Christman earned a diploma from the Pennsylvania Hospital School of Nursing for Men in 1939.

[1] Christman overcame gender discrimination during his own education; he was refused admission to two university nursing programs because he was male.

[2] Christman said that he faced hostility from female coworkers early in his career, and he said that night shift positions in psychiatric nursing and urology were virtually the only openings for men.

[3] Christman was denied admission to the U.S. Army Nurse Corps on the basis of his gender;[2] instead, he served in the United States Maritime Service as a pharmacist's mate during World War II.

Christman was named associate professor of psychiatric nursing at the University of Michigan in 1963.

The model highlighted the importance of clinical expertise among faculty members, which was similar to the established practice in medicine.

[9] In 1975, the American Assembly for Men in Nursing established the Luther Christman Award.

"[11] After his retirement, Christman remained an active participant in nursing organizations for many years.