Kosciusko native, KHS grad defies expectations to succeed in nursing field
Kosciusko native and KHS graduate Audwin Fletcher was recently honored by the Mississippi Board of Nursing with a spotlight in the Mississippi Board of Nursing magazine. Currently, Fletcher serves as Professor of Nursing and Director of the Family Nurse Practitioner and Adult Gerontological Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Tracks at the University of Mississippi Medical Center School of Nursing.
Fletcher, the son of Ricky Lee and Willie Alice (Pie) Kern, first became interested in nursing when his late grandmother, Allie Mae Fletcher, was in the hospital for cancer.
“Watching how attentive the nursing staff was to her every need made me altruistically interested in caring/providing for others. The rest is history,” said Fletcher.
In addition to watching his grandmother’s caregivers, Fletcher was able to garner what he terms “mom and pop” healthcare experience. He volunteered in the Healthcare Mission program, which allowed students to volunteer in different healthcare settings and roles.
“I volunteered at Montfort Jones in the pharmacy,” said Fletcher. “This experience bolted my healthcare interest further.”
As for challenges that have arisen in his nursing career, Fletcher mentioned his race, gender and size.
“My biggest challenge over the years was being an African-American male in a women’s profession and finding my path. Being 6’1” and 240 pounds dictates that I be in sports of some sort. But in the last 30 years of nursing, I have defied society’s dictates,” he said.
Asked what he likes about nursing, the answer was obvious.
“Everything! Nursing is so diverse. One can be at the bedside, in the classroom, in the board room, in the research lab—pretty much anything you can think of,” Fletcher said.
Considering the current coronavirus pandemic, Fletcher does not think that the impact on nursing will be immense.
“Nurses have always been on the frontline of service. I don’t think the pandemic will change nursing; I think that nursing will change the outcomes of the pandemic,” he said.
Fletcher is keenly interested in access to optimal healthcare for the underserved, underrepresented and uninsured populations.
“I am interested in these subsets of the population because I grew up underserved, underrepresented and uninsured. My entire nursing career has been focused on giving back to these unique subsets. I realize that sometimes a person is in a situation for no fault of their own. Therefore, I give back, not because I have a lot, but because I know what it’s like not to have anything,” said Fletcher.
His research interests include childhood obesity, men’s health, chronic illnesses and access to care for the African American community.
To that end, Fletcher has worked on several research and grant projects, including the National Black Nurses’ Association Obesity Initiative, the 100 Black Men of America Health and Wellness Program, the Mississippi State Department of Health Cardiovascular Health program, the UMC School of Nursing Kids for Healthy Eating and Exercise Club, the Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Project Alpha and March of Dimes Initiative, the UMC School of Nursing Multigenerational Problem Based Model Grant and the National Advisory Council for Nursing Research of the National Institute of Health.
Fletcher has earned many degrees, including a BA in Psychology/Biology from Mississippi State, BSN and MSN degrees in nursing from UMC, and his PhD from the School of Health-Related Professions at UMC.
Fletcher has frequently been the first African American to attain certain statuses: the first African American male to receive a masters in nursing from the UMC School of Nursing; the first African American male to be hired as fulltime faculty by the UMC School of Nursing; the first African American to receive a PhD for the UMC School of Health-Related Professions; the first African American male to be tenured and ranked as professor at UMC School of Nursing; the first African American male to hold positions of UMC School of Nursing, Director of Multicultural Affairs, Director of FNP/AGACNP tracks, and Graduate Clinical and Coordinator. In addition, he was the first African American male and the third African American from Mississippi to be inducted as a Fellow in the Academy of Nurses.
About his long and varied career and success, Fletcher quotes Ralph Waldo Emerson.
“’I traveled not where the path led. I traveled instead where there was no path and left a trail.’ I can only hope and pray my accomplishments inspire the youth to follow their dreams,” he said.
