Humber's nursing legacy seen through Wayne Manning's experience

Wayne Manning was the only man in a 1978 Humber nursing cohort of 100, a detail that highlighted gender and racial dynamics in nursing education; Humber's nursing program drew on the Osler School and shifted into an integrated college-based diploma model in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Wayne Manning was profiled as a first-year nursing student at Humber in 1978 and stood out as the only man in a cohort of 99 women. His family background in Trinidad regarded nursing as a normal career choice for men, while he encountered skepticism in Canada. Humber’s nursing program was shaped by the earlier Osler School of Nursing and by a move toward integrated, college-based nursing education beginning in 1969 and formalized in 1973. Revisiting Manning’s profile during Black Heritage Month frames how institutions have defined belonging and who was treated as notable. Key facts: - In 1978 Manning was the sole man in a Humber cohort of 100 students. - As of 2023, roughly 90 percent of regulated nurses in Canada identified as women, according to the Canadian Nurses Association. - The Osler School of Nursing operated from 1966 to 1973 and influenced Humber’s approach to nursing education. - Humber became the first Ontario College of Applied Arts and Technology to offer an integrated nursing diploma in 1969, and nursing education moved into the college system in 1973. - Black community organizations, including the Canadian chapter of the Black Cross Nurses, provided parallel care services when formal institutions did not fully serve Black populations. Summary: Manning’s presence in Humber’s program is presented as both an instance of expanded access and a reminder that visibility could bring heightened scrutiny. Undetermined at this time.