OHSU School of Nursing

MEN IN SCRUBS

Did You Know:

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that jobs for RNs will grow 23% by 2008. That’s faster than the average for all other occupations.
In the U.S., only 6% of nurses are men.
In Oregon, only 11% of nurses are men.

We have all read the stories about the nursing shortage, the rapidly aging population, and how health care is going to try to meet the public’s demands. The School of Nursing has also grappled with finding answers to these issues and how to make the nursing profession more diverse.

One idea born from trying to diversify the nursing profession to better reflect the population it serves, was to develop a workshop for young men that showcases what it means to be a nurse.

The School in partnership with Saturday Academy held a workshop on May 10 called “Men in Scrubs”. A group of young men from neighboring middle schools spent a fun filled day at the OHSU School of Nursing and experienced first hand what it takes to be in this rewarding profession.

The young men spent the morning learning and practicing clinical skills in the new OHSU Clinical Learning Lab. The activities they experienced were general assessment including blood pressure monitoring, heart and lung sounds, inter-muscular injections, IV insertion and neurological evaluation. The young students all commented how much fun they had learning these clinical skills and how exciting it was to have the ability to actually perform these newly acquired skills.

Switching gears for the afternoon, the young men took their new found knowledge and skills and went into the OHSU hospital for clinical rotations. The group was able to rotate through the Medical ICU 7C, Trauma/Neuro ICU 7A and Ortho/Trauma floor 13A. The current nurses who are men in these units shared their reasons for choosing nursing as a profession, clinical experiences about their units, and encouraged these young men to seriously consider nursing as a career track.

Overall the day made a big impression on the young men. One of the young students shared, "I learned more today than I learn in a school day." Many of the young men stated on their evaluations that they were now thinking about becoming a nurse. One boy wrote, "I want to pursue this career now." Another young man shared his suprise impressions about the nursing profession, "Before, I thought nursing was pretty boring, but it turned out pretty interesting."

The learning objectives were taught and demonstrated by a group of current OHSU nursing students who are men: Eric Hodges, RN, MS, PhD-c, David Janney, Josh Mackie, Jesse Vander Heide and Jackson Wild. The nurses at OHSU hospital that welcomed the young men into their units include: Chuck Kearney, RN (Medical ICU), Sean Ahern, RN (Trauma/Neuro ICU), and Raymond Hogan, RN, MS (Ortho/Trauma floor). Without the devotion, enthusiasm. and energy of these men, the day would not have been successful.