A woman in an all-white uniform is usually what comes to mind with the word “nurse”. But one student is redefining what it means to be a nurse in the 21st century.

Kwamane D. Liddell, a senior from Bellwood, will be the first black male to graduate from SIU’s College of Nursing on May 10.

“I was actually a biology major before I transferred from McKendree University,” he said. “Before that, I worked at Loyola University Medical Center in the health system. I saw that the hospital setting wasn’t for me at all, and noticed the difference between doctor and nurse patient care.”

Liddell said he prefers the direct care of nursing, versus the hands-off approach of physicians.

The nursing program receives hundreds of applicants each year, yet only accepts 40 students.

“I received a letter in the spring of 2011 saying that I was rejected from the program,” he said. “When I left McKendree, I didn’t have a lot of classes that transferred over. Then one week later after my rejection, I received another letter saying that I was accepted because they had made a mistake with my transfer credits.”

Liddell said the preparation for the nursing program was rigorous.

“The minimum GPA for the nursing program is a 2.7, however I had a 3.6 upon entrance,” he said. “I packed in a tremendous number of science classes all at once, and remained focused because I knew I wanted to get in the program my first year here.”

The U.S. Census reports the proportion of male nurses has more than tripled since 1970; from 2.6 percent to about ten percent — or 333,000 of the nation’s nurses are men.

“[Being the only black male] in the nursing program was certainly a difficult adjustment,” he said. “I was certainly in a place where I didn’t know how to communicate with my peers, and they didn’t know how to communicate with me.”

Liddell said many patients were simply surprised to see a black male taking care of them in a nursing program.

“There have been instances where they thought I was one of my classmates’ assistants, or thought I was incompetent,” he said. “However, over time I’ve seen less of that because of the skills I’ve gained.”

Despite minor obstacles with patients and peers, Liddell said he has not experienced any cases of racism within his program.

“There isn’t a teacher within my program who wouldn’t take out the time to help me,” he said. “They all were willing to stay after class and help me with anything I needed to learn.”

Over the years, Liddell has won the Nursing Gems Award, an SIU Alumni Association Award, as well as an Award from the Black Males Initiative.

Liddell attributes his success to the support of his friends, family and mentors, including Derrick Williams, the assistant coordinator for the Center of Inclusive Excellence.

“I met Kwamane as a sophomore and his drive is just incredible,” Williams said. “He and I would sit for hours mapping out his plan to be the first black male to graduate out the nursing program.”

Williams said Liddell set the bar high for other black men on campus.

“He gives other students more alternatives to look at,” he said. “The nursing profession is very progressive. He wants to take what he’s learned and introduce to males at a younger age to nursing.”

Going into a service that cares and nurtures for others is what Williams said he loves most about Liddell.

“I’ll be honest with you, he’s one of the young men I am most proud of,” he said. “If I could do things differently, I would ask how I could follow him. He’s a very intentional young man, and you don’t see many young men trying to do the work that gets them where they want to be.”

Despite being the first black male to graduate from the nursing program, Liddell wants to take a different route once he graduates.

“I actually want to pursue law,” he said. “I found some skills that I didn’t know I had, and I think I can actually obtain a degree in law to help with healthcare policy.”

Liddell said a degree in law would help him understand what takes place within America’s health system.

In addition to the nursing program, Liddell served as president of the Black Male Roundtable, created the senatorial position for nursing in USG and is the associate coordinator of the Black Affairs Council.

“A mixture of perseverance and my faith is what keeps me balanced,” Liddell said. “Without the encouragement of my friends, family and professors, I don’t think I would’ve made it.”

Amber McKinley, a junior from Chicago studying social work, said Liddell’s story is inspiring to all students.

“When I found out he was studying nursing, it kind of threw me off,” she said. “You don’t hear a lot of males wanting to study nursing, especially black males. But he’s very goal-oriented. He’s very caring and actually wants to give back instead of just getting his degree. That’s something I really admire.”

Liddell said it hasn’t set in yet that he will soon make history.

“I don’t look at it like that yet,” he said. “I realize that without the help of other people supporting and encouraging me, I wouldn’t have made it. For that, I’m grateful.”

Kia Smith can be reached at [email protected], on Twitter @KiaSmith__ or at 536-3311.