The VUSN Admissions Office reports male recruitment is on the upswing. During the past four years, the percentage of male students has consistently risen. In the current academic year, 11.3 percent of the students are male. Perhaps one reason for this is the growth of the School’s thriving American Assembly for Men in Nursing: Middle Tennessee Chapter at Vanderbilt.
Each month the group meets to discuss issues impacting male nursing students and men currently in the nursing workforce. Led by Tom Christenbery, PhD, MSN, the group provides an opportunity for camaraderie and networking, and has gained a positive reputation outside Vanderbilt as well, since two men from local hospital systems not affiliated with Vanderbilt recently joined the group.
Christenbery, along with Joseph Baily, RN, a second-year MSN student, Alvin Jeffery, MSN, RN/APN, first-year PhD student, and Robb Nash, MSN, RN/APN, second-year PhD student, participated in a 90-minute panel discussion for the Graduate Nursing Admission Professionals Program, held at VUSN in April. The VUSN group also hopes to eventually provide more outreach in the community via men’s health screenings at area events.