Picturing a female nurse wearing a short white skirt with a matching top and hat, a number of people still can’t shake the “sexy nurse” stereotype that is often portrayed in the media. Three male Sacramento State students are working to fight such labels.

Nursing majors Ben Cobbold, Jay Estella and Glenn Romabiles are among 62 students who were accepted into Sac State’s nursing program for the fall of 2005. The program usually has about 400 applicants each semester, according to nursing Assistant Professor Tanya Altmann.

Out of students currently in the program, 11.2 percent are males and 88.8 percent are females. However, the amount of males in the program has been on the rise, jumping 33 percent in four years. In spring of 2002, only 8 percent were male students, according to the university’s Office of Institutional Research.

“This semester, I have more males than I’ve ever had before,” Altmann said, who teaches in the nursing department as a clinical instructor. “More guys are applying through the years, but it’s still a small percentage (of males).”

The men understand they are among the minority in the nursing field.

“I already expected there to be a lot of girls, so we can’t help but stick out,” Romabiles said. Estella added, “The whole feminine stigma, I kinda threw it out the door once I walked into the nursing department.”

Altmann said she believes that males are good assets to the nursing profession and that they do well because they have “better social skills” and “have no problem speaking up for themselves.”

She added that nursing needs the diversity and different perspectives.

“They say men go into nursing for the exact same reason women do,” Altmann said. “They have the same passion to help people, they have the same interest in healthcare, being active and changing society.”

Female nursing student Nina Madronio said she harbors no hard feelings when it comes to the idea of males students speaking up more often.

“A lot of the times females are less assertive, but that’s more because of society’s view,” Madronio said. “They always think that girls are timid and guys are outspoken, but that’s not always the case.”

She supports her fellow male students.

One of the main concerns of men in nursing is that patients will receive the technical care, “but not the compassion or empathy that women are more likely to give,” George Parrott, a professor in the Psychology Department.

“Males have the same kind of stereotypes and challenges that the public and even other doctors aren’t used to,” Parrott said.

Parrott said that there may be more conflicts of power between males and that males might be uncomfortable taking orders from females.

Altmann said she believes otherwise. “Usually the guy who is self-confident enough to do nursing is going to be fine.”

For Cobbold, the profession provides a high level of excitement.

“I’ve worked in the Emergency Room and I love it,” he said. “It’s a huge adrenaline rush when people come in from a car accident, or are on the verge of dying and you’re able to save them. I love it.”

“I have to wake up at 6 a.m. on Mondays and then do about 14 hours of homework,” Cobbold said. “It’s not like other programs where you just have your big test in the end.

Students are tested weekly on procedures they must perform while working in the hospital. Such skills include taking vital signs, giving injections and doing physical assessments. Students also begin clinicals ?” the training they must do in the hospital during their second semester in the program ?” to gain hands-on experience.

Being an asset to the profession and keeping up the good grades doesn’t stop the male nurses from being ridiculed about their sexuality, and the comments usually come from other men.

“But then you can just stick it right back in their face,” Cobbold said, “they’re like, what, art majors, business majors, accounting – how is that more manly than blood, guts, life and death? I mean how is that so bad that I’m gonna be dealing with life and death and they’re gonna be sitting in a cubicle or desk. How is that manlier? So they shut up pretty quick.”

But once they’re in the program, the teasing ends.

“My friends have a lot of respect for me,” Estella said. “I’m sure a lot of us give up a lot to get here. Saying no to so many parties, so many kick its, so many basketball games – we’re finally here and it’s just fulfilling. I’m sure we’re all proud of where we are.”

Cobbold agrees: “It’ll be worth it.”

Aleesa Camagong can be reached at [email protected]