AAMN Recognition

The following segments are descriptions and summations of how VUSN is meeting AAMN organization objectives. 

Objective B

Support men who are nurses to grow professionally and demonstrate to each other and to society the increasing contributions being made by men within the nursing profession .”

The VUSN AAMN chapter has made a rigorous effort through email blasts and word-of-mouth to include men in its chapter events from many Middle Tennessee health care organizations (St. Thomas Hospital) and places of higher learning (Lipscomb University). This report has been a testament to the volunteerism of VUSN chapter members. Members volunteer at many agencies that care for the medically underserved including Oasis Center, Edge Hill Community, Siloam Center, Shade Tree Clinic, and elementary and secondary schools. Each year men from VUSN AAMN volunteer for the Flulapalooza Influenza vaccination project for all VU and VUMC students and employees. Importantly, members of AAMN work and volunteer at Mercury Courts, a health care clinic and housing site that is administered by two male Family Nurse Practitioners from VUSN.

The work at Mercury Courts has solidified, by itself, the importance of male nurses to Nashville and the larger Middle Tennessee area. Mercury Courts received a $1,000,000.00 HRSA grant to sustain its services to medically underserved populations in Middle Tennessee. Christian Ketel, DNP, RN-BC, (VUSN faculty and alumnus) is the coinvestigator for the grant and Aaron Scott MSN, RN (VUSN alum), is key personnel for project implementation. 

Curriculum and Course Syllabi

To address health issues of men who are often impacted by social determinants of health, VUSN curricula and syllabi specifically target male populations with curricular content aimed at prevention, treatment, and evaluation. For example, in a psychiatric mental health course (NURS 7215, Psychiatric Mental Health Nursing Across the Lifespan), APRNs are taught interviewing techniques lead to a formulation of a psychiatric diagnosis, such as major depression. In NURS 7215 students learn that males have different presentation than females with regard to depression, as well as higher rates of suicide associated with depression. APRN students learn to identify risk factors for psychiatric conditions among males and follow up with development of differential diagnoses and the psychopharmacologic and other interventions related specifically to males and ethnicity.

Another example of male health addressed in the VUSN curriculum occurs in Advanced Pharmacotherapeutics (NURS 6103), taught by Michael Gooch, DNP, RN, AC/F/ENP. In NURS 6103, Dr. Gooch provides a course unit about pharmacotherapy for men's health conditions including osteoporosis, erectile dysfunction, and gastroesophageal reflux. 

In Advanced Health Assessment and Clinical Reasoning (NURS 6101), Brian Widmar, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, CCRN, FAANP, teaches course units on genitourinary assessment in men and gay, bisexual, and transgender health assessment. In NRSC 5101, Evidence- Based Practice, Tom Christenbery, PhD, RN, CNE, teaches a section on the contributions to nursing science that have been made by men and minority nurses.

In the advanced pathophysiology course (NURS 6010) Travis Dunlap, PhD (c), RN, ANP-BC, teaches a class on pathophysiology of the male reproductive system. In this course, Professor Dunlap helps students analyze the effect and progression of reproductive disease entities in populations of men across the lifespan.