalaureate nursing students, a 5.9% increase over the previous year. This growth signals that targeted recruitment efforts are beginning to reshape the nursing student population.
Beyond UAB: Other Nursing Schools Successfully Recruiting Male Students
While some nursing schools focus on financial scholarships to attract men, others build tight-knit peer networks that create a lasting sense of belonging. Both approaches work, and the programs below show that a strategic mix can dramatically shift enrollment.
University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh: From Two to Fifteen
The College of Nursing at UW Oshkosh transformed its male student presence by launching a "Men in Nursing" student organization and pairing new students with male nurse mentors. Rather than simply adding men to generic marketing, they created dedicated recruitment materials featuring current male students and alumni. As a result, cohorts that once included only two or three men now routinely include ten to fifteen, a fivefold jump that program leaders credit to visible role models and an intentional, supportive culture.1
University of Pittsburgh: Steady Growth Through Representation
Pitt’s School of Nursing tackled the issue with a long-term strategy centered on community and branding. Their "Men in Nursing" group hosts regular meetups, professional development events, and outreach to high schools. Faculty and administrators deliberately include male voices in open houses and promotional videos. The payoff is measurable: male undergraduate enrollment rose from 9% in 2000 to 14% across all programs by 2022, outpacing the national average by several points.1
UNC Greensboro: Reaching Nearly One in Five
At UNC Greensboro’s School of Nursing, active recruitment in high schools, combined with a faculty that visibly includes male professors, has helped push male enrollment to 16.3% of its student body in the 2024-2025 academic year, or 213 men total.2 The school also participates in the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill’s Careers Beyond the Bedside (CaBB) project, which admitted 60 students and achieved a 96% graduation rate,3 proving that structured support can keep men in the pipeline.
A Blueprint for Other Programs
None of these strategies require massive budgets. Forming a student-led group, refreshing marketing images, and building a mentorship network are replicable steps. A national review of male nursing students confirms that interventions focused on belonging and professional identity consistently improve retention.2 For schools looking to diversify, the path is clear: adopt strategies that work, measure the impact, and let the results speak for themselves.
Scholarships, Mentorships, and Support Networks for Male Nurses
Financial and peer support systems are essential for recruiting and retaining men in nursing. As programs like UAB demonstrate, intentional community-building and targeted financial aid can lower barriers and reshape the profession. Here are concrete opportunities and strategies that make a difference.
Scholarships That Target Male Nursing Students
Scholarship money can ease the cost of nursing school and signal that male students are valued. Several organizations offer funds specifically for men:
- AAMN Undergraduate Scholarship: $1,000 for members of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing.1
- AAMN Graduate Scholarship: $1,500 for graduate students pursuing advanced nursing degrees.1
- AAMN Foundation Student Nurse Essay Contest: $500 to $1,000 based on essay submissions.2
- Breaking Barriers Scholarship for Men in Nursing: $500 award requiring a 3.0 minimum GPA.1
- Jadeh Marselis-Moore Student Nurse Essay Contest: $500 prize.2
- MurseWorld Student Nurse Essay Contest: $500 prize for students sharing their nursing journey.2
- State of Indiana Male Nursing Scholarship: Up to $5,000 for male residents enrolled in Indiana nursing programs.4
- Pennsylvania State Nurses Association Male-Specific Scholarship: $1,000 for Pennsylvania nursing students.3
- U.S. Army Nurse Corps Scholarships: $1,000 to $5,000 for those committing to serve.3
- Johnson & Johnson Nursing Scholarship Program: Reserves 50% of awards for male applicants.3
- Federal Nurse Corps Scholarship Program: Covers up to $35,000 in exchange for service in underserved areas (open to all genders but a substantial opportunity).3
- Emergency Nurses Association Scholarships: $500 to $2,000 for members pursuing emergency nursing.3
- NBNA Scholarships: $500 to $3,000, with 10 to 17 awards available, supporting minority nursing students including men.6
- Minnesota Nurses Association Foundation Scholarships: Application deadline June 1, 2026, open to nursing students in Minnesota.5
These awards come from national organizations, state nursing associations, and private foundations. Students should check eligibility criteria carefully and apply early.
Mentorship Programs and Employee Resource Groups
Beyond financial aid, mentorship and peer networks help men feel they belong. The American Assembly for Men in Nursing (AAMN) runs national conferences, local chapters, and online forums where male nurses can connect with role models. Many nursing schools now pair incoming male students with upperclassmen or alumni mentors.
UAB’s University Hospital launched an employee resource group (ERG) for men in nursing, fostering professional development and camaraderie. Such groups provide safe spaces to discuss challenges unique to male nurses and build leadership skills. Similar ERGs are spreading at health systems across the country, often offering speaker series, career coaching, and social events.
Workplace Retention Strategies That Work
Once men enter the field, keeping them requires intentional strategies:
- Networking events: All‑male nurse mixers or multidisciplinary meetups reduce isolation and build support systems.
- Leadership development: Targeted programs help male nurses become transformational nurse leaders, advancing into advanced practice, management, or education roles.
- Work‑life balance policies: Flexible scheduling, parental leave, and mental health resources address burnout, a leading cause of nurse attrition regardless of gender.
Employers that invest in these approaches report higher job satisfaction and lower turnover among male staff.
Why Financial and Peer Support Are Critical
Men remain a minority in nursing, just 1 in 8 nurses are men. Without scholarships, the cost of education, one of the most persistent barriers to continuing nursing education, can deter interested candidates. Without mentors, male students may feel isolated and question their place in the profession. Support networks validate their career choice and provide practical guidance, from navigating clinicals to negotiating first job offers. As one school leader put it, change happens “one ice cube at a time.” Each scholarship awarded and each mentorship connection helps tip the balance toward a more diverse and robust nursing workforce.
Career Opportunities: Where Male Nurses Thrive
How to Choose a Nursing Program That Welcomes Male Students
Nursing programs across the country are beginning to recognize that diversifying their student body isn't just about numbers: it's about reshaping the profession itself. For male students considering a nursing career, finding a program that actively supports them can make a significant difference in both academic success and long-term career satisfaction. Here's what to look for when choosing a nursing program.
- Visible male role models: Check if the school has male faculty members in teaching and leadership positions. At the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB), for example, nearly one in five faculty are men1, which signals a supportive culture.
- Inclusive marketing and recruitment materials: Look for programs that feature men in their brochures, websites, and social media. UAB includes male students in all its marketing, a small but powerful sign of welcome.
- Student organizations and peer networks: Ask about groups specifically for men in nursing or general student organizations that foster inclusion. UAB University Hospital even has an employee resource group for men in nursing, extending support beyond graduation.
- Mentorship opportunities: A formal mentorship program that pairs male students with male nurse mentors can provide guidance and encouragement. This is especially helpful in countering lingering stereotypes.
During campus visits or information sessions, don't hesitate to ask about male enrollment rates and dedicated support services. Use schools like UAB as a benchmark: they've achieved nearly one in six nursing students being men, outpacing the national average of one in eight1. A program that actively invests in diversity and inclusion is more likely to provide an environment where you can thrive, both during your studies and as you launch your nursing career.
The Future: How Male Nurses Can Help End the Nursing Shortage
Increasing the share of men in nursing from roughly one in eight to one in four is one of the most direct and underutilized strategies for solving the accelerating nursing shortage. The U.S. currently faces a deficit of about 350,000 full-time equivalent nurses, a 10 percent gap between demand and supply1 that threatens patient care nationwide, particularly in the states with the largest nursing shortages. Men make up just 11.2 percent of the registered nurse workforce2, yet their numbers are growing 25 percent faster than their female counterparts3. If that momentum continues and male representation reaches 20 to 25 percent over the next decade, tens of thousands of additional nurses could enter the pipeline each year, substantially reducing the 189,100 annual openings projected through 20344.
The Math of Gender Diversity in Nursing
A modest 5-percentage-point increase in male participation, from roughly 12 percent to 17 percent, would translate into roughly 170,000 more male nurses in the workforce. When layered onto the existing supply, that alone could cut the projected shortage by nearly half. Workforce models from the American Association of Colleges of Nursing and federal projections suggest that diversifying recruitment is not just aspirational but mathematically necessary to stabilize the nursing pipeline. With demand for RNs expected to rise 6 percent by 2034, tapping into the underutilized male talent pool is a proven, scalable solution.
Sustaining Growth Through Cultural Change
Reaching these numbers requires a permanent shift in how nursing is portrayed. Early education outreach programs that introduce boys to healthcare careers, media depictions that show male nurses in clinical and leadership roles, and visible male faculty in nursing schools all help dismantle lingering stereotypes. The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s success, where one in six nursing students and nearly one in five faculty are men, demonstrates that intentional marketing and high school recruitment can normalize men in the profession. Expanding scholarships, mentorship circles, and employee resource groups for male nurses ensures that once they enter, they stay and advance.
A Stronger System for Everyone
When more men become nurses, everyone wins. Care teams that reflect the diversity of their communities improve patient trust and communication, a goal supported by initiatives promoting diversity and inclusion. Male nurses often gravitate toward high-demand specialties like critical care, psychiatry, and emergency medicine, directly addressing acute gaps. And a profession that welcomes all qualified candidates, regardless of gender, is inherently more resilient against future shortages. The path forward is clear: recruit, retain, and elevate male nurses not as a niche initiative but as a cornerstone of a sustainable healthcare workforce.