Nursing students walk the walk and ‘grow a ‘mo’ for men’s health

Nursing students have been rejecting their razors to ‘grow a ‘mo’ for men’s health this month, all part of an on-campus learning initiative.

The Health Academy is a practice placement at Waterside, created for Mental Health Nursing students in 2021 when the pandemic reduced the number of available, in-person clinical placements.

While on campus, students deliver health promotion and wellbeing initiatives, such as physical health checks (taking people’s blood pressure), providing strategies to manage stress and a friendly ear.

The newest Health Academy recruits are tasked with something additional, to raise funds for the Movember charity and awareness about men’s health issues, such as prostate and testicular cancer. To do this, the boys are having a go at growing a ‘tache, with academic solidarity from Senior Lecturer Iain Schrantz.

They are also joining their female peers for the ‘60km for 60 men’ walking challenge, making use of the University’s trim trail (one walk around it equates to 1.1miles/1.7km) and ditching the lifts to take the stairs to get to and from class, monitoring their progress on an app.

The number comes from the alarming statistic that, around the world, 60 men die by suicide each hour. Iain (pictured on the left with students Bevil and Isaac when they were one-week in to the challenge) says: “We know it can be difficult for men to ‘open up’ about things like anxiety or depression and express their feelings, so it’s important all of us do our bit to help.

“The Health Academy students have been brilliant, walking as often as they can. So far, they have walked about 48km of the total and I hope you can help this good cause.”

Add to the team’s Movember total.