Men in Nursing: Chamberlain University in Addison leading the charge
On Tuesday, March 4, Chamberlain University’s Addison campus celebrated its 17th anniversary, where the co-presidents of the school’s Men in Nursing organization, Kelechi Ebiringah and Alberto Folch, led a student appreciation event.
“The men in nursing organization is pretty new,” Folch said, “But we want to make sure people know about us and that the group continues after we graduate.”
The Health Resources and Services Administration anticipates a 10% shortage of registered nurses (RNs) nationwide by 2027 (bhw.hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/bureau-health-workforce/data-research/nursing-projections-factsheet.pdf) and Illinois is no exception (chicagobusiness.com/health-care/illinois-nursing-shortage-may-get-worse). One way to help fill the gap is recruiting more potential nurses to the field, including men.
While still the minority, men in nursing is trending upward; as of March 2024, the percentage of male nurses grew 59% (nursejournal.org/articles/male-nurse-statistics) over the last 10 years. Even a two-time Super Bowl champ (si.com/nfl/2024/01/17/chiefs-clyde-edwards-helaire-heartwarming-reason-studying-nurse) is training to become a nurse.
“We want to combat the stigma of entering a female-dominated profession,” Ebiringah said. “There are so many different paths you can take within nursing.”
Adtalem Global Education’s Chamberlain University — with Illinois campuses in Addison, Chicago and Tinley Park — is at the forefront of this shift.
Dr. Harrell Jordan, Addison campus president and the Men in Nursing organization’s faculty leader, was the first Black man to complete a Ph.D. in Nursing from the University of Illinois at Chicago’s College of Nursing.
With a deep-rooted passion for helping the underserved and underrepresented as they pursue their dreams of becoming extraordinary nurses, Dr. Jordan mentors many, especially Black male nurses, who make up just 6.3% (nursing.duke.edu/news/black-men-nursing-overcoming-barriers-and-leading-change) of RNs in the United States.
“Everything I do is setting an example for the next generation,” he says. “If I had someone like me to look up to at the start of my career, it would’ve made all the difference.”
This disparity is impacting us locally. According to the Chicago Department of Public Health’s recent community health assessment (healthnewsillinois.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/Healthy-Chicago-Report-2025-v5.pdf), within the city of Chicago, there is a 11.4-year life expectancy gap between Black and non-Black Chicagoans.
This gap is driven by the inequitable experience of key health conditions and recruiting a more diverse health care workforce (cwshealth.com/post/why-diversity-matters-in-healthcare-staffing-and-patient-care) is one solution.
For example, some male patients may feel more at ease talking with a man about gender-related issues such as prostate cancer, which disproportionately affects Black men (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37202002).
Bringing more men, especially men of color, into nursing can improve health outcomes and alleviate staffing shortages (nursejournal.org/articles/male-nurse-statistics) while increasing health equity, access to care, and patient satisfaction.
“When I worked in the emergency room, I was the only Black male nurse on my unit,” Dr. Jordan said. “We can connect with patients who have the same experiences and offer a unique perspective.”
Chamberlain University’s next academic session begins May 5. For more information, visit chamberlain.edu.