Q: How did you get into the nursing profession?

I went into nursing at the encouragement of my CNA instructors and realized that I loved taking care of patients. There was great potential for a nursing career. The possibilities in nursing are limitless. Federal, state, and local agencies continually seek minority nurses to join their workforce, and opportunities for advancement are great.

I went through every step in the nursing ladder and one degree led to the other. I think I got into nursing and stayed because every new step held something new and exciting in the science and art of nursing.

Q: What is it like to be a man in a predominantly female profession?

My experience as a male nurse has been positive. I have found support among my many male and female colleagues and can only say that nursing is an accepting profession, regardless of gender, race, or economic status. I don’t think I could have chosen a better profession.

Q: What is one way to fulfill the National Association of Hispanic Nurses’ mission?

One way of fulfilling NAHN’s mission — to promote Hispanic nurses to improve the health of our communities — is through mentorship. I believe that our nurses are the backbone of the health of our communities.

They are culturally sensitive, knowledgeable, capable, and most of all, caring. Promoting the development of our nurses in every aspect of the science and art of nursing makes us able to improve the health of our communities.

We at NAHN continue to provide mentorship opportunities for our nurses to develop their research, academic, administrative, and clinical expertise. A good example is our partnership with the National Institutes of Health, which provides the opportunity for a research fellowship to our members.

Another one is the Aetna/NCEMNA (National Coalition of Ethnic Minority Nurse Associations) Scholars Program that provides a stipend and mentorship experience to a Hispanic nursing student.

Q: What are the barriers for Hispanics entering the nursing profession?

I believe that this question may have different answers. For fully acculturated Hispanics, the barriers to enter nursing may be the same as other populations: high school and first-year college dropouts and lack of advising mechanisms that encourage young people to enter health care careers.

For limited English proficiency Hispanics, barriers include incomplete English language skills, lack of role models, and lack of educational system knowledge, among other things. For impoverished Hispanics, the barriers for entering nursing school may originate from economic and social obstructions.

Q: What are the three top challenges that Hispanic nurses face?

They emanate from the limited number of Hispanic nurses in the general nursing workforce. This small percentage of Hispanic nurses, added to the existing nursing shortage, severely limits the availability of nurses who can prepare or encourage other Hispanic nurses to enter, retain, and advance in the nursing profession. The proportion of Hispanic nurses (2%) when compared to the general population of Hispanics in the United States (13%) represents a widening gap between the population needing to access culturally competent care and the available workforce providing it.

A third challenge, which also springs from the reduced number of Hispanic nurses, is the available number of nurse scientists, administrators, and academicians. Our No.1 priority must be to increase the number of Hispanic nurses at all levels and thus improve the health of the communities we serve.

Q: What talents do Hispanic nurses bring to the profession?

I believe that Hispanic nurses bring a unique wealth of knowledge and skills to the U.S. health care system. Hispanic nurses are culturally competent, that is, they bring a unique approach to caring that resonates with the cultural background of our populations. Many Hispanic nurses are leaders, experts in their field.

Q: What is the NAHN’s priority for 2005?

NAHN’s priority for next year will be to increase communication among its chapters and the national board and to increase membership while assuring self-sustainability. Partnering with other health care organizations also will be on the agenda as a priority item.