LOS ANGELES — After graduating from college during the height of the 2008 recession, Nial Pasqua spent seven years working in restaurants before deciding to make a career change.
"I enjoyed the fast-paced nature, working with people, customer service. But the work wasn’t necessarily fulfilling for me. So I looked at my educational history — science courses — and someone suggested nursing," Pasqua said.
He went on to attend nursing school and began working in a hospital. Today, Pasqua is both a union representative for the California Nurses Association and a clinical nurse at Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center.
"I really liked the exciting aspects — working on your feet, problem-solving, critical thinking and helping people in need," he said. "It’s very team-oriented, especially in critical care where patients are very sick. You need to pull together as a team, and that brings you closer to your coworkers."
As a father to a 2-year-old, Pasqua also appreciates the flexibility nursing provides. He works a full-time hospital schedule with three 12-hour shifts a week.
The number of male nurses in the U.S. has surged in recent decades, with more men viewing the profession as a lucrative, stable career path. From 2000 to 2023, the number of male registered nurses nearly tripled, growing from 140,000 to about 400,000.
"Nursing isn’t just for women, although historically it has been. It’s for anyone — of any culture, race, or gender identity," Pasqua said. "We prefer a diverse workforce because we want to serve our community in the best way possible."
Dr. Annette Sy, chief nursing executive at Keck Medical Center, attributes the growing number of male nurses to a variety of factors, including the many career options available within the field.
"You can work in the ER, critical care, pediatrics, maternal-child, flight nursing, or mental health," Sy said. "Now, we even have street medicine teams caring for the unhoused population."
She also noted that nursing is a financially rewarding career.
"Many of them are close to $200,000 a year, especially if they have their certifications, their board certifications. You can work as a nurse practitioner," she said.
Before the pandemic, male nurses made up about 20% of the workforce at Keck Medical Center. That number has since grown to 25%.
Outside of his work at the hospital, Pasqua donates blood every two months on his day off.
"I never donated blood before becoming a nurse," he said. "But being a nurse opens your eyes to people’s experiences and makes you a softer person. You just want to help as much as you can."
Pasqua's career has not only allowed him to help others, but also to make a significant difference in his own life.
