Father of five, nursing student inspires men to join the field
BROOMALL, Pennsylvania (WPVI) -- Cliff Konah, a father of five sons, is going back to school to become a nurse. He's ready to prove it's a worthy career path for other men to consider.
"I guess you could say I have a whole bunch of family that's in nursing," said Konah. "And I strayed away from it a little bit."
Konah first became a carpenter before having a change of heart and falling in love with the world of healthcare.
"It seemed like it's just in the genes," he said.
He enrolled as a student with the Delaware County Intermediate Unit's Delaware County Technical Schools (DCTS) Practical Nursing Program. The one-year training regiment prepares students with skills learned both inside and outside of the classroom. The program reports a 90% job placement rate for graduates, who become Licensed Practical Nurses.
According to 2022 Labor Force Statistics from the Current Population Survey from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, 87.9% of nurses were female.
"Not only do we need nurses from everywhere, but we also really want to try to bring in more men," said the program's supervisor, Stacy Delaney. "You might have a patient that really works best with males."
The program was able to obtain grant money to push more outreach and advertising targeted towards recruiting more males to its ranks.
With just over 10 males in the current DCTS program, Konah says it's important for them to support each other.
"We're a pretty close-knit group, we make sure we all push each other," he said. "We all maintain that kinship and brotherhood."
But beyond its current members, Konah hopes that more men will sign up to wear scrubs and become healthcare heroes in the field of nursing.
"I hope that my story and at least what I'm going through and how I'm doing in school, it goes on for everybody else to know that hey, it's not as hard as you think," he said. "You can do it too."
A virtual open house will be held June 6, 2023 at 5pm for anyone interested. To learn more about the Delaware County Technical Schools Practical Nursing Program, visit their website.
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