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      Four-year diploma male students’ experiences in a profession traditionally perceived as a female domain at a selected public college of nursing in Limpopo, South Africa

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          Abstract

          Background

          Over the last 20 years, more men have been choosing to pursue a career in nursing. Despite this, men remain a minority in the nursing workforce around the world, including South Africa. Even though there is an increase in the number of male students entering the profession, male students remain a minority. Comparatively speaking, there is no balance between the number of female and male students taken in each intake. This is even reflected in the South African Nursing Council statistics. Nursing is traditionally perceived as a distinctly feminine career and the use of the terms ‘angel in a white dress, sister or nurse’ perpetuates this stereotype. This perception may deter some men from choosing a career in nursing and presents challenges for others who are currently in the profession.

          Objectives

          To explore and describe 4-year diploma male students’ experiences in a profession traditionally perceived as a female domain.

          Method

          This qualitative study used an explorative and descriptive design. The population comprised African male students in their third and fourth years of study who were registered for the 4-year diploma course at a selected public college of nursing in Limpopo, South Africa. Participants were purposively sampled. Five focus group discussions were conducted, and each comprised six to eight participants. The data were analysed using the Tesch’s open code method.

          Results

          Two themes emerged during data analysis: discrimination in the clinical setting and lack of role models and mentors.

          Conclusion

          Unless these challenging experiences are attended to, discrimination on the basis of gender in the clinical settings and lack of mentors may deter some men from choosing and remaining in the nursing profession. The selected public college of nursing and the nursing services need to work towards creating a welcoming environment to all students regardless of gender because some participants indicated that the clinical environment is sometimes not welcoming to them as men.

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          Most cited references31

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          Men in nursing.

          This literature review examines the ability of the nursing profession to recruit and retain men in nursing schools and in the nursing workforce. The authors consider such educational barriers as role stress, discrimination, and stereotyping, and explore questions of male touch and the capacity of men to care. In identifying challenges faced by men entering or working in a profession in which women predominate, the authors hope to promote actions on the part of nurse leaders, educators, and researchers that may address issues of sex bias and promote greater sexual diversity within nursing.
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            If they do call you a nurse, it is always a "male nurse": experiences of men in the nursing profession.

            Men are underrepresented in nursing, accounting for less than 6% of Canadian nurses. This research explores issues surrounding recruitment, retention, and work life satisfaction for men who are nurses working in acute care settings. Purposive and snowball sampling was used in this descriptive, qualitative study. Sixteen men participated in four focus groups conducted in three communities in southwestern Ontario. The participants revealed that work stress, lack of full-time opportunities, and gender-based stereotypes contributed to job dissatisfaction. Providing care to patients and making a difference were personal rewards that influenced their desire to stay in the profession. To promote nursing as a viable profession, unrestricted by gender, the participants recommended that recruitment strategies begin at an earlier age. Findings are discussed in relation to recruitment and retention issues with implications for education, practice, and management. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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              Men student nurses: the nursing education experience.

              This study explored the phenomenon of being a male in a predominately female-concentrated undergraduate baccalaureate nursing program. Men remain a minority within the nursing profession. Nursing scholars have recommended that the profile of nursing needs to change to meet the diversity of the changing population, and the shortfall of the worldwide nursing shortage. However, efforts by nursing schools and other stakeholders have been conservative toward recruitment of men. Using Giorgi's method, 27 students from a collaborative nursing program took part in this qualitative, phenomenological study. Focus groups were undertaken to gather data and to develop descriptions of the experience. Five themes highlighted men students' experience of being in a university nursing program: choosing nursing, becoming a nurse, caring within the nursing role, gender-based stereotypes, and visible/invisible. The experiences of the students revealed issues related to gender bias in nursing education, practice areas, and societal perceptions that nursing is not a suitable career choice for men. Implications for nurse educators and strategies for the recruitment and retention of men nursing students are discussed. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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                Author and article information

                Journal
                Curationis
                Curationis
                CUR
                Curationis
                AOSIS
                0379-8577
                2223-6279
                04 October 2018
                2018
                : 41
                : 1
                : 1932
                Affiliations
                [1 ]Department of Health, Limpopo College of Nursing, South Africa
                [2 ]Department of Nursing Sciences, University of Pretoria, South Africa
                Author notes
                Corresponding author: Ntombizodwa Ndou, zodwa.ndou@ 123456yahoo.com
                Author information
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5405-1378
                https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1559-2040
                Article
                CUR-41-1932
                10.4102/curationis.v41i1.1932
                6191660
                30326705
                804b9acf-51ee-44aa-a04a-e997553d95b9
                © 2018. The Authors

                Licensee: AOSIS. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution License.

                History
                : 01 March 2018
                : 02 August 2018
                Categories
                Original Research

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