Faculty Notions Regarding Caring in Male Nursing Students

Abstract

Men are entering the field of nursing in increasing numbers. As men enter nursing programs, they may encounter role stereotyping and gender bias through the faculty's assumption of stereotypical notions of caring. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to describe the ways faculty perceive and respond to caring in male nursing students to better understand how to facilitate it. The central question for this study was: What are the essences and meaning of nursing faculty notions regarding caring in male nursing students? Six faculty members in a nursing program with a large percentage of male student enrollment were interviewed. Applying a phenomenological data analysis method, the researchers identified six themes: altruism, antecedents, attainment, ambiguity, agency, and anecdotes. Implications for nursing education and practice are made, including the need to recognize, allow, and support male nursing student ways of caring.

Examining of Caring In Traditional and Non-traditional Nursing Students

“…The needs of these individuals are different than that of the previous generations 61. Differences have been identified in traditional and non-traditional students in the review of the research literature related to age, gender, motivation, interest, learning styles, and resilience in traditional and non-traditional students [14,13] but not that of caring until this study.…”

“…Specific literature focusing on the backgrounds of students indicates that many of those entering nursing today are primarily non-traditional students [11,12,14,25]. Non-traditional students, who come from the diverse population, tend to decide to enter the profession of nursing while in their high school years and beyond 20.…”

“…For any number of reasons, these nontraditional students leave their initial career and enter nursing [11]. Because their approach to becoming a nurse is different from that of the more traditional nursing students, it is valuable to ask whether these individuals have the same desire to "take care" of others [12][13][14]. Non-traditional students may have already focused on another profession, family life or military service.…”

Gender Inequality and Role-strained among Male Nursing Students in Selected Nursing Institution, Lagos, Nigeria

“…Men make up 10% of the nursing workforce in the United Kingdom and 6.6% of the three million nursing professionals in the United States of America (Grady, Stewardson, & Hall, 2008). In Nigeria, the statistic is not that different, for instance, male students comprised 5.2% to 5.8% of the overall nursing students' population at the settings for the study.…”

“…Public insights that nursing is a female-oriented role have been a major factor in the low numbers of men in the nursing field and continue to apply pressure on those in the profession (Keogh & O'Lynn, 2007). Nursing institutions have responsibilities for ensuring that all qualified students are given the same opportunities for successfully obtaining the knowledge and skills necessary to become professional nurses (Keogh & O'Lynn, 2007;Grady, Stewardson, & Hall, 2008). Being a good nurse depends on innate biological characteristics and by inference, stereotypical feminine characteristics (Stroshine & Brandl, 2011).…”