When Danny Aguiar applied to Barry University, he knew he wanted to play on the Buccaneers baseball team – but he wasn’t sure what he wanted to study. He took classes in athletic training and in exercise science, but he didn’t feel he had discovered the right career for him. Then his physiology professor suggested that he consider nursing. The aggressive outfielder had doubts at first, mostly because of the common stereotypes about nursing being a woman’s profession. “You don’t know the options you have until you get into the field,” he explains. Now he is so enthusiastic about the opportunities in fields such as wound care and anesthesiology, Aguiar even convinced one of his team mates, the Buccaneer’s catcher, to major in nursing as well.

Currently, men make up only six percent of the more than 2 million nurses in the United States. That number has held steady despite efforts in recent years to recruit more men to the profession. “We socialize people at a very early age that little boys grow up to be physicians and little girls grow up to be nurses,” says John McFadden, a current student of the PhD in nursing program as well as an assistant professor and director of Barry’s anesthesiology program. That socialization is reinforced by the essence of nursing itself. “Nursing is synonymous with caring, nurturing, and mothering,” Professor McFadden points out. “It’s really taking men a long time to embrace those attributes and make them their own.” He was admitted to medical school but rejected that opportunity in favor of nursing because, “I like the approach nurses take to patients better than the approach that doctors take.”

That’s a sentiment shared by Barry senior Jevon Olea. A native of the Philippines, Olea was encouraged by his physician brother to go to medical school. Instead he followed the example of his mother, a nurse. “My brother objected at first, but now he’s supportive,” he says. He recognizes that he’s made an unusual choice. “I’m the only guy in my clinical group,” he observes. “But I look at other classes and see the number of male nurses growing. I feel strongly that this is the right field for me.” A senior, and president of Barry’s Nursing Students Association, Olea looks forward to specializing in pediatric nursing.

Thomas Roznovsky, a sophomore at Barry’s School of Nursing, discovered that he enjoyed working in the operating room while serving as a maxillofacial technologist in the U.S. Navy. After completing his BSN, Rosnovsky hopes to return to active duty as a Navy Nurse Corps Officer. “I love the patient care and the hands on treatment,” he explains. Having a more balanced gender representation in the field might also make patients more comfortable, depending on their personal or cultural preferences, he suggests. Through his coursework at Barry, Roznovsky has learned that culture plays an important role in health care. The School of Nursing emphasizes multicultural health, providing lessons he believes he can bring back to his work in the Navy.

Men are playing an important role as nurse educators and are reciprocally producing future nurses to address the nursing shortage that currently exists in the nation. Professor Gene Majka and Dr. Daniel Little are both on faculty at Barry’s School of Nursing. Majka teaches Community, Public Health and Mental Health Nursing. He is also presently enrolled in the doctoral nursing program at Barry and works primarily with the migrant population with his students in Homestead and Florida City. Majka confesses “I fell into teaching by accident and ended up loving it.” He admits to entering nursing because, “I like the big picture nursing offers and the interaction with the patients.” He enjoys being a nurse educator and says he cannot see himself doing anything else but just that.

Gene Majka with nursing students in Homestead

Dr Little has 20 years experience as a nurse and eleven years as a nurse educator. Little was inspired to enter nursing after being impressed by the level of care and dedication a nurse provided to his friend who suffered from Leukemia. He was then influenced to be a nurse educator by a good friend and a previous dean at Miami Dade College. He went on to complete the RN to MSN bridge program which prepared him to be a nurse educator. Dr Little is very dedicated to his career as a nurse educator. He also has a degree in Linguistics, Music, Business and Psychology but prefers to teach nursing. Both Gene and Daniel are members of the American Assembly for Men in Nursing.

All these men chose nursing over other professions.



The United States health care industry is continuously changing due to economic pressures, political issues and technological advancements. In order to maintain the viability and success of their organizations, health care managers must be fully cognizant of pending changes and the implications of these changes for their organization. This keen awareness will allow them to envision the future in order to plot their organizations route through rough waters. The only way to focus and prepare for pending change is through continuous education, and earning an advanced degree, such as, a Master of Science in Health Services Administration.

Barry University’s M.S. in Health Services Administration program (ranked 25th largest healthcare administration graduate program in the U.S., based on enrollment, by Modern Healthcare in the November 4, 2006 issue) is designed to meet the needs of health professionals, and others, in developing or enhancing the requisite knowledge and skills necessary to qualify for such leadership positions amidst the constant changes in health care delivery, managed care, policy regulation, and a diversified consumer environment. Classes, taught by experienced health professionals, are conveniently scheduled on the main campus on evenings and Saturdays to meet the needs of working health professionals. Graduate Certificate programs are also available.

Students in this program have varied backgrounds including physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers and others. They have chosen health care administration because it provides challenges and rewards not available in other careers.

The MS in Health Services Administrations is comprised of an interesting mix of students. The student body is made up of 69% female students. In addition, 72% of the student population is made up of various minority groups. And, 83% of the students are United States citizens with the balance being either residents of the United States or international students. The graphs below give more specific details on the complete breakdown.

This cultural diverse blend of students creates an outstanding learning environment, which mirrors the local healthcare community blend of employees. Students are provided an opportunity to interact with each other through classroom activities and fully grasp the concept of leading others for whom English is a second language. In addition, they have the chance to learn how cultural differences impact individuals thought processes and their approach to work related issues. This classroom learning laboratory gives each student greater depth to their educational experience in health services administration.

A recent independent study of Barry’s student-friendly program gave it very high marks. Graduates rate the program as “overwhelmingly positive” and reported significant salary increases and promotions following graduation.

Barry University, through its 10 academic schools, is a comprehensive university with its main campus located in Miami Shores, Florida, with other sites throughout the state. Barry University is comprised of over 9,000 students and over 2,100 administrators, faculty members, and support staff all representing diverse religious, cultural and ethnic backgrounds. Barry is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (1866 Southern Lane, Decatur, Georgia 30033-4097; Telephone number 404-679-4501).

Successful health care managers identify issues and trends by reading, interacting with peers and astutely monitoring industry trends. These individuals never stop learning, because they continuously challenge themselves to improve their organizations. Advanced education assists you by fine-tuning your critical thinking and analytical skills.

All of us need to develop these continuing education skills. The first step is to read daily newspapers, trade journals and publications like The Wall Street Journal. This is followed by perusing professional materials. In addition, the successful health care manager enhances their knowledge base by studying the advances in other industries and determining how these management advances might be applied to their health care organization. Publications such as Business Week, Fortune or Forbes are a good place to begin. Reading books published by successful executives is a great way to broaden your horizons.

The next major step in this continuing educational venture is to develop networking skills and relationships. It is of the utmost importance to attend functions where a health care manager can interact with his/her peers. This interaction allows you to glean information, exchange data and use your peers as a sounding board of new concepts or approaches. You will be astounded as to what you can learn by mingling and chatting with individuals at professional meetings. Remember, your most important skill is your ability to communicate effectively and efficiently, whether it be verbal or written.

If you want to enjoy a successful and fruitful career, it is your personal responsibility to continue your lifelong professional education. You must determine the methodologies that work for you and continually pursue these activities. Only you control your professional destiny!



Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center (PBGMC) recently announced that the Tenet Healthcare Foundation has awarded $2,500 to the Palm Beach Community College (PBCC) School of Nursing. The grant was recommended by the hospital and will help fund the nursing program’s Center for Excellence in Medical Simulation, which provides a real-life, hands-on setting for nursing students.

Back row l-r: Dave Talley, Palm Beach Community College board member and former PBGMC board member; Wayne Jones, Chief Business Development Officer of PBGMC; Dennis Gallon, Ph.D., President of PBCC; and Dave Pettit, CEO of PBGMC.

Front Row l-r: Erica Butler, Instructor in RN Skills Lab; Maria Vallejo, Ph.D., PBCC Provost; Sue Ellen Mann, Executive Director of the PBCC Foundation; and Jacqueline Rogers, Dean of Health Sciences and Occupational Education at PBCC.

“The grants from the Tenet Foundation and Palm Beach Gardens Medical Center have helped provide our nursing students with the latest simulation technology, allowing them to ultimately be better prepared for real-life settings,” said Jacqueline Rogers, dean of health sciences and occupational education at PBCC. “The Center for Excellence in Medical Simulation is an important part of our program, as it has not only been a benefit to students, but has helped to relieve the shortage of clinical space in specialty areas.”



Nuclear Medicine Technology week is recognized each year during the first week of October by Allied Health professionals worldwide. This year Keiser University recognizes the future of Nuclear Medicine Technology by expanding its successful nuclear medicine program to the Keiser University-Ft. Lauderdale Campus.

Isabel Breen is the new program director and is looking forward to preparing a new generation of nuclear medicine technologists for the future. Breen’s background includes over 30 years experience as a registered technologist working in a variety of clinical settings from private cardiology offices to research and academic institutions, including chief technologist at Emory University. Breen’s educational credentials include an A.S. in Nuclear Medicine Technology, a B.S. in Business Administration and a MPA. Breen’s background in private practice, clinical education and managed care settings will prepare students for both the technical expertise and the administrative knowledge necessary for future health care professionals.

Nuclear medicine is the combination of medical imaging and patient care with chemistry, physics, mathematics, and computer technology to diagnose and treat disease. Nuclear medicine differs from other imaging modalities with its ability to quantify physiological function as opposed to imaging anatomical structure. Chemical compounds called radiopharmaceuticals are injected into a patient and digital information is transferred to a specialized imaging computer. Along with the images produced, biological data is collected and analyzed to produce a map of a particular organ’s function. The radiopharmaceuticals are safe and what makes them so effective is the fact that they mimic your normal body functions. Proteins, amino acids and antibodies that your body uses every day are tagged with a small amount of a radioactive element. This enables the clinician to actually “see” the dynamic process of a particular organ or disease rather than an anatomical snapshot.

The National Academy of Sciences has just released the findings of a yearlong study recommending that federal funding be enhanced for basic nuclear medicine/molecular imaging research. The study findings support the contributions to individualized disease management the field of nuclear medicine can offer. “Basic nuclear medicine research will continue to improve patient care through new therapeutic isotopes to cure disease, earlier diagnosis of Alzheimer’s and cancer, detection of the effectiveness of cancer therapies, development of the next generation of imaging technologies and more.” (McEwan, SNM) The report acknowledges the cost saving benefits that can be realized from utilizing nuclear medicine procedures. The report cites a potential of a $235 million savings in research and drug development costs alone. Nuclear medicine procedures can also be used in tracking the efficacy of a chemotherapy regimen and cancer staging. This information can save a patient from unnecessary surgery and non-responsive chemotherapy regimens.

The findings of this study support Keiser University’s decision to offer the nuclear medicine curriculum at its Ft. Lauderdale campus. The study supports the fact that nuclear medicine will continue to be a field at the forefront of modern clinical medicine and the need for well trained technologists in the field. The future looks bright for nuclear medicine technologists and a career in nuclear medicine provides a variety of opportunities in outpatient imaging facilities, research centers, community or teaching hospitals and public health institutions. Besides opportunities in medical imaging, career alternatives include educators, department administrators, industry sales representatives or research-and-development specialists.

Breen is looking forward to partnering with nuclear medicine departments in our community to help train and educate the future leaders in our profession.



We know it’s coming. Just as we hold our collective breaths for an impending hurricane, so too, do we dread the worsening, critical nursing shortage. According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Fact Sheet, October 2007, the impending crisis will only intensify by the year 2020, when our national shortage will surge to over 340,000 nurses.

The situation is much like the perfect storm: retiring nursing faculty members; a nursing workforce of advanced age and retiring; our local population swelling 22% by 2020; and baby boomers’ ranks continue to age and require acute health care services. As the forces merge, the problem heightens. The result: disaster.

As if this were not enough, staffing hospitals with sufficient nurses is virtually impossible. When nurses leave for additional certifications, their departure exacerbates the increasing tempest. But, there is hope for relief; Anesthesiologist Assistants.

Anesthesiologist Assistants’ Qualifications

The term Assistant is misleading. These are degreed professionals who have taken the premedical coursework prerequisites. They must take the MCAT or the GRE to be admitted to a two-year AA program – accredited by the Commission for the Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs – where they will earn master’s degrees in science. They complete training programs and the required number of hours in a hospital setting. The programs must be offered at, or in collaboration with, a university medical school and an academic anesthesiologist physician faculty. Main clinical sites must be academic medical centers. Their learning includes classroom/laboratory education totaling about 600 hours. Couple that with 2,600 hours of clinical anesthesia education, all types of surgery, and more than 600 possible anesthetics administered, in order to successfully complete the AA training program. Additionally, students may become certified by passing either the Council for Certification of Nurse Anesthetists (CCNA) certification exam or by the National Commission for Certification of Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAAA). The latter is co-validated by the National Board of Medical Examiners. Re-certification is required every two years with 40 hours of Continuing Medical Education (CME). And every six years, AAs must take the Continuing Demonstration of Qualification Exam. These rigorous standards make it possible to hire highly qualified individuals – like Certified Registered Nurse Assistants (CRNAs) – but do not deplete the nursing ranks.

AA Programs in the U.S.

To date, there are only five AA programs in the United States. Fortunately for us, the first school in Florida is south Florida’s Nova Southeastern University. NSU began its first 27-month program in 2006 with 29 students and they will graduate this year. NSU professor Mike Nichols, MSA, AA-C, president of the American Academy of Anesthesiologist Assistants has stated, “The more students NSU can matriculate, the greater the chances are for Floridians and people across the country to get access to health care.”

Two other schools are in Georgia; Emory, in Atlanta and South University in Savannah. Emory’s 27-months’ AA program begins each June. Upon successful completion, individuals earn Master of Medical Science degrees. Graduates function as anesthetists; indispensable members of the anesthesia care team (ACTs) led by an anesthesiologist.

In January 2005, the AA program at South University received its initial accreditation from the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs (CAAHEP) through their Accreditation Review Committee for Anesthesiologist Assistant Programs (ARC-AA) for the maximum five-year period. South collaborates with Mercer University (Macon, GA). At the present time Mercer provides anesthesia instruction for South University’s AA program.

Cleveland, Ohio’s Case Western Reserve University began offering baccalaureate degrees in 1969, expanding into a professional postgraduate program in 1987, where students are awarded Master of Science degrees in Anesthesiology. The program is accredited by CAAHEP. The University of Missouri in Kansas City prepares students with pre-med undergraduate degrees to become AAs. Their 24-month program allows eligible graduates to sit for the Certification Exam offered by the NCCAA and work within an ACT as a fully qualified and valued member.

Prognosis

The prognosis for averting the imminent nursing shortage isn’t good. Stanching the hemorrhage of exiting nurses is a sensible remedy and welcoming Anesthesiologist Assistants as members of ACTs, is good medicine.

When the gales of the nursing shortage increase – and they will – it’s comforting to know that AAs will be there to help us weather the tempest.