How Men in Nursing Make a Difference: Meet Brett Dodd

When Brett Dodd, RN, MBA, MSN, began his nursing career in the late 1990s, about 7% of registered nurses in the United States were men.¹ Since then, that number has risen and keeps climbing. Of the nation’s 4.7 million RNs, an estimated 11.2% are men.²

“There are certain pathways that males traditionally take in nursing. A lot of it is emergency medicine, flight medicine and psychiatric medicine. I followed a similar path,” said Dodd, who earned Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) and Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degrees online from Chamberlain University.

Dodd’s initial goal was to become a flight nurse at Nightingale Regional Air Ambulance in Norfolk, Virginia, his hometown: “It was really, really hard to get a job there. And that’s really what I wanted to do … I just wanted to take care of these really sick patients that were in need and needed transport by air.”

His path to flight nursing started as a paramedic. Once he became an RN, he took his next step, working in trauma at a hospital emergency department. He moved into pediatrics, “where there weren’t a lot of male nurses at the time,” and from there worked in disaster nursing and became a flight nurse.

“Helping people when they’re having their worst day is definitely something I enjoy and something Chamberlain was able to help prepare me for,” he said.

Dodd is still a certified flight nurse, but today, his feet are firmly on the ground at Cedars-Sinai in Los Angeles, where he is associate director of the Women’s Guild Simulation Center and In-Situ Simulation. His duties include planning, designing, implementing and evaluating simulation-based learning.

His healthcare resume is extensive and packed with achievements, including numerous licenses and certifications. He received a Master of Business Administration (MBA) from the Pepperdine Graziadio Business School after earning his Chamberlain nursing degrees.

But he says he wouldn’t be where he is today were it not for the U.S. Navy, where he served for 10 years, and Chamberlain.

“I dropped out in eighth grade and went into the military because, at the time, you didn’t have to have a GED. I had an officer who worked with me there, and she helped me get my GED. And then she encouraged me to go to community college, where I got a degree in paramedicine,” he said.

“And I thought that was going to be the end. I got my degree,” he said. “But connecting with Chamberlain was the tipping point, because my career and my life really changed after that. My jobs got better; my financial state got a lot better.”

Choosing the Right Nursing School

A community built on care: That’s Chamberlain’s pledge to its diverse student body. Dodd says that as a veteran, he lived that experience, starting with his first contact with the accredited university.

“As soon as I talked to a recruiter, I mentioned that I was a veteran. And I believe she said, ‘You know what? We have a veteran recruiter.’ She connected me right over to him, and right away we hit it off. We talked shop a little bit about what we did in the military and just instantly bonded. And then he helped me throughout the entire program,” Dodd said.

“He would call me and say, ‘Hey, Brett, it’s time to register for this class. I’m sitting right in front of my computer. Can I do that for you?’ It spoiled me because when I went to other schools, I was like, what, you don’t do that?”

Chamberlain’s support of active and retired military and military-affiliated students reflects the Chamberlain Care® mission. Specialized support and tuition assistance, which are features of Chamberlain’s military and veteran nursing and healthcare programs, helped Dodd achieve his academic goals.

“I recommend Chamberlain all the time. I like the eight-week sessions. I like the flexibility, and I just really like the way that Chamberlain helps you along the process — especially since coming in, I’d been out of school for probably 15 years. They just made it very simple and helped me understand each step of the way what was expected of me,” he said.

“I do look back and say, wow. Look at that guy who just finished seventh grade and now he’s got a bachelor’s from Chamberlain, a master’s from Chamberlain and an MBA from Pepperdine. I don’t know that that Brett would believe today’s Brett.”

Learn more about Brett’s journey

Advance Your Education With a Chamberlain Degree

Chamberlain’s online degree programs offer knowledge and skills you can apply to your current nursing career. Or you may want to earn a degree that lets you use your education and skills in another nursing specialization. You’ll find nine specialty tracks in Chamberlain’s online MSN degree program that can help you match your studies to your nursing interests.

If your sights are set on becoming a nurse practitioner, you’ll find these NP specializations: Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner: Acute and Primary Care, Family Nurse Practitioner, and Psychiatric-Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. Chamberlain also offers Healthcare Policy, Nurse Educator, Nurse Executive, Nursing Informatics and Population Health specializations.

Chamberlain’s online nursing degree programs are designed to meet you where you are. Coursework is 100% online and available 24/7. This lets you work on your schedule, wherever you have an internet connection.

Chamberlain Care® also means students have choices. You can earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree in an online or hybrid format. Some students complete their BSN program in as few as three years.

If you’re ready to earn a terminal degree, the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) online degree program offers skills, knowledge and experiences you can apply to a variety of career opportunities.

Contact an enrollment representative at 877.751.5783. They can help you choose the online nursing program that fits your busy schedule.

“The instructors stay in touch with you. You get emails from the school to let you know what’s happening. If you need help, it’s available. If you want to participate more in the school, it’s available,” Dodd said. “I just think it’s a great package deal to go to an online school. And at Chamberlain, it’s a great education.”

Chamberlain University, an accredited institution, offers bachelor’s, master’s, doctoral and certificate programs in nursing and healthcare professions. With a growing network of campuses and robust online programs, Chamberlain continues to build on more than 130 years of excellence in preparing extraordinary healthcare professionals.

¹Source: www.census.gov/content/dam/Census/library/working-papers/2013/acs/2013_Landivar_02.pdf

²Source: www.aacnnursing.org/news-data/fact-sheets/nursing-workforce-fact-sheet

Chamberlain University is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission (HLC), www.hlcommission.com, an institutional accreditation agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. The baccalaureate degree program in nursing, master’s degree program in nursing, Doctor of Nursing Practice program and post-graduate APRN certificate programs at Chamberlain University are accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education, www.ccneaccreditation.org.

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