Men becoming welcome in nursing field

For 10 years Allan Knight worked as a mechanic but began to worry about his industry's future.

He decided to enroll at USC Aiken's School of Nursing, choosing not to mention it to his co-workers, concerned they might give him grief about working in a profession dominated by women.

"I was nervous about starting here," Knight said during a conference at USCA Tuesday - "Recruitment and Retention of Men in Nursing School." "Now that I'm here, I don't have the gender concerns. I feel I've accomplished a lot."

The conference attracted USCA students, Aiken Technical College, Newberry College and Greenville Technical College faculty and students and counselors from area high schools.

Only about 10 percent of the 200 nursing students at USCA are men. USCA professor Dr. Maggie Dorsey has worked on the workshop for about two years. Last summer she published a children's book on the subject, titled, "My Hero, My Dad the Nurse."

If she had the chance to talk with high school males about the nursing profession, "I'd tell them it's a wonderful career with many opportunities. I would encourage them, but would also tell them it's a lot of hard work with a science-based curriculum."

Guest speaker Chad O'Lynn, a University of Portland professor and author, said more men are needed to help counter a nursing shortage, but also to provide a diversification of the workforce.

"Yet not everybody is on board with this," said O'Lynn. "The stereotypes are that men are not good nurturers or that their entry into nursing is more about devious intent or just wanting a good job."

Andy Bolin studied engineering at the University of South Carolina, then returned to college at USCA for a nursing degree.

"It's an opportunity to help people when they need it most," he said. "It's a cliche, but it's about getting into this profession to make a difference."

Bolin and Wright acknowledged they never considered nursing throughout high school. The stereotyping would have steered Bolin away at that age.

Few male students ever mention nursing during career discussions, said Aubrey Pompey, an Aiken High School guidance counselor. "They don't see many male nurses, and we don't talk about it a lot," Pompey said. "But this conference brings it to a consciousness level in terms of job security and need. Nursing can also open some doors for other opportunities."

USCA junior Ken Kennedy is a traditional student and didn't hesitate about getting into the nursing school.

"I knew the sexual connotation that most nurses are female," said Kennedy, who wants to go into psychiatric nursing. "It's a great field to go into, where you can learn about adult health, medical/surgical and other things you can use throughout your career."

There should be no distinction between male and female nurses, said nursing program dean Dr. Julia Ball. They should just be nurses.

"This is the biggest workshop we've ever had," she said. "We wanted to showcase our school and at the same time educate all the schools as well as the students."

Contact Rob Novit at rnovit@aikenstandard.com.