Changing long-entrenched attitudes can often be a slow and gradual process. Peter Kellett, an academic assistant in the University of Lethbridge's Nursing program, is attempting to give that process a nudge.

Kellett and the Faculty of Health Sciences will present a Men in Nursing Recruitment Day, Friday, Feb. 12, as they try and show men that nursing is not only a viable career option but it should be a desirable one as well.

"The primary challenge of attracting men to nursing is the general public views nursing as a woman's profession," Kellett, a nurse for 14 years, says. "What I'm really hoping to do with this day is to help men realize that this is not just a profession for women."

This is the second consecutive year that Kellett has run the recruitment program.

"We did a similar day last year and it was very well received. Our applications to the nursing program from men (especially the after-degree program) definitely increased," he says.

Drawn to nursing because of an interest in the medical field and a mother who worked as a nurse, Kellett says there are many false impressions about the profession that seem to steer men away.

"I think one of the misconceptions is that nursing is somehow a lower profession and it is not. It's very much a dynamic and challenging career and very worthwhile to be part of — you make a difference every day," Kellett says. "I had considered other health-care professions but what attracted me to nursing is that nurses are the people who have a long-term relationship with the patients. I think the bond between nurse and patient is like no other in the health-care field."

The day runs from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in AH100 and includes a pair of sessions where men in nursing share their experiences and answer questions.

Men in Nursing Recruitment Day (AH100)

9 to 10 a.m. – Presentation about nursing in general
10 to 10:30 a.m. – Coffee Break (provided)
10:30 to 11:30 a.m. – Presentation from U of L staff on local application process and academic requirements, scholarships and funding opportunities
11:30 a.m. to noon – Men in nursing share their experiences Q&A
Noon to 1 p.m. – Lunch (provided)
1 to 2:30 p.m. – Men in nursing share their experiences Q&A
2:30 to 4 p.m. – Tour of nursing skills lab