In Nevada, men remain underrepresented in health, education, and social service professions despite significant workforce shortages. Research from UNLV’s Brookings Mountain West and The Lincy Institute highlights the low numbers of men working in roles such as social work, nursing, and counseling. These trends persist even though demand for workers in these sectors is high.
Brent Florence, a school counselor at Sunrise Mountain High School in Las Vegas and a UNLV alumnus, noted his unique position within his profession. “My father is Bobby Florence, and he’s a part of UNLV’s inaugural Basketball Hall of Fame. It was a no-brainer to attend the school my father is an alumnus from. Funny thing – some of my teachers were classmates of his.” Florence observed that he was one of only four men—and the only Black man—in his master’s cohort at UNLV.
Nevada faces notable challenges in youth mental health support, with a student-to-counselor ratio of 454 to 1. At UNLV, women make up about 86 percent of students in the school counseling master’s program. Despite being in the minority, Florence said: “I didn’t experience many stereotypes about my gender. In my cohort, being a male meant a lot to the program, because of how rare we are in the field of counseling.” He added that representation matters for students: “Most of those students need to see males, that way they can get different perspectives and grow their knowledge base. They can also get levels of understanding that sometimes can only come from a male.”
Florence emphasized that careers like counseling are not defined by gender roles: “These careers are work — not women’s or men’s work. It is work, and a great profession to be in.” He called for more diversity-focused recruitment efforts at colleges and universities.
Justin LeMay works as a registered nurse at University Medical Center and serves as a part-time instructor at UNLV’s School of Nursing while holding the rank of staff sergeant in the U.S. Army National Guard. Men make up roughly 12 percent of nurses both nationally and within Nevada; out of approximately 50,495 licensed or certified nursing professionals statewide, just over 6,000 are men.
LeMay credited early family influences for steering him toward nursing but found acceptance during his studies: “If anything, I only stood out because of how engaged I was in classes. The administration and professors have been nothing but kind to me and wished for nothing but my success.” He believes greater male participation helps challenge assumptions about caregiving roles: “When it comes to a career, there is no gender role. Do whatever your interests, morals, and ethics compel you to do. We limit ourselves when we use our gender to set boundaries on what we can do as a career.”
Vincent Delucia serves as clinical director at Healthy Minds where he oversees treatment programs for children involved with foster care or juvenile justice systems. Delucia shifted into social work after working with children needing intensive psychiatric support—a move influenced by direct experience rather than initial academic plans.
Delucia found being male gave him an advantage during job searches: “I was offered jobs with direct statements such as ‘We need more male therapists.’ The scarcity of men in our field only benefited me.” Between 2010 and 2022 most social work degrees awarded by Nevada institutions went to women.
He pointed out unique challenges faced by boys and men—including higher rates of incarceration or substance abuse—and sees value in having more male mentors available: “The ability of men to mentor and make a difference with other men is profound.” To increase recruitment among men into social services fields like HEAL (healthcare education administration leadership), Delucia recommends targeted outreach through volunteer opportunities or online marketing campaigns directed specifically at potential male candidates.
“You can be masculine, dominant, assertive, and less emotional and still be a great therapist,” Delucia said. “In fact, those characteristics might allow you to solve some of the complex problems our male youth face today.”
