Why We Need More Men in Health Care Careers

In this episode of Voices of Vital Care, host Nohelani Graf talks with two Pima Medical Institute students about the common misconception that the health care field is dominated by women. Maurice Gabriel, a Dental Assistant student at the Pima Medical Institute Houston campus, and Aiden Bender, a Medical Assistant student talk through why more men are needed in health care. Both men found their way into allied health through unexpected moments, a conversation at a dental office, and a lifetime spent watching a mother change lives as a medical assistant. Both men are proof that empathy, not gender, is what makes a great caregiver.

Bender’s mother has worked as a medical assistant for more than a decade, and growing up around her career taught him that men avoiding care can have real consequences. He explains why that gap matters most for one preventable disease in particular:

“We need more men in the health care field, especially because colon cancer is the number one cause of death for men over 35. A lot of men don’t want to go in and see a woman and tell them about what’s going on with their body.”

-Aiden Bender, Medical Assistant student, Pima Medical Institute

Bender believes having more men in the field makes those conversations easier for patients on both sides and that a simple checkup can catch problems long before they become serious. 

Gabriel sees the same stigma from the other side of the exam room. As a man training for a role people still picture as a woman’s job, he pushes back on the idea that gender determines who is suited to care for patients:

“There’s a stigma where people think women are supposed to be the nurturers because they’re more gentle, but that doesn’t mean men aren’t gentle. Everybody has their own qualities and characteristics, and you shouldn’t limit yourself because you don’t fit a stereotype.”

-Maurice Gabriel, Dental Assistant student, Pima Medical Institute

Gabriel expresses that confidence, skill and empathy matter more than gender, which is what both students say has carried them through their programs. They hope other men considering the field will take away from their stories.

In this episode, you’ll learn:

• Why medical assisting and dental assisting benefit from having more men behind the chair and at the bedside
• The colon cancer statistics that convinced Bender more male role models are needed in health care
• What hands-on training looks like inside Pima Medical Institute’s accelerated Medical Assistant and Dental Assistant certificate programs
• Why empathy, not gender, is what actually determines who makes a great patient care provider
• Why female patients are often under listened to in health care, and how male providers can help close that gap
• What day-to-day campus life looks like at a tight-knit school like Pima Medical Institute Houston
• How clinical externships prepare students to work confidently with real patients before graduation
• Why an accelerated program can get you working in health care in under a year without sacrificing hands-on training

Who this episode is for: Anyone curious about a health care career, especially men who have wondered if there is a place for them in medical or dental assisting.