Males look to nursing

 
Southern University’s nursing school hosted an open house to highlight male students Thursday in J.K. Haynes Hall.
With over 40 male students in the program, the school took a day to recognize their contributions to the program.
“We don’t look at them and see anything negative, we look at them and we see that they’re gifted and the endless possibilities. When we look at our students we see our sons and daughters.  They might not be in touch with all of their gifts. We want to bring the best out of them,”Cheryl Taylor, dean on the nursing school said.
According to a study by University of Pennsylvania researcher in 2009, About 7.5 percent of new male nurses left the profession within four years of graduating from nursing school, compared to 4.1 percent of new female nurses.
“When I see my instructors everyday and they stay on me because they want me to maximize my full potential in their classes, after a while they’re like a mom,”Marcus Doss a freshman in the program from New Orleans said.
Doss said that the instructors want him to be the best that he possibly can be.
“Not only am I trying to make the best grade possible, but I’m also trying to let them know that their efforts are not wasted. That I’m trying to the best of my ability to grasp everything they are teaching me,”Doss said.
Taylor discussed the nursing school’s recognition by the Louisiana Nurses Association.
“Southern University’s nursing school is the number one school of nursing recognized by The Louisiana Nurses Association. Well there are a lot of different reasons for that, but let me say this, our designation is a result of a competition. We were nominated along with other schools of nursing and were judged by nurses outside of the state of Louisiana. In the process of that judging Southern University was awarded the Nursing school of the year.  That designation would not be possible without the commitment and dedication of our faculty, and our students,”Taylor said.
Lehmire Wilson, a freshman in the program from Baton Rouge talked about the stereotypes facing males in the nursing profession.
“I don’t really feel picked on or emasculated because I am confident in the field that I chose, plus the other guys in the program are very supportive and that helps,”Wilson said.
Doss advocated for the education among other prospective nurses of the opposite sex.
“If anything we are trend setters. The way I see it is I’m am getting a quality education while being around beautiful girls,”Doss said.
Taylor said the nursing school is the place to start your nursing career.
“SU’s school of nursing is a place where you can come and start your nursing career, and if you choose to, advance your career,”Taylor said. “We want to promote the health of Louisiana and the rest of the country and that starts here, by producing the best nurses.”
Some students did not choose come to SU’s school of nursing in the beginning of their college careers.
“At first I was in the band. Nursing was not my first major, but after some soul searching I realized that nursing was the right major for me, hopefully its my calling,”Parker Rossum a senior in the program from Shreveport said.
Brennan Brown a freshman in the program from New Orleans said that nursing requires time management.
“Time management is the hardest part of the program to me. I don’t have much leisure time to hangout with friends. Nursing is a full time job,”Brown said.
Every student in the program must take the comprehensive exam.
“One of the things that makes us the best is our comprehensive exam. You will not graduate from SU with any kind of nursing degree without it,”Leroy Scott a freshman in the program said.
Rossum said nursing is more than just prescriptions and cures.
“Nursing is not just administering medicine or just trying to cure someone, that’s not what nursing is really about. Nursing is a nurturing career, taking care of a person as a whole, that’s what nursing is all about,”Rossum said. “You can’t just wake up and decide to be a nursing major. Nursing is a major that requires compassion. Either you have it or you don’t.”
Scott said the program provides tools to be successful in the nursing field.
“Southern would have provided me with the tools I will need in order to save lives and make a difference in the health field,”Scott said.
The school of nursing currently has three programs offering a Bachelor of science in nursing, Master of science in family health nursing, a Doctor of philosophy in nursing, and in fall 2012 they will offer students a Doctorate in nursing practice.