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When it comes to nursing, we tend to look to women.

But Andy Romine, who oversees Nursing Services at Trinity Medical Center says that's changing.

"I think we've seen a trend over the last 10 to 15 years more males getting into nursing and for similar reasons women have gotten into nursing."

Some of those reasons include: relative high pay, a flexible work-life balance, and the challenges and rewards that come with nursing.

That was part of the draw for Steve Davis, an RN with Trinity medical Center. "I like the challenge. I like taking care of sick patients and doing the best I can for them."

But making the change wasn't always easy for Davis; especially after spending more than a decade in construction.

"The biggest challenge was being able to work and go to school... Get clinical hours in and just make time for everything because I'm a father of two and a husband... It was a lot on my plate at the time."

But men aren't just finding nursing as a second career. In 1996 a national survey found just over 5% of first time nursing students were male.

Beth Stullenbarger the Associate Dean with UAB's School of Nursing now sees five times as many men in the classroom.

"I would say the past 4 years, the number of males is increasing. So we have about 24 percent males."

UAB is one of dozens of Nursing Schools across the country ramping up media campaigns to help draw men to the profession.

Randy Moore with the VA Nursing academy says it's important to continue to draw males to nursing because more men helps add to the diversity of the profession which in turn leads to better care for the patient.

"It just allows more and different ideas to enter and it allows the male students to learn from the female students and vice versa. And I think it makes the program as a whole stronger."

But regardless of gender, it isn't easy to get work as nurse in Birmingham.

While there continues to be a nursing shortage nationwide, Birmingham is the exception.

The closure of Carraway Hospital in 2008 allowed other hospitals to fill vacancies with experienced nurses.

That means that nursing grads, male or female are having to find work out of town.