Cai Yingbo

LIN JINSHENG, 27, was the only male nurse to receive an award at the ceremony held yesterday at Beijing University Shenzhen Hospital.

Lin has been working as a nurse with Shenzhen 120 Emergency Center for six years, after graduating from college in Chengde, Hebei Province.

"People used to believe only females could be nurses, and only few nurses were male. However, I think males have some advantages in terms of physical strength and capabilities to handle emergencies,"said Lin, adding gender was not important when it came to helping and saving people.

Male nurses account for only 1-2 percent of the total number of nurses in Shenzhen.