"Nurses, in most Chinese people's eyes, are exclusively female," said Cheng Gen, a male head nurse from Beijing Anding Hospital. "To be honest, I never dreamed of being a male nurse, and used to be ashamed of mentioning my job. But now I enjoy it very much, because I realize my value."

Born in 1978, in a small county in southeast China's Zhejiang Province, Cheng's original intention was to become a doctor. In the summer of 1996, he took the national college entrance examinations, and became the only candidate in Zhejiang applying for the School of Nursing, Peking Union Medical College (PUMC), in Beijing.

"I planned to apply to medical schools in several local universities, but my teacher and family suggested that I apply to PUMC, because of its high reputation," Cheng told Beijing Review, with a big smile. "At the time, I had no idea what was nursing about; my uncle even assured me that a nursing graduate could become a doctor who could provide health consultation."

Upon leaving for Beijing, the mother of one of Cheng's classmate and a head nurse, briefed him about the profession.

"It was terrible to know that my dream of being a doctor was over," he said, "and that a nursing bachelor graduate would do the same job as those who graduated from secondary vocational nursing school. I was a bit frustrated; my future seemed bleak."

A new start

In September 1996, accompanied by his father, Cheng arrived at the campus located in the west suburb of Beijing.

"My frustration almost doubled when I saw that the campus was tiny and shabby, and there were only three male students out of 30 in the class," Cheng recalls. "It was far different from what I expected. But thanks to my father's comfort, I was able to move on and settle down."

Cheng began to lead an enjoyable campus life almost immediately. Contrary to the popular assumption that female students grasp nursing skills better than their male peers, Cheng and his male classmates did well in class.

"Sometimes the male is more patient than the female," he said. "We would discuss our own ideas with the tutors, and there was competition among the boys."

In addition, Cheng chose psychology as his second major and obtained a diploma from the renowned Peking University, thanks to a liberal academic environment at PUMC.

"At first, I intended to shift from nurse to psychological consultant after graduation," said Cheng. "I made up my mind to stay the course when I found myself interested in mental disorder nursing, which had much in common with psychology.

"It also helped to clarify my career direction when my class was offered a two-week internship at Beijing Anding Hospital, a mental-healing institution."

First impressions are lasting. Given the high quality training offered by senior nurses, the friendly working environment and the space for self-development, there seemed to be no better option for 20-year-old Cheng than to work there.

More confidence

However, Cheng's decision aroused opposition from his family.

"They thought it was too dangerous to work in a mental hospital," he said. "Moreover, the salary here was also lower than that in comprehensive hospitals. But finally they chose to stay by my side, because the choice had been made in my heart."

More importantly, there was no awkwardness there in terms of gender stereotyping.

"To be honest, I used to tell a white lie when asked to introduce myself, because there is a stereotype that nursing is exclusive to females," he said. "People couldn't help asking why I chose to become a nurse."

Currently, there are some 1.3 million registered nurses in China, but no exact figure for male nurses. One can estimate it from statistics in Shanghai. In 2003, there were less than 40 males out of 37,000 registered nurses in the city. In fact, the superiority that male nurses have is obvious.

According to Liu Huaping, Dean and Associate Professor of PUMC School of Nursing, male nurses are more capable of analyzing problems; they are good at handling medical equipments; and more popular among male patients.

"As a newly emerging job, it needs time to develop. Male nurses have a bright future if they can stay the course for three or five years. Cheng is a good example," said Liu.

Cheng spent his spare time translating psychology-related books, including the Chinese version of When Your Body Gets Blue (CITIC Press 2003). He is also the editor of Contemporary Psychiatry (second edition, 2004), and first author of Nursing Care for Patients with Mental Disorders Living in Society (PUMC Press, 2006). His paper A Review of Influencing Factors on Medicine Compliance of Patient with Schizophrenia was published in the Chinese Journal of Nursing (September 2005).

"The translation and editing work help me to know my job better in terms of research and application. In return, I improve my nursing and communication skills to better serve my patients," Cheng stated.

Cheng also believes that one is never too old to learn. In August 2003, he returned to his alma mater for a three-year full-time master's degree. In 2006, he was promoted to being the youngest head nurse in charge of a male ward in Anding Hospital.

Today, Cheng's main task has shifted from nursing patients to training new nurses. He is also a part-time tutor at several nursing schools in Beijing. Moreover, a four-month training program in London last year brought new ideas into his tutorial.

"I was sent to Goodmayes Hospital in a collaboration between our hospital and the North East London Mental Health Trust," he explained. "On the one hand, my views were broadened and my understanding of mental nursing was enhanced. On the other hand, I realized the extent of the gap between China and England in nursing, especially in community service.

"For example, they have a team comprising doctors, psychologists and nurses to communicate with mental disorder patients three times a week. But in our hospital, some 20 nurses have to take care of 60 patients. I've shared my experience and insights with my colleagues and students, and I plan to do some research on the topic."

His only regret during the training, as Cheng told Beijing Review, was that he was absent from witnessing his baby girl's birth.

"I'll do a doctorate program some two years later, for my daughter is only one year old," he said. "I prefer to take a break [go to school] after working for three or five years. It's a good way to combine theory with practice. I love my job and I'm proud of being a male nurse."