Teenage boys rarely think about nursing when choosing career options. Walters State Community College’s nursing program wants to change that – beginning with a free two-day career symposium for young men June 27-28 at the Sevier County Campus.
“This career symposium will expose young men to the wide range of specialty areas within the profession,” said Cheryl McCall, head of the nursing program. The program has been named a Tennessee Board of Regents Program of Excellence and has been recognized as one of the country’s top producers of registered nurses.
“The camp provides information on nursing education and the role technology plays in healthcare today. We’ll also explore areas like flight nursing, nurse anesthesia, forensic nursing, critical care, emergency/trauma nursing and military nursing,” McCall said.
The camp will also give young men a chance to meet role models, including Wes Pierce, assistant professor of nursing at the college and a retired major from the Army. He entered the military as a lab tech, took advantage of educational opportunities and spent most of his career in the Army Nurse Corps.
Pierce said that nursing is attracting more men. About seven percent of all nurses now are male. The figure has nearly doubled in the last decade. Many young men, though, still think of nursing as a good field for women.
“Nursing is a great field for men, too. The career offers a great deal of flexibility. You can work in critical care and then move to another area like ambulatory care. I don’t think many careers offer so many options,” Pierce said.
“And nursing does offer job security. If you decide to move, you can almost guarantee a job will be waiting,” he said.
The Men in Nursing Career Symposium is open to males ages 15-20 and meets from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. each day. Transportation will be provided from the Morristown campus, along with snacks and lunch. Registration forms are available online at www.ws.edu/academics/health/nursing. The event is funded by the Carl D. Perkins Career and Technical Education Act. For more information, contact the college’s Division of Health Programs at ·423) 585-6981.
In the picture: Walters State faculty members Wes Pierce, assistant professor of nursing, and Cheryl McCall, head of nursing, go over plans for this summer’s Men in Nursing Symposium. The free two-day event is open to young men 15-20. The camp is designed to give young men a full view of the profession and dispel some of the stereotypes. The camp will be held at the Sevier County Campus with transportation provided daily from the Morristown campus.