The Men in Nursing panel at Mount Saint Mary College featured three alumni, left to right: Matthew Ashley, BSN RN, of Garnet Medical Center; Kevin Corvino, MS, FNP-BC, from Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall; Stephen Kenna, BSN RN, Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall; and panel moderator Amahl Cotterell, a current Nursing student at the Mount.
Three alumni of Mount Saint Mary College’s Nursing program shared their experiences as men in the Nursing profession on Tuesday, March 18.
The panel consisted of Matthew Ashley, BSN RN, of Garnet Medical Center; Kevin Corvino, MS, FNP-BC, from Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall; and Stephen Kenna, BSN RN, also from Montefiore St. Luke’s Cornwall. It was moderated by current nursing major Amahl Cotterell of Poughkeepsie, N.Y.
When asked if they’re treated differently than their female colleagues, the panel members agreed that things are pretty much the same, with the possible exception of being asked to help lift patients or equipment more often.
But while their colleagues and bosses generally treat both genders equally, the same can’t be said for all of their patients.
For example, Cotterell explained that he has been mistaken for an anesthesiologist several times. Likewise, some patients assume Corvino is a doctor, not a nurse. And Kenna said his patients sometimes ask if he’s working on becoming a doctor, not knowing that the career paths are different and require unrelated degrees.
That being said, the panelists agree that the attitude of the general public towards the profession is shifting: “It’s not just a man’s job or a woman’s job,” said Ashley. “The perception is changing.”
The event was made possible through the college’s Nursing Workforce Diversity (NWD) grant. The Mount’s School of Nursing was awarded the $1.6 million, three-year grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The NWD program focuses on the recruitment, support, retention, and graduation of nursing students from underrepresented groups. It increases nursing education opportunities and assists students from disadvantaged backgrounds to become baccalaureate-prepared nurses.