Report examines work for male nurses in Heilongjiang

An investigative report into the occupational conditions for male nurses in Heilongjiang province was released recently at a male nurse career development forum held in Harbin, capital of the province.

There are more than 5,000 registered male nurses in Heilongjiang, accounting for 4 percent of the total, said the report.

It found that the male nurses receive much attention and nearly 80 percent are working on the front lines.

The report also said that about 90 percent of male nurses have a deep sense of career satisfaction, far above the average level across the whole country

"In the past, most people believed that nursing should be women's work and male nurses were not accepted," said Lv Yan, a teacher at the admissions office of Harbin Health School.

"With the development of the medical industry, male nurses begin to show great advantages in some aspects, such as physical power. Therefore, more male students and their parents choose a nursing major when they notice the advantage of employment after graduation."

"Male nurses are most concentrated in operation rooms, ICUs and emergency departments in the hospital because nurses in such departments receive a much heavier workload," said Zhao Chang, a male nurse in the operation room at the First Affiliated University of Harbin Medical University.

"Sometimes we have to stand for several hours without rest during an operation, which is a great test for both physical and mental power."