Leading Across Three Worlds: Bedside, Leadership, and Academia in Pediatric Nursing​

Posted: October, 2026

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Author: 

Ethan Bryant, DNP, MBA, RN
Johns Hopkins Hospital – Children’s Center
Towson University

 

 

My nursing career has not followed a single path. Instead, it has developed across three connected professional worlds: pediatric bedside nursing, healthcare leadership, and nursing education. After approximately 10 years in pediatric emergency nursing and critical care transport, I now serve as a nurse leader in the pediatric intensive care unit of a large academic medical center. I also teach nursing students at the university level and continue to work at the bedside in a pediatric emergency department.

Balancing these roles can be challenging, but each one strengthens the others. Together, they have shaped how I understand professional development, leadership, and the importance of representation for men in pediatric nursing.

Bedside practice remains the foundation of my professional identity. Working in a pediatric emergency department keeps my assessment skills current and reminds me what nurses experience during a demanding shift. It keeps me connected to patients and families during moments of uncertainty, fear, and vulnerability. It also reinforces that leadership decisions must be practical for the nurses expected to carry them out.

Remaining clinically active strengthens my credibility as both a leader and an educator. When I discuss workflow, staffing, safety, or professional expectations with nurses, I understand the realities of bedside practice. When I teach students, I can connect classroom concepts to current clinical situations. Students benefit from examples that show how nursing knowledge is applied when a child’s condition changes, a family needs reassurance, or a team must respond quickly.

My leadership role has expanded my view from caring for an individual patient to supporting an entire clinical system. Leadership in a pediatric intensive care environment requires attention to patient safety, staffing, communication, equipment, professional development, and team well-being. It also requires creating an environment where nurses feel supported, accountable, and comfortable speaking up.

I have learned that leadership is not defined by a title. It is demonstrated through consistency, visibility, fairness, and a willingness to have difficult conversations. Effective nurse leaders must advocate for patients while also developing the people who provide their care. Some of the most meaningful parts of my role involve encouraging a nurse who lacks confidence, helping an employee identify a professional goal, or creating an opportunity for someone ready to grow.

Teaching has added another dimension to my development. Nursing students require more than clinical information. They need faculty members who can help them connect knowledge, judgment, communication, and professional identity. Teaching has challenged me to explain not only what nurses do, but why they do it. It has also made me more reflective about my own practice.

As a male nurse working in pediatrics, I understand the importance of being visible in both clinical and academic settings. Men may enter nursing without seeing many people who look like them, particularly in pediatric specialties or faculty roles. Some may question whether they will be accepted by patients, families, colleagues, or students. Representation does not solve every challenge, but it communicates that men belong in every area of nursing, including the care of infants, children, and families.

Compassion, communication, technical skill, and advocacy are not gender-specific qualities. Men in pediatric nursing can provide safe and nurturing care while also bringing their own experiences and perspectives to the team. Male nurse leaders and educators can further broaden how students and colleagues imagine their own career possibilities.

Mentorship is, therefore, an important responsibility within each of my roles. At the bedside, I can support nurses and students as they develop clinical confidence. In leadership, I can identify potential and create opportunities for advancement. In academia, I can help students understand that a nursing career does not have to remain in one setting. A nurse can move among practice, education, leadership, research, and service while maintaining a strong professional identity.

My career has taught me that advancement does not have to mean leaving the bedside behind. Professional growth can mean building bridges among the bedside, the leadership table, and the classroom. Each setting provides lessons that can improve the others.

For men considering pediatric nursing or leadership, my message is simple: do not allow traditional expectations to define the limits of your career. Seek mentors, remain clinically curious, accept opportunities that stretch you, and then create opportunities for others. Our profession becomes stronger when nurses bring the full range of their experiences into practice, leadership, and education.