More men are entering the health professions

– It’s nice to have some exercise!

Axel Dulin leads an elderly lady across the floor at Kamfjordhjemmet in Sandefjord. She is weak on the bones and Dulin is strong, even though he is no longer a youth either.

In two months, the healthcare worker will be 60 years old, but it wasn’t long ago that the corridors of a nursing home were far from his everyday life.

– I have worked in a completely different industry. I have worked in film for 30 years, but then I wanted to do something a little more meaningful, says Dulin.

Out of the comfort zone

The answer was the Menn i Helse programme, which is an initiative by NAV and the Directorate of Health to recruit more men into the health professions. Men between the ages of 25 and 50 are offered a condensed course of study which ultimately leads to a certificate in the health profession.

Dulin says that he has a motto that it is never too late to learn.

– I wanted to learn to put myself behind and step out of my comfort zone, I think a lot of people need that.

During the pandemic, the then 57-year-old started in a class with 25 other “recruits”, where there was great variation in both age and previous professional life.

– We were there, from directors to postmen, says Dulin.

Today, the men are still in contact and exchange experiences from the new professional life.

Positive development

The health sector is struggling with recruitment, and both hospitals and nursing homes are struggling with understaffing. Nevertheless, the Menn i Helse programme, which started in 2014, is one of the few recruitment initiatives that has worked.

– It turns out that of those who enter this project and are recruited, 90 per cent get a permanent job afterwards, says Divisional Director in the Directorate of Health Johan Georg Torgersen.

Figures from the Directorate of Health’s annual report show that since 2017 there has been a 20 per cent increase in the number of employed men in the health sector. The Directorate of Health is satisfied with this development.

– We see that within the occupational group there is a greater percentage growth among men than women. It is very gratifying that it is the result of targeted investment since 2014, says Divisional Director in the Norwegian Directorate of Health Johan Georg Torgersen.

Not a “butt washing job”

Axel Dulin was a little nervous about moving into a completely new profession so late in his working life, but he quickly noticed how sought-after men were in the health profession.

– I posted three open applications when I finished the program and got all three jobs. We are appreciated out there, you can tell, by both users and colleagues, says Dulin.

He believes that many men have stereotypes linked to the typical female occupations.

– Everyone probably has a stereotypical perception that this is the kind of butt-sweeping job that it was called in the old days. But I can only deny that right away. It’s just part of the package. There are so many different tasks, and people are the focus at all times, he says.

Proud of his profession

Dulin packs clean towels. Today, among other things, he works with people with dementia at Kamfjordhjemmet. He also gives lectures for new potential recruits in the Menn i helse programme.

– We try to tell about the realities, without it becoming a completely “hallelujah atmosphere” to put it that way. There are of course both ups and downs in this profession as well. It is something completely different from what you are used to, and the learning curve is steep, he says.

But he has never doubted whether the choice he made was the right one.

– It’s so nice to work with people and make a small difference every single day, says a smiling Dulin.

– I am proud to call myself a healthcare worker.