The educational issues of male nursing workforce from the perspective of male nursing students: a qualitative study from Turkey

The Journey of Saudi Male Nurses Studying within the Nursing Profession: A Qualitative Study

BACKGROUND

Nursing is considered to be a primarily female profession, particularly in Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that male nurses have contributed to the advancement of the nursing profession in various specialties, such as military nursing, mental health, and critical care.

PURPOSE

We explore the factors influencing Saudi male nursing interns to study within the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia.

METHODS

A descriptive qualitative study was conducted. A convenience sample of 12 Saudi male nursing interns from different nursing colleges were recruited, alongside four hospital internship coordinators. The data were collected by conducting two semi-structured focus group interviews and four individual interviews. All the interviews were analyzed using a comparative analytical approach.

RESULTS

Role models and the role of the internship year were identified as factors influencing Saudi male nurses' decision to study nursing. However, hospital placements, cultural preferences, and the preferences of patients and their families for female nurses were the key challenges encountered. Importantly, this study demonstrated that social media plays a critical role in raising awareness regarding the importance of Saudi male nurses. Conclusion: Awareness needs to be raised of the nursing profession as a gender-diverse field through volunteering programs for the community. It is recommended that Saudi male nurses act as role models for students in the Academic Orientation Forum and on social media.

Male and female nursing students' opinions about gender and nursing as a career in Turkey: A qualitative study

AIM

This study was conducted to reveal the feelings, thoughts and opinions of male and female nursing students about gender perception in nursing.

DESIGN AND METHODS

This descriptive study using qualitative methods sought to reveal gender perception among first- and fourth-year nursing students. The focus group interview (FGI) approach was used purposefully to obtain in-depth information about nursing students' gender perceptions and their underlying attitudes, beliefs and behaviours. There were 27 female and 17 male participants, of whom 23 were first-year and 21 were fourth-year nursing students.

RESULTS

The analysis revealed four themes: (1) reasons for choosing the nursing profession, (2) gender perception, (3) religion and cultural factors and (4) occupational gender perception. The students reported that in certain units, gender would make a more positive difference for patients and themselves. The responses of male students regarding their professional gender perceptions also differed depending on whether they were first- or fourth-year students.

CONCLUSIONS

Gender affects the perception of professional gender and to has a positive effect on the adoption of the profession during education by male students.