Pitt’s School of Nursing earned national recognition from the Association of Men in Nursing as one of the best schools nationwide for male nurses.
Male enrollment in the nursing school makes up 12.9% of undergraduates and nearly 15% of graduate students. As overall enrollment rises, male nursing students say the growing program creates a tight-knit community among their peers through clubs and patient care.
Scott Kelnhofer, executive director of the Association of Men in Nursing, said reviewers ranked Pitt due to the University’s programs to attract, engage and train male students.
“They average 15% male student population across their undergraduate and graduate programs and nearly 100% passing NCLEX scores,” Kelnhofer said. “They engage male students through a Men in Nursing Club that is active in recruiting and retention efforts within the community.”
John O’Donnell, senior associate dean for teaching and learning of the nursing school, said he believes the program is one of the best for male students due to the supportive environment.
“We recognize that nurses come in all varieties of types of people, that men are a very important aspect of nursing and that men can do nursing and be successful,” O’Donnell said.
O’Donnell emphasized the curriculum and faculty focus on the students themselves, not their gender identity.
“In general, we try to have the same exact program presented to both male and female-identifying students, and we want to make sure everyone’s comfortable,” O’Donnell said. “But if someone did express discomfort, we would make sure that we helped them out.”
Bryce Presser, a sophomore nursing major, said he was attracted to the program due to the University’s overall diversity and tight nursing community.
“The program as a whole is great and has created a strong sense of community for every person involved,” Presser said. “As a guy in nursing, it seems intimidating, but everyone in the school welcomes people from different backgrounds.”
Presser described stereotyped perceptions of nurses as a challenge he faces within the program.
“The biggest challenge has been the initial perception — nursing is still often seen as a female-dominated field, so you sometimes feel like you have to prove that you belong,” Presser said. “But once you get into it, that goes away pretty fast because everyone’s so collaborative and focused on patient care.”
Holden Swank, a sophomore nursing major, described his experience with the program and club as full of professional opportunities.
“As much as Pitt Nursing focuses on academics and course rigor, they really push students to pursue clinical research and open the door to so many in-hospital opportunities,” Swank said.
In addition to development programs, there are several nursing-specific clubs at Pitt for underrepresented populations within the school, such as the Men in Nursing Club, Black Student Nurses Association and Latinx Student Nurses Association.
According to Julius Kitutu, faculty advisor of the Men in Nursing Club, the club helps position students well for a career in nursing by developing a supportive community.
“The frequent meetings and support for one another in mentoring and social gatherings has played a big role in making the preparation towards the nursing profession for the male students in the school,” Kitutu said.
Quinn Eckert, president of the Men in Nursing Club and a senior nursing major, said the club has provided him networking opportunities as well as personal growth.
“I have been able to network and form relationships with male nursing students and male registered nurses across the country through these opportunities,” Eckert said. “I am [also] surrounded by like-minded individuals, who have within our club who have grown to be some of my best friends.”