At this time of year you can buy calendars featuring cats or cartoons, scenes from the Walking Dead or from our National Parks. At the University of Virginia, a group called the MAN Club has another offering.
MAN is short for men advancing nursing, and the club – formed by males at the University of Virginia’s Nursing School – began with a simple goal, according to grad student Aaron Matthews.
“It was a support group for male nurses to get through their labor and delivery rotation or areas of nursing where we weren’t very comfortable," Matthews said, "and we’ve grown into hoping to support anyone who wants to become a nurse or is already engaged in nursing.”
Nationwide, only nine percent of nurses are men, and like their female counterparts, they have a public relations problem. “Unfortunately, especially with our pediatric patients, they’re a little scared of us. We tend to come in with needles, so recently we were at an elementary school, and we did a hand hygiene day as part of their health fair, and it was kind of fun to get out there with the kids and scrub their nubs and get all the bugs off their hands.”
To fund those community outreach programs and perhaps to provide scholarships, the group has decided to sell a calendar featuring hot male nurses. “It’s kind of a spoof off of that sexy firefighter calendar that you see,” Matthews joked.
Second year nursing student Ryan Thomas said about two dozen guys are photographed with dogs. These canines are owned by local residents, and Thomas says proceeds won’t just benefit the MAN club.
“We’d also like to have a small portion be donated to the Charlottesville/ Albemarle SPCA to help other dogs find homes, and potentially maybe be in our calendar one day,” Thomas said.
Click here for more information about the MAN Club and calendar
