Breaking the Barriers: Men in Nursing
Our male nursing student demographic is an impressive 17 percent. That means we have 22 male nursing students in a program that has predominately comprised women. Johnson & Johnson cites, “6 percent of all nurses are men, and in coming years 22 percent more nursing jobs will need to be filled.” Recruiting more men into the field can contribute to filling this gap. To this end, Seattle Pacific has been mindful in making the effort to recruit more men into the Nursing program.
A key element to ensuring the success of our male nursing students has been the Men in Nursing support group established by Nursing Instructor Jim Mitre (1958–2014). Jim recognized the unique challenges of the bold but few men in the program and merged his love of cooking with his compassion for feeding the soul to establish the “Lunch With the Lads” program, as he called it. He provided a safe place for open discussion of relevant issues and concerns. Alumni have expressed the key role that Jim and this simple gathering of students played in getting them through the rigorous quarters of learning.
Fortunately, one of our own alums has stepped up to lead this group. John Delgado ’83, RN, launched this year’s group and is planning to stay involved with the group over the year. John has experience in oncology, critical care, emergency medicine, flight nursing, and most recently, perianesthesia. He is a man of great faith who is committed to supporting the next generation of nurses — and especially men in nursing. A few of our most recent graduates of the program are interested in coming alongside John to mentor this group, too, which will provide a depth of support for the students. The first lunch meeting of the group recently drew a record number of attendees and filled the conference room to capacity!
The School of Health Sciences is committed to supporting this ongoing initiative, and you can be a part of it as well. A fund in memory of Jim Mitre has been established to support the Men in Nursing group. To make your gift today, go to spu.edu/give-to-shs, select “Men in Nursing.” Or you you can mail your gift to:
Seattle Pacific University
3307 Third Avenue West, Suite 304
Seattle, WA 98119-1997
Designate “SHS Men in Nursing 115749” in the memo line of your check.