Dr. Curry Bordelon of the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) School of Nursing is advocating for more men to enter the nursing profession [1].

This recruitment push aims to address a critical staffing shortage in healthcare. By diversifying the workforce, the university hopes to stabilize patient care, and break down long-standing gender stereotypes associated with the field.

Bordelon, a professor at the UAB School of Nursing in Birmingham, Alabama, is utilizing marketing campaigns and high-school outreach to attract new students [1]. These initiatives are designed to show men that nursing is a viable and rewarding career path, countering the social stigma that often discourages men from pursuing the degree [2].

According to Bordelon, the need for more practitioners has reached a critical point. He said that men are needed in nursing "now more than ever" to help fill the current gap in the workforce [1].

The initiative focuses on the intersection of professional need and social perception. By targeting high school students, the university seeks to influence the next generation of healthcare providers before gender-based career biases become ingrained [2].

Bordelon's efforts at UAB are part of a broader push to ensure that the nursing workforce reflects the diversity of the patient populations they serve. The professor said that increasing the number of men in the field is essential for the long-term sustainability of the healthcare system [1].

“Men are needed in nursing "now more than ever"”

The push to recruit men into nursing reflects a strategic response to a systemic labor shortage in the U.S. healthcare sector. By addressing the cultural stigma that frames nursing as a gender-specific role, institutions like UAB are attempting to expand the talent pool. This shift is necessary to prevent burnout among existing staff and ensure that patient care capacity keeps pace with population demands.