After a year in the hospital hearing the details of various health conditions he had, Chris Foard was inspired to leave his career as a civil engineer in the military and become a nurse.
He's heard the stereotypes — that nursing is a women's profession — and seen the unflattering portrayals of male nurses, including one by the male lead in the movie Meet the Parents.
But one way he wants to refute those stereotypes — and encourage more men to pursue nursing — is with education and awareness through the first Delaware chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing.
The spark that ignited the idea was an October 2011 national AAMN conference he attended where he met peers who were motivated to "lessen the gender disparity, support professional growth of male nurses and students and strengthen healthcare," said Foard, RN, MSN, who serves as a physician liaison at Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, Del.
The chapter would add to the almost 40 across the United States that serve as a lifeline from the national organization to men in nursing and men who might become nurses.
"The grass roots are the strength and structure of your organization," said O. Danny Lee, APRN/BS, PhD, CNE, treasurer of the AAMN.
Need for nurses
The need for nurses is growing because of an aging population of baby boomers that could cause a shortage, Foard said.
"You need a pool of nursing professionals that is large enough to support this growing population," he added. "Why not encourage men to go into nursing?"
To that end, the AAMN's "20 x 20: Choose Nursing" campaign has set a goal of having 20% of the nursing workforce be men by 2020, said Demetrius Porche, RN, DNS, PhD, AAMN immediate past president.
At the local level, that means recruiting and encouraging men to become interested in nursing, said Porche, dean of the Louisiana State University Health Science Center School of Nursing in New Orleans.
Lee said local chapters reach out to high school and junior high school students. "We're trying to get them early," he added.
Providing support
Mentoring is key to helping male students in their nursing careers, Porche said.
"There needs to be a support system," he said. "Anytime you have a mentor, whether male or female, the individual will be more successful."
Supporting male nurses is one of three goals of the Delaware chapter, Foard said.
"It's not just to get men in nursing and be this big fraternity," he added.
Foard said he wants to work with high schools and nursing schools to encourage male students to pursue nursing. Students can learn from what the chapter's male nurses went through, including stereotypes and teasing, as well as their determination to continue and become nurses.
The chapter also will help male nurses grow professionally and acknowledge their achievements, Foard said. He has attended several conferences that honor nurses but rarely does he see male nurses receive recognition.
Another goal of the chapter is to advocate for continued research about men's health, such as prostate cancer awareness, Foard said. The chapter also could partner with other organizations to tackle men's health challenges, he added.
Karen Long is a freelance writer.
FOR INFORMATION about the the Delaware chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing, email Chris Foard at chris_foard@bayhealth.org.
He's heard the stereotypes — that nursing is a women's profession — and seen the unflattering portrayals of male nurses, including one by the male lead in the movie Meet the Parents.
But one way he wants to refute those stereotypes — and encourage more men to pursue nursing — is with education and awareness through the first Delaware chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing.
The spark that ignited the idea was an October 2011 national AAMN conference he attended where he met peers who were motivated to "lessen the gender disparity, support professional growth of male nurses and students and strengthen healthcare," said Foard, RN, MSN, who serves as a physician liaison at Bayhealth Medical Center in Dover, Del.
The chapter would add to the almost 40 across the United States that serve as a lifeline from the national organization to men in nursing and men who might become nurses.
"The grass roots are the strength and structure of your organization," said O. Danny Lee, APRN/BS, PhD, CNE, treasurer of the AAMN.
Need for nurses
The need for nurses is growing because of an aging population of baby boomers that could cause a shortage, Foard said.
"You need a pool of nursing professionals that is large enough to support this growing population," he added. "Why not encourage men to go into nursing?"
To that end, the AAMN's "20 x 20: Choose Nursing" campaign has set a goal of having 20% of the nursing workforce be men by 2020, said Demetrius Porche, RN, DNS, PhD, AAMN immediate past president.
At the local level, that means recruiting and encouraging men to become interested in nursing, said Porche, dean of the Louisiana State University Health Science Center School of Nursing in New Orleans.
Lee said local chapters reach out to high school and junior high school students. "We're trying to get them early," he added.
Providing support
Mentoring is key to helping male students in their nursing careers, Porche said.
"There needs to be a support system," he said. "Anytime you have a mentor, whether male or female, the individual will be more successful."
Supporting male nurses is one of three goals of the Delaware chapter, Foard said.
"It's not just to get men in nursing and be this big fraternity," he added.
Foard said he wants to work with high schools and nursing schools to encourage male students to pursue nursing. Students can learn from what the chapter's male nurses went through, including stereotypes and teasing, as well as their determination to continue and become nurses.
The chapter also will help male nurses grow professionally and acknowledge their achievements, Foard said. He has attended several conferences that honor nurses but rarely does he see male nurses receive recognition.
Another goal of the chapter is to advocate for continued research about men's health, such as prostate cancer awareness, Foard said. The chapter also could partner with other organizations to tackle men's health challenges, he added.
Karen Long is a freelance writer.
FOR INFORMATION about the the Delaware chapter of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing, email Chris Foard at chris_foard@bayhealth.org.
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