Men in Nursing Kick-off Social Event Features Comedy and Stress Test

Did you know that…

• prior to Florence Nightingale, the profession of nursing actually started with men in the military?
• men in nursing typically work in technical areas such as operating rooms, emergency rooms and intensive-care units and are more likely to move quickly into administrative roles?
• men and women in nursing have somewhat different verbal and non-verbal communication styles?
• Nationally, men account for approximately 10 percent of Registered Nurses. The goal of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing (AAMN) is to increase this to 20 percent by 2020.

These are just a few tidbits about men in the nursing profession. If you are interested in finding out more, you won’t want to miss the upcoming Men in Nursing Kick-off Social Event on Friday, October 12, from 5-8 p.m. on the Nursing Mezzanine, third floor, School of Nursing.

The event will feature Dr. Harris Meyer and an opportunity to take a free computerized stress test that will give you a baseline of your current stress level as we begin the new school year. Dr. Meyer has a wealth of advanced training and clinical experience in the area of wellness care and has spoken widely on the topics of stress, nutrition, longevity, obesity, pediatric health and health safety.

The event will also feature comedian David Studebaker of Young Guns of Bay Area Comedy.

Remember, laughter is indeed the best medicine ever, so come and get a good dose for yourself.  Studebaker has been featured on Newstalk 910, 107.7 The Bone,
KRSRO 1350, and KOFY TV, was selected as “Critics’ Choice” in the North Bay Bohemian and is a regular at all the major clubs in the Bay Area. His work also includes The Big Bris, a Remi Award-winning, 20-minute short that has been screened at film festivals around the country.

Men in Nursing (MIN) at UCSF, a recognized campus organization, was started in 2012 to address issues related to the recruitment and retention of men in the School of Nursing and the Medical Center. The primary mission of the group is to offer men in the nursing profession the opportunity to develop social networks and innovations in nursing. Membership is open to Registered Nurses as well as nursing students.

The organization provides a framework for nurses and nursing students, as a group, to meet, to discuss and influence factors that affect men as nurses at UCSF, the Bay Area and around the country.

MIN’s objectives are as follows:

1. To encourage men of all ages to become nurses, and join together with all nurses in strengthening and humanizing health care.
2. To support men who are nurses to grow professionally and demonstrate to each other and to society the increasing contributions made by men within the nursing profession.
3. To advocate for continued research, education and dissemination of information about men’s health issues, men in nursing, and nursing knowledge at the local and national levels.
4. To increase the acceptance of men as caregivers through positive influences.
5. To support members’ full participation in the nursing profession and its organizations, and use the group for the limited objectives stated above.

The Kick-off Social will be a great evening of information and entertainment.  Students from all the different schools — medicine, pharmacy and dental — are invited to take part. With the national conference of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing (www.aamn.org) scheduled to take place in San Francisco on October 24-26, this could be declared “Men in Nursing Month.”