| | UAHuntsville College of Nursing sees more male students enroll and graduate(5/07/2009)
Gabe Abernathy didnt feel challenged and had very little interest when he attended classes for nearly three years, preparing him for a career in engineering at a prestigious Southern college. Ditto for the decision to walk on as a player for the legendary football team at the same university.The profession that attracted The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) seniors interest and stirred his passion with the offer of endless possibilities: Nursing. Abernathy knew he couldnt force himself to continue in the engineering program at The University of Alabama (Tuscaloosa). Bewildered about what to do with the rest of his life he began seriously talking with his sister, Staci, about her challenging career as a pediatric nurse practitioner at The University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). Talking to my sister motivated me to pursue nursing. I also received encouragement from two male nurse practitioners, graduates of the College of Nursing at UAHuntsville, Abernathy said. His mind made up, the West Limestone High School graduate transferred to UAHuntsville and earned his EMT (emergency medical technician) certificate from Calhoun Community College (CCC), while attending the College of Nursing. For the Abernathys healthcare is a family affair, spanning two generations. Gabes dad, John P. Abernathy (captain), retired in February 2008, after 25 years of service from Athens Fire and Rescue. He is an alumnus of Athens State University. Gabes sister, Staci, is a graduate of Athens High School. She earned her nursing degrees from UAB. His aunt, Joan Watkins his dads twin sister, is a charge nurse on the medical/surgical floor at Crestwood Hospital. And, his dads sister-in-law, Donna Abernathy, is a nursing supervisor/manager of the ICU (intensive care unit) and OB (obstetrics) unit at Athens-Limestone Hospital (ALH). And, last but not least, Elisha Esterly, Donna's daughter, and Gabes cousin, is a charge nurse on the medical/surgical floor at ALH. Mother and daughter both graduated from CCC. While statistics indicate males historically make up the smallest percentage of nurses (five to eight percent), UAHuntsvilles College of Nursing is the exception to the rule, maintaining higher than the national average when it comes to male nursing students. The College of Nursings enrollment numbers affirm the popular adage, Are You Man Enough to be A Nurse? The percentage of male undergraduate nursing majors is about 10 percent nationally and at UAHuntsville it is about 14 percent, said Dr. C. Fay Raines, President of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and Dean of College of Nursing. Raines attributes the colleges enviable reputation to a combination of successful academic programs, top-notch faculty and full-scale recruiting efforts. In addition, our past and current groups of male students and faculty have been excellent ambassadors for other male students interested in nursing. The student body in the nursing program is a very diverse one in many aspects including gender, race, age, and previous degrees. The fact that such diversity exists is a reflection of the commitment to diversity shown by our faculty and the inclusiveness of the college culture, Raines said. The first few years I taught at UAHuntsville we had fewer than five male students in a class, said Marta Browning, clinical associate professor in the College of Nursing. The past two years, the men have comprised 10 percent of both my junior and senior classes. I do not think nursing will ever revert to a profession primarily for women. I think men will continue to enter nursing programs in large numbers partly because federal and state government financing is supporting retraining men who have lost jobs in the manufacturing sector for careers in nursing. Browning said in most cases when men make the decision to enter the nursing field it is emotional and based on the need for fundamental change in their lives. She said besides the obvious rewards of a nursing career: helping people, upward and geographic mobility, job security, good benefits and flexible scheduling, an additional factor drawing men into nursing is active recruitment by professional organizations such as the American Nurses Association. Our men are compassionate individuals who want to engage in a career which provides personal satisfaction while helping others, Browning said. Some have been family caregivers and have cared for aging parents, disabled children or siblings and dying spouses. Quite a number are second degree students and have been drawn to nursing by the excitement and technology of emergency department or critical care nursing. For Terry Robinson, a SOTA (student over the traditional age), nursing is his fourth career. He has survived several professional careers including employment as an autoworker at General Motors, oil worker at Halliburton Services, and now owner of a farm in Pulaski, Tenn. Robinson graduated years ago, with a degree in animal science from Auburn University. I knew it was time for me to do something new and medicine was my first and only choice. Robinson, who graduated from Elkmont High School and was raised in the town, said his mother has been in nursing or working at nursing homes for over 50 years. Nursing was a choice because it is a way to give back . It allows broad fields of study, chances for travel and certainly job security. I plan to be in nursing 10 to 15 years and there is a possibility I will go back for a masters degree. College of Nursing graduate student Tim Scholl of Franklin, Tenn., was drawn to the profession after the terrorists attacks of 9/11. I never wanted to be a nurse in the traditional sense . Quite simply, I wanted to weave some from of meaningful service into the fabric of my life, said the former electrical industry manufacturers representative. Scholl has been working as a trauma nurse in the level one trauma unit at Vanderbilt University Medical Center, since obtaining his BSN from Belmont University (Nashville). He also has an undergraduate degree in economics from UAB. He was somewhat surprised when three out of four nursing instructors during his first semester at UAHuntsville were males. Frankly, this is quite unique in nursing education. Scholl said while nursing is a female dominated field at least 10 percent of his classes at the College of Nursing has consisted of men. The vast majority of men that Ive met while in nursing school or in the intensive care unit have plans beyond bedside (nursing), such as CRNA (certified registered nurse anesthetist), NP (nurse practitioner) or flight nursing. Men in high-tech areas of nursing such as surgical ICUs and in anesthesia (one of the highest paying areas of nursing) are represented at much higher levels. Also, male nurses in the military are about 30 percent of the nursing workforce, said Steve Busby, clinical assistant professor in the College of Nursing. This summer, Busby will be the first person in the state of Alabama and one of six people in the United States to complete a PhD, with a specialty in HomeLand Security Nursing. While the slow but steady trend of more males entering nursing programs at the College of Nursing and across the country is good news, Raines contends its not enough to prevent the worst nursing shortage in decades. Meeting the projected demand will require substantially increasing the number of nurses prepared by colleges and universities, Raines noted. Most schools of nursing, including the College of Nursing at UAHuntsville, have substantially expanded their capacity to educate more nurses but it is not enough. Educating even more nurses must be a higher priority of institutions if we are to meet the healthcare needs of the nation. Browning, who is about to enter her 45th year in the nursing profession agreed: This shortage is here to stay. For the foreseeable future, the demand for nurses will continuously increase due to the aging of the baby boomers, increased consumer involvement in healthcare decision making, and the technological innovations in healthcare which requires highly educated nurses to integrate high-tech with high touch service of clients. Coming to the aid of many budget-weary collegiate nursing programs is funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act better known as stimulus money. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act provides a number of funding initiatives for nursing programs and higher education in general, said Raines. These include the areas of healthcare workforce development, research, general higher education, and development of health information technology. Several faculty in the College of Nursing are submitting proposals for funding. ***EDITORS NOTES: The College of Nursing at UAHuntsville will hold Annual Pinning Services for graduating students on Friday, May 8 at 3 p.m., in Spragins Hall on campus. On Saturday, May 9 at 10 a.m., at Spragins Hall a ceremony will be held for students in the following colleges: Nursing and Engineering. And, later the same day at 2 p.m., a ceremony will honor students in the colleges of: Business, Liberal Arts and Science. Dr. Harrison H. "Jack" Schmitt, a geologist, former U. S. Senator, university professor and NASA astronaut, will give the keynote address at UAHuntsville on Friday, May 8 at 7:30 p.m., at Spragins Hall. Schmitt was the 12th person and the last astronaut to step foot on the moon. The American Association of College of Nursing (AACN) is the national voice for university and four-year college education programs in nursing. Representing more than 640 member schools of nursing at public and private institutions nationwide, AACN's education, research, governmental advocacy, data collection, publications and other programs work to establish quality standards for bachelor's, master and doctoral degree nursing education, assist deans to implement those standards, influence improvements in health care, and promote public support of baccalaureate and higher degree nursing education. For more information: Joyce Maples, (256)824-6414 |
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