Rasmussen University Nursing Program Sees Increase of Male Students Graduating In The Last Decade

The national average for nurses is about 14% and this years graduating class is at 20%

FARGO, N.D. (KVRR) — On Friday, Rasmussen University surpassed the national average with twenty percent of male students graduating to become a nurse. Bringing the increase of men in the nursing field up.

“It was very eye-opening, like when we were doing our clinicals at the hospital, even the nurses were excited that a male was on the floor with them. And just overly eager to train us to educate us. And then doing school work with classmates, there was no hiccup, it was just pretty fluid, like there was no biases or anything like that. It was just another classmate,” said Derek Kania, Bachelor of Science in Nursing

At Rasmussen, fifty percent of the nursing faculty is made up of male members. While over the past decade, men in nursing have continued to grow by fifty-nine percent. For Kania, the field could not be a better decision.

“Ever since I was younger, I always had a desire to help people. And I started out originally doing the military, and then transitioned over into nursing. Keep helping people doing what I love,” said Kania.

Dean of Nursing Mark Alvarez points out that since being a faculty at the university, there has been growth. But they also need to study more on how a female-dominated job is also a job for men.

“There’s just a unique characteristic of being a male nurse. You know, sometimes in the area, there are tasks that would certainly need the help of a nurse. A male nurse, specifically. And that’s something that should be examined and also be enriched by the future generations,” said Mark Alvarez, Dean of Nursing for Rasmussen Fargo and Moorhead Campuses.

Rasmussen University will be having six new male students joining in the fall for their Associate’s degree.