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December 17, 2024

Fairfield University recruiting more men into nursing profession

Contributed An instructor and student at Fairfield's accelerated nursing course.
By Harriet Jones

Fairfield University says its nursing conversion course is enrolling male students at a higher rate than the national average.

The Accelerated Second Degree Nursing program is designed for people who want to jump-start a nursing career, but who hold degrees in other fields. The 15-month program confers a bachelor of science degree in nursing, and graduates are eligible to sit for the national licensure exam to become registered nurses.

Fairfield offers the course at its home campus and also at a satellite campus in Austin, Texas.

Across the two locations, 20% of those enrolled are men, which Fairfield says far outstrips the 12.8% national average.

That national average is in line with current employment in the field. Recent data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics indicate that men represent 12% of registered nurses in the workforce.

“People who seek out second degree programs are typically older and have more life experience than traditional undergraduates,” said Christopher Lacerenza, director of the ASDNU program at the Fairfield campus. “Those experiences often include greater exposure to medical situations and increased awareness of the value of care providers.”

Fairfield launched an initiative in 2014 to recruit and retain men in its nursing programs, including a Men in Nursing Club, which has become an official chapter of the American Association of Men in Nursing.

Current student Michael Willis comes to nursing from a restaurant career. He decided on the switch after a spell in hospital being treated for pancreatitis.

“The nurses who cared for me were amazing,” Willis recalled. “I wanted to be one of them, to give back and to help other people.”

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