A NEW children’s book challenging gender stereotypes in nursing is being championed by male nurses at East Lancashire Hospitals NHS Trust.

‘My Daddy is a Nurse’, which is aimed at four to seven-year-olds, defies the assumption that all nurses are women by showcasing men working within the traditionally female-centric profession.

Three male nurses, who work in East Lancashire, have welcomed the book and hope it leads to an increase in boys and men considering entering the profession.

Nurse Endoscopist Myles Daley, who was inspired by the nursing care he received as a child to follow his mother, sister and aunt into nursing, said: “If it wasn’t for the caring, compassionate and kind nurses, doctors, family members, friends and past colleagues I would not be where I am today or possibly be alive.”

Charge nurse Dragos Carcel, who found his nurse calling after previous jobs as an IT specialist and male model, said: “So for me personally, My Daddy Is A Nurse challenges those perceptions about nursing that I encountered and I’m confident the book will go a long way to help transform the typical view of nursing and encourage more males to consider becoming a nurse.”

Staff nurse Darren Stokes, who works in Surgery and Anaesthetics at the Royal Blackburn Teaching Hospital, is encouraging more men to consider a nursing career.

He said: “Go for it because life soon passes by. The potential to make a difference in someone’s life is enormous.”

While the book is targeted at Millennials, it recognises that gender stereotyping occurs at a very early age and so aims to prevent development of misconceptions around what constitutes ‘a man’s job’ or a ‘woman’s job’.

The book marks the beginning of International Year of the Nurse and Midwife 2020, a year-long celebration of NHS nurses and midwives during Florence Nightingale’s bicentennial year.

Christine Pearson, director of nursing at the Trust, said​​​​​​: “We are committed to overturning the long-standing stereotypes that have historically deterred men from considering a career in nursing. It’s a stimulating, rewarding, highly purposeful job. Anyone who likes working with people, in teams, away from the desk, applying their specialist nursing knowledge in a job where no two days are the same should definitely consider nursing.

“My Daddy Is A Nurse provokes much needed discussion and recast a tired narrative that has – for too long – positioned women exclusively for such jobs.”