Wayne Mitteer: Educator, Administrator, Advisor, but Always a Nurse First

By Elisabeth Costanzo Stewart

Exactly 50 years ago, Wayne Mitteer (LAAS ’74; RN ‘75) graduated from Broome Community College’s Nursing: A.A.S. program, poised to embark on a vocation in bedside care. To fund his degree, he worked part-time as an orderly at Guthrie Lourdes Hospital, and never left. 

Mitteer credits his more than five decades as a critical care nurse, cardiac educator, healthcare advocate, and hospital administrator to the foundational, two-year nursing degree he earned at his community’s college. Deeply appreciative of his alma mater’s impact on his life, Mitteer established the Wayne C. Mitteer RN, MS Scholarship for the Advancement of Men in Nursing. A firm believer that “Any Dream Will Do,” he hopes to help open the door for fellow men to accept the call to practice nursing. 

It’s only fitting that Mitteer’s story began in a delivery room at Lourdes Hospital. He enjoyed a quintessential ‘baby boomer’ childhood in Johnson City alongside his older brother. At age seven, Mitteer decided to become a pediatrician. Drawn to the biological sciences, he hoped to continue his studies as a pre-med student at a private college in Pennsylvania.

“My parents drove me to my Admissions interview. In those days, pre-med students either needed a 4.0 or connections. I had neither,” Mitteer reflected. “The Admissions Counselor dismissively told me, ‘Face it, this isn’t for you.’ I was heartbroken. I still consider it one of my life’s most defining moments.”

Devastated, the family began their trek back to Johnson City. Hoping to lift her son’s spirits, Mitteer’s mother broke the car’s silence with a hopeful suggestion, “Why don’t you go to Broome?”

Bruised but not beaten, Mitteer enrolled at what was then known as Broome Community College in the Liberal Arts and Sciences: Science A.S. program. Hoping to explore all healthcare careers, not just the title of MD, he accepted a part-time position at Lourdes. Within the wings of the hospital where he took his first breaths, an enthusiastic Mitteer transported patients, sterilized rooms, and assisted medical staff. Noticing his innate compassion and fervent work ethic, countless colleagues floated the same question, “Have you ever thought about becoming a nurse?”

Mitteer earned his liberal arts degree in 1974 and immediately re-enrolled in the Nursing: A.A.S. program. His class included six other male students, a record high for the program at that time.

“Though men in nursing were technically the minority, there never seemed to be a gender divide within the class,” Mitteer explained. “We all studied in groups, compared clinical experiences, and worked together to survive the program.”

While he loved monitoring vitals, administering medications, and advocating for his patients, the inevitable cringy moments that accompany entering a non-traditional field for men surfaced during his clinical rotations. He was regularly mistaken for either an orderly or a doctor, and his skin crawled at the phrase, “Oh! You’re a male nurse!” But the opportunity to deliver quality, patient-centered care far outweighed the occasional moments of awkwardness. 

Mitteer graduated from the nursing program in 1975, and promptly traded his Lourdes orderly uniform for nurses’ scrubs. Beaming with pride, his mother told anyone and everyone that her son was a registered nurse! After cutting his teeth as a float nurse, he found his home in the intensive care unit. He loved that providing high acuity care required an equal balance of specialized technical skill and genuine compassion for the lives of his patients. 

Not wanting to lose momentum, Mitteer enrolled at Binghamton University to earn his Bachelor of Science in nursing. Though it is now common for working nurses to continue their education simultaneously, in the 1970s and 1980s, there was a noticeable dichotomy between the education and practice of nursing. Determined, he spent the next few years covering every weekend evening shift in order to finish his degree. While appreciative of his stint at Binghamton University, Mitteer’s heart always remained at Broome. 

“I’ve always felt like I am a two-year RN with advanced degrees,” Mitteer said. “But it’s true! I learned the most clinically from my two years at Broome.”

Looking to grow professionally, Mitteer and a fellow nurse approached the University of Scranton with a proposal. If they could fill the class, the University agreed to offer its complete Master of Hospital (now Health) Administration (MHA) curriculum as an extension program at Lourdes Hospital. Back to working every weekend, he plugged away on his graduate degree through back-to-back fall, intercession, spring, and summer semesters. 

“I woke up one day and realized I was in my 30s,” Mitteer joked. “Those years were incredibly busy, but I was always interested in exploring where my nursing career could go.”

Each time Mitteer quietly contemplated different positions at neighboring hospitals, a new door would open at Lourdes. One door led to Mitteer working as a SUNY Broome adjunct, teaching cardiac nursing classes in conjunction with the American Heart Association. Another challenged him to direct the DeMarillac Maternity Program, which welcomed more than 500 babies annually. When Mitteer and his colleagues realized that their DeMarillac newborns needed continued care, the door opened for him to develop the DePaul Pediatrics program. Fulfilling his childhood dream of working in peds, Mitteer’s direction of the DePaul program allowed the Southern Tier’s underserved and uninsured children to receive comprehensive healthcare.

Doors continued to open through four governor appointments to the New York State Department of Health’s Rural Health Council. Mitteer was the first non-physician to serve as the President of the Department’s Perinatal Division of Family Health (DFH), highlighting the incredible breadth of a career in nursing.

Mitteer “retired” as the Vice President of Oncology and Clinical Services in 2012. The infamous Lourdes inside joke that “sooner or later, everyone reports to Wayne” was evident by the more than 200 colleagues who attended his retirement party. In a room filled with administrators and physicians, nurses and technicians, and nuns and priests, Mitteer expressed his wholehearted appreciation to his peers for their support. He credited his decades of clinical care and servant leadership to the steadfast encouragement of his husband of 41 years, Stephen Cornwell. 

Before long, Mitteer, an admittedly terrible retiree, returned to Lourdes in 2013 to consult as an Executive Advisor. Regardless of title or position, Mitteer always maintained his license to practice as a registered nurse in New York. This came in handy when, during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, he took a brief hiatus from his retirement consulting role to help combat the nursing shortage. Though he jokes that he’s “just an old nurse,” Mitteer never lost the finesse needed to administer life-saving vaccinations.

Recently, in casual conversation, a dear friend asked Mitteer about his vision for his legacy. As he reflected on his life’s essence, the phrase “for others” reverberated in his mind. How could he best be “for others?” The answer came organically: support the next wave of his community’s nurses.

“I wanted to create a scholarship at the institution that welcomed me and saw my value and potential,” Mitteer shared. “I’ve always believed that Broome-educated nurses are the foundation of our region’s hospitals, so why not help to shepherd more men into the field?” 

Though he initially intended for his scholarship to be awarded in memoriam, the same friend advised against it, heartening Mitteer not to miss the chance to personally champion the beneficiaries of his generosity. It’s advice he’s glad he accepted, after seeing his scholarship serendipitously awarded to the son of a longtime colleague last year. 

“While I developed the criteria for the scholarship, I don’t select the recipients,” Mitteer explained. “I was shocked to discover that one of our recent awardees is the son of a nurse whom I worked alongside for many years. It was a beautiful full-circle moment.” 

Mitteer’s Advice for Men in Nursing Today: “If you’ve got it in your heart to help others, this profession is full of different avenues to be of service. Whether you’re working in healthcare education, traditional bedside nursing, or in an administrative role, you’ll be able to enhance the lives of others through compassionate care.”

Inspired by Wayne’s story? Consider earning a FREE associate degree in high-demand programs like Nursing: A.A.S.! Find out if you’re eligible for SUNY Reconnect at SUNY Broome.

Tags: Alumni, Health Sciences Division, Liberal Arts and Sciences AS, Nursing, Nursing Evening/Weekend, Profile, Scholarships