Media release

“When I first joined the TAFE nursing class, 95 percent of the class was female. But then I thought, if nursing is what I want to do, who cares about gender. On my work placement, patients even told me they’d love to see more male nurses. It’s such a rewarding career.”

Caleb Sturges

TAFE NSW Kingswood is encouraging more males to take up a career in nursing and challenge outdated stereotypes. Currently only 12.2 percent of nurses in Australia are men, highlighting the importance of diversifying and growing the healthcare workforce which is expected to need almost 80,000 more fulltime nurses by 2035.

Choosing to boost the number of male nurses is TAFE NSW Kingswood Diploma of Nursing graduate, 20-year-old Caleb Sturges from Prospect. After 18 months of study, he is now a qualified enrolled nurse and is ready to start a career in the high demand industry.

"When I was in high school, I was one of those kids just getting by,” Mr Sturges said. “Then, in Year 11 I studied a first aid unit and it clicked. It was the one thing I enjoyed and excelled in. That’s when I realised nursing might be a potential career.

“When I first joined the TAFE nursing class, 95 percent of the class was female. But then I thought, if nursing is what I want to do, who cares about gender. On my work placement, patients even told me they’d love to see more male nurses. It’s such a rewarding career. It’s fun, exciting, and challenging in the best way. I couldn’t see myself doing anything else now."
TAFE NSW Kingswood Head of Nursing Dianna King said encouraging more men to enter the field is vital to addressing the projected shortfall of nurses.

"Nursing is not just about care—it’s a highly skilled, technical profession with diverse career paths," Ms King said. "By breaking down stereotypes and normalising gender diversity in nursing, Australia is not only addressing workforce shortages but also fostering inclusivity in healthcare. Male nurses are particularly important for providing care to male patients who may feel more comfortable with a nurse of the same gender.