WCU Alumni Hosts First Men in Nursing ‘Dinner & Dialogue’

West Coast University alumni, students, faculty and staff gathered this June to celebrate the official launch of a Men in Nursing chapter at the Ontario campus.

Hosted by WCU Alumni, about 30 people attended the party at Cafe Hildago in Fullerton. Chini Camargo, the WCU Alumni relations and events director, said the “Dinner and Dialogue” was a great opportunity for WCU alumni and future alumni to meet and network in a fun environment, while marking the beginning of a new organization that bridges the gap between students and graduates.

“This group represents nursing leadership and the future of healthcare,” Camargo said. “We are so excited to have teamed up with WCU-Ontario Career Services to be a part of the celebration.”

Founded in 1971 by a group of male nurses in Michigan, the American Association for Men in Nursing’s mission is to shape the practice, education, research and leadership for men in nursing and advance men’s health. Adrian Robles, a WCU-Ontario student and the first WCU Men in Nursing chapter president, said the key to launching the group was getting “a lot of the right people together at the right time.”

“The main thing that we wanted to push forward was the collaboration between the genders because you can’t have nursing without men and women,” Robles said. “To promote men in nursing more than they are now is great, but what’s really special is to have the opportunity to network with all these fine individuals.”

Guest speaker and WCU alumni Jonathan Llamas said that the Men in Nursing event was not only a great way to remove barriers between working professionals and full-time students, but also promote the amazing work men and women do as nurses.

“This Men in Nursing event helps unify the reason that we are all here,” Llamas said. “It’s a great way to network and shed some light on what nursing is and to hopefully inspire future nurses to see that in nursing and healthcare you have the opportunity to impact people each and every day.”

WCU provides career guidance and assistance but cannot guarantee employment. The views and opinions expressed are those of the individuals and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs or position of the school or of any instructor or student.