A group of male nurses pose for a photo at the Hefei Binhu Hospital [Photo by Wang Congqi/For China Daily]

According to Sun, the lack of applicants can also be attributed to the fact that female students usually perform better in exams than males.

"Most hospitals in China are State-owned. In most cases, applicants have to pass certain exams to get into them", she said, adding that special provisions have been put in place to encourage more men to join the profession.

"As a result, a local hospital had to reserve 10 "male-only" nursing positions in 2015," said Sun, who is proud that three graduates of her college gained employment by passing exams, and not through a quota system.

Pan is hoping for a surge in applicants, but said her hospital can do nothing but wait. She doesn't believe that preferential treatment will remedy the shortfall.

"To insist that a certain number of positions are reserved for men could easily prompt concerns about gender discrimination, but we should at least treat male nurses well to make sure they are willing to stay in the profession," she said.

Sun said there are no official public policies to encourage more men to study nursing, but attitudes will change and men will flourish in the profession.

"Just wait until all the deeply-rooted prejudice is eliminated," she said.