An ethnographical study on the academic experiences of Chinese male nursing students

"To do or not to do", male nurses' experiences of providing intimate care to female patients in China, a constructivist grounded theory study

BACKGROUND

Some studies suggest that female patients have more concerns about receiving intimate care from male than female nurses. Thus, providing intimate care to female patients is a challenging experience for male nurses. The purpose of this study was to explore Chinese male nurses' experiences and process of providing intimate clinical care to female patients.

METHODS

A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to develop a theoretical understanding of male nurses' experiences. This study included participants from 3 hospitals in different locations in China. Twenty-five male nurses were recruited using purposive and theoretical sampling. Semi-structured interviews were conducted. Data analysis was completed using initial coding, focused coding, theoretical coding and memo writing to produce core concepts and categories, and theory development.

RESULTS

Chinese male nurses' experiences of providing intimate care to female patients can be constructed as a three-stage process: (1) anticipation of the level of embarrassment, (2) deciding on the process: do it or not do it and (3) protecting both parties and dealing with embarrassment. Additionally, seven themes and associated categories were identified to represent the important factors in the process of male nurses providing intimate care to female patients in China.

CONCLUSIONS

Chinese traditional culture may affect the embarrassment in Chinese male nurses providing intimate care to female patients. The embarrassing situation can be divided into three different stages, and male nurses have different main concerns in each stage. Hospital nursing administrators should consider the experiences and needs of male nurses in providing intimate care and provide them with psychological support, education and training.

Male nursing students' experiences during prelicensure education: An integrative review

BACKGROUND

Males represent less than 10 % of the global nursing workforce. To increase the recruitment and representation of male nurses, their experiences in prelicensure nursing education must be understood.

OBJECTIVES

The purpose of this integrative review was to explore literature related to male nursing students' experiences during prelicensure education.

DESIGN

An integrative review of the literature was conducted using Whittemore and Knafl's methodology.

DATA SOURCES

Database searches of CINAHL, PubMed, ERIC, Emcare, and Scopus were conducted.

REVIEW METHODS

Database searches identified 237 articles for initial review. Titles, abstracts, and full-text articles were screened for relevance. Quality appraisal was evaluated using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool Version 2018. Data analysis was conducted using Conventional Content Analysis.

RESULTS

Twenty-two articles (19 qualitative, two quantitative, and one mixed-methods) were included in this review. The existing literature suggests that male nursing students have generally negative experiences during their prelicensure education due to external reactions from family, friends, peers, and healthcare providers to their choice of nursing as a profession; lack of male role models; extensive assistance with physical tasks in the clinical setting; exclusion in obstetrics clinical experiences; and female-gendered descriptions of nurses within the educational environment. Fostering new relationships was identified as a positive experience during prelicensure education.

CONCLUSIONS

Generally, male nursing students have negative experiences during their prelicensure education, with limited positive experiences. As such, nurse educators should implement strategies, such as avoiding gendered references when referring to the nurse, offering male mentorship when possible, and providing comparable clinical assignments to students regardless of gender, to improve male nursing students' experiences in prelicensure education and, consequently, increase the recruitment and retention of men into the nursing profession. Future research is needed to more comprehensively understand male nursing students' experiences during prelicensure education and the impact of teaching strategies on their experiences.

Factors Influencing Male Nursing Students' Adaptation to College Life in Korea

BACKGROUND

Male nursing students face challenges in the nursing profession because of its female-centered nature. In particular, most male students in South Korea must complete military service while in college. Although these kinds of situations may make it difficult for them to adapt to college life, the number of male nursing students is gradually increasing. Therefore, it is important to identify the influencing factors to promote male nursing students' successful adaptation to college life.

PURPOSE

This study was developed to investigate the relationship between self-efficacy, social support, stress coping, and adaptation to college life among male nursing students in Korea. Factors that influence their adaptation to college life were also analyzed.

METHODS

A cross-sectional study was conducted on 217 male nursing students from seven colleges in Korea. Participants completed a questionnaire that was designed to measure self-efficacy, social support, stress coping, and adaptation to college life. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, independent t test, one-way analysis of variance, Scheffé test, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression.

RESULTS

Male nursing students' self-efficacy, social support, stress coping, and adaptation to college life were shown to all positively correlate with each other. The main factors influencing adaptation to college life were social support, self-efficacy, satisfaction with major, and problem-solving-centered stress coping.

CONCLUSIONS

Strategies to enhance social support, self-efficacy, satisfaction with major, and problem-solving-centered stress coping should be developed to improve male nursing students' adaptation to college life.

Exploring the Gender-Related Perceptions of Male Nursing Students in Clinical Placement in the Asian Context: A Qualitative Study

The lack of gender diversity in the nursing profession has long been recognized as a cause for concern. Female nurses in many practice settings across nations continue to outnumber their male counterparts. Male nursing students may have perceived differences in the way they are treated in clinical practice; however, limited studies have been conducted to determine the unique perspectives of these students in terms of gender bias in their clinical learning. To address this knowledge gap, this study employed a qualitative descriptive approach to explore the experiences of male nursing students in clinical learning in an Asian context. Specifically, we examined the insights emerging from the thoughts and feelings of male nursing students from interactions with their clinical mentors, patients, and peers in their encounters during their clinical placement. From November 2019 to July 2020, data were collected through semi-structured interviews from 22 male participants aged 21–30 years (mean age: 22.7), enrolled in a prelicensure Bachelor of Nursing (honors) program in Hong Kong. Four themes emerged after a qualitative content analysis: (1) while the School of Nursing welcomes men, clinical settings are another story due to pragmatic considerations; (2) you are welcomed because you may be seen as a helper with greater physical strength; (3) male nursing students feel alienated in the obstetrics and gynecology practicum; (4) more male role models are desired in the clinical setting. Our findings indicate the need to promote gender awareness among faculty and clinical mentors, understand the factors hindering and facilitating the clinical practicum for male nursing students, improve the male nursing experience during the maternity practicum, and ensure access to more male role models to boost role socialization and learning.

The working experiences of male nurses in China: Implications for male nurse recruitment and retention

AIMS

To understand the working experiences and career trajectories of male nurses in China.

BACKGROUND

Compared with developed countries, men were far more under-represented in the nursing profession in China. Little is known about the working experiences of Chinese male nurses and the contextual factors that contribute to their low participation rate in the nursing profession.

METHODS

In-depth interviews with twenty-five male nurses and two hospital administrators were conducted. All interviews were analysed using thematic analysis.

RESULTS

Chinese male nurses had better career prospects and promotion chances compared with female nurses. The extremely low participation rate of men in nursing was related to the prejudice among the general public as well as the low professional status and salary. Two unique contextual factors influenced the career trajectories of male nurses in China: (1) the major assignment mechanism in the college entrance examination and (2) the implementation of the two-child policy.

CONCLUSION

Although Chinese male nurses enjoyed many advantages compared with female nurses, they also encountered many difficulties related to working in a female-dominated profession.

IMPLICATIONS FOR NURSING MANAGEMENT

Appropriate measures should be taken to shift public attitudes towards male nurses, improve the professionalization of nursing and promote gender diversity and equity.

Experiences of Arab male nursing students during high fidelity maternity simulation training

BACKGROUND

In Arab countries, many nursing schools rely heavily on simulation-based activities to provide experiential learning to male students with regard to maternal and child care; however, no study has been conducted to explore their experiences with such simulation training.

AIM

To describe the experiences of male nursing students who were exposed to high-fidelity simulation training related to maternity and child care.

METHODS

Husserl's approach to phenomenology guided this study, through the use of a structured interview with 15 Arab male nursing students. A thematic analysis technique served as a framework for the data analysis.

FINDINGS

Thematic analysis revealed four essential themes: gained competency; compensation for missed clinical experience; overcoming of cultural or religious barriers; and challenges related to the use of simulation technologies.

CONCLUSIONS

High-fidelity simulation can be a viable option to clinical training for enhancing Arab male nursing student competencies when providing maternal and child nursing care, which are often not available in the clinical area or are considered to be off limits due to cultural or religious reasons.

A Mixed Methods Review of Male Nursing Students' Challenges during Nursing Education and Strategies to Tackle these Challenges

BACKGROUND

Calls to action have been placed for recruitment of more men to address nursing shortage and to achieve a better balance and diversity in workforce. Studies also indicated patients' demand for male nurses. Despite this, male nursing students experience challenges during their education resulting in their attrition. No reviews have explored this research area. This review explored the challenges of male nursing students during their education and identified strategies used to tackle these challenges.

METHODS

Literature was searched within three databases using indexed search phrases and 1 mixed-methods, six quantitative, and 36 qualitative studies (n = 43), published from December 1990 to May 2018, were reviewed. The qualitative and quantitative data were separately extracted and analyzed using thematic synthesis and narrative summaries, and then compared using joint displays.

FINDINGS

"Call me a nurse" and "Male nurses understand us better: Need more men in nursing" were the prominent themes. An array of educational and clinical challenges was identified. Students used appraisal-focused, problem-focused, and social support strategies to tackle these challenges.

CONCLUSION

Considering the identified challenges, the lack of support and efforts from educators and institutions, we reiterate calls to action for strategic policies to help male nursing students adapt to educational and clinical learning environments and to increase their recruitment and retention in nursing.

Perceptions matter: faculty caring, campus racial climate and academic performance

AIM

Examine the influence of students' perception of faculty caring on academic performance and the moderating role of students' perceptions of campus racial climate.

BACKGROUND

There is limited knowledge on how students' perceptions of faculty caring, campus racial climate and academic performance are linked. Understanding this nexus is crucial to improving nursing education.

DESIGN

Secondary analysis of a cross-sectional data obtained from seven undergraduate nursing programs in Texas, USA.

METHOD

Data were from 385 students enrolled in Medical-Surgical 1 over three semesters (March 2010-December 2010). Six sets of factor analytic scores derived from 31 original perceptions of faculty caring items served as predictors; one set of scores derived from seven original perceptions of campus racial climate items served as moderating variable in a regression model. Numeric grade was the outcome variable.

RESULTS/FINDINGS

Perception of faculty having a positive outlook/compassion had an enhancing effect on performance. As students' perceptions of campus racial climate became increasingly discriminating, the positive association between perceptions of faculty's trust in students' judgment and academic performance became increasingly strong.

CONCLUSION

Results highlight ways by which students' perception of micro-level social reality (dyadic interaction) might interact with their perception of meso-level social reality (social environment) to influence their academic performance.