Dr. Christopher Sage, Assistant Clinical Professor of Undergraduate Nursing, announced that the American Association for Men in Nursing (AAMN) accepted SHU’s Men Entering Nursing (M.E.N.) Club application for chapter status.
Sacred Heart University’s M.E.N. chapter of AAMN is inclusive to all genders while continuing its mission to support males in the nursing program. The club seeks to encourage more individuals to consider this career path.
“Both male and female students participate in our club and support our cause. That diversity is what makes us whole. This creates a safe space for men in the nursing program,” said junior Cameron Ottaviani, M.E.N. Chapter President.
Sage has witnessed the lack of men in the nursing program on campus.
“Males only represent about 11-13% of the workforce. Here on campus there are as little as 7% of males in the undergraduate First Professional Degree program at this time. This is represented by the current 69 males out of 900 students in the nursing program,” said Sage.
The club has provided a place for men entering the nursing field to meet and discuss hardships within their degree while also helping them overcome obstacles in their profession. The club’s objective was established, and payment was provided for student membership in order to reach the goal of becoming a chapter.
“In order to achieve chapter status the club needed to create a new constitution and gain members of the AAMN. The club also needed to provide its purpose and mission,” Sage said.
“The Dean of the College of Nursing agreed to pay for student memberships. In August of 2024, 24 of our students became members of the AAMN. After taking these steps, our application was passed by the chapter committee’s National Organization of Men in Nursing and then passed by the Board of Directors.”
The club focuses on students’ transition into the workforce, which they will be continuing with their new chapter status.
“Achieving chapter status will greatly aid our members when entering into the workforce due to now being nationally recognized through AAMN,” said Ottaviani. “To have this chapter on your resume will help our members stand out in job applications, gain connections in the workforce and even develop communication and nursing skills for later use.”
The club’s founding members have witnessed its numeric growth.
“Our first year we had anywhere from five to 20 members at our meetings. For the first meeting of this year we had 45 students in attendance,” said junior Vincent Buccheri, M.E.N. Chapter Vice President.
The club has participated in events on and off campus to inspire and inform young men. Events have been planned for the 2024-2025 academic year to continue fulfilling the chapter’s mission.
“We visit Central High School in Bridgeport every year. We speak with their health sciences club and inform them about what it is like to be a nursing student. This year we have expanded from Central High School to Fairfield Notre Dame and Stratford High School,” Buccheri said.
“Another event that we hold is our panel discussion where we gather nurses from different fields, and ask questions about the profession. We also attended every open house in the Center for Healthcare Education. Our members were pre-fall leaders and took on freshman orientation,” said Buccheri.
These students have gained emotional support as well as security through their chapter status.
“The chapter provides our members the strength and perseverance to keep working towards that end-goal position that they long for in the workforce,” Ottaviani said.
Ottaviani, right, after the Blessing of the Hands.
Contributed by, Cameron Ottaviani ’26
A group activity during the M.E.N. Club meeting.
Contributed by Cameron Ottaviani ’26
