Do Men Have a Role in Maternal—Newborn Nursing?

Guidelines for student accoucheurs' acceptance in maternal healthcare

Purpose

The quality of maternal healthcare training is the most optimal degree of health in the delivery of effective, efficient and quality healthcare in midwifery discipline. Student accoucheurs studying at the Free State School of Nursing are faced with resistance, discrimination, rejection and unacceptability by pregnant women during their clinical placement at the Free State maternal healthcare institutions. This results in poor quality of training of student accoucheurs in maternal healthcare. Considerable studies have been conducted on males in midwifery nursing, but no guidelines have been developed to facilitate student accoucheurs' acceptance and improvement of the quality of training in maternal healthcare, hence the purpose of this study.

Design/methodology/approach

A descriptive, explorative qualitative design was used in this study. Qualitative focused group discussions ( n  = 32) were conducted through purposeful sampling method. Data was analysed thematically.

Findings

Three main categories emerged: student accoucheurs' related factors with social interactions and relations as a theme; maternal healthcare users’ related factors with transcultural diversity and socio-economic status as themes; nurse training institutions and maternal healthcare institutions service providers-related factors with gender inequality in the work place as a theme. Ultimately, the guidelines to facilitate acceptance and improvement of quality training of student accoucheurs in maternal healthcare institutions were developed and recommended for implementation.

Originality/value

The paper developed guidelines to facilitate acceptance and improvement of quality training of student accoucheurs in Free State maternal healthcare institutions.

A Survey of Midwives' Attitudes Toward Men in Midwifery

INTRODUCTION

The midwifery profession in the United States demonstrates a significant lack of diversity. The critical need to address the lack of racial and ethnic diversity in the midwifery workforce is well recognized; little attention, however, has been given to gender diversity. This study focused on gender diversity within midwifery, specifically with regard to men who are midwives. Nearly 99% of midwives in the United States are women. No research has previously explored the attitudes of the predominantly female midwifery workforce toward its male members.

METHODS

An invitation to an internet survey was sent to the American College of Nurse-Midwives (ACNM) membership. Quantitative and open-ended questions assessed attitudes toward and experiences with male midwives, whether members thought men belong in the profession, whether gender impacts quality of care, if ACNM should facilitate gender diversification, and whether exposure to male midwives impacts attitudes toward gender diversification. Data analysis of qualitative responses used a qualitative description methodology to identify common themes.

RESULTS

Six thousand, nine hundred sixty-five surveys were distributed, and 864 participants completed the survey. Respondents reported beliefs that men belong in midwifery (71.4%), that gender does not affect quality of care (74%), and that ACNM should support gender diversity (72%). Respondents' perspectives revealed 3 dichotomous themes pertaining to the core nature of midwifery and how men fit within the profession: 1) inclusion versus exclusion, 2) empowerment versus protection, and 3) sharing with versus taking from. Often, the same respondent expressed both aspects of the dichotomy simultaneously.

DISCUSSION

This study contributes new information about midwives' attitudes and beliefs toward gender diversity in midwifery in the United States. The values of professionalism, tradition, feminism, protection, and diversification inform participant responses. Findings support efforts toward gender diversification and have implications for implementation in education and practice.

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.

Lived Experiences of Novice Male Nurses in Taiwan

PURPOSE

Nursing remains a female-dominated profession around the world. The masculinity and male identity of men who choose nursing careers is questioned by the general public in many countries. Few studies report the situation of novice male nurses at their first year. The purpose of this study was to explore the lived experience of novice male nurses when they first enter the workplace.

DESIGN AND METHOD

A qualitative descriptive study was conducted using purposive and snowball sampling for recruitment. Fourteen participants, 21 to 25 years old, were recruited, all of whom had at least 5 months of work experience. On average, in-depth, face-to-face interviews lasted 1 hour, with more than one follow-up telephone interview per participant.

FINDINGS

The following six themes emerged from the transcribed verbatim data based on content analysis: choosing appropriate work departments based on personality and needs, facing the pressure and frustration of independent work, getting help, obtaining acceptance among female cliques, reflecting on the relationship between gender and profession, and concerns about dependents and financial needs.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE

This study addresses masculinity issues and gender stereotyping. In addition, male nurses were very concerned about their career options and development and the likelihood of promotion. This research not only has implications for better understanding of novice male nurses' needs and the challenges in their social life but also makes suggestions for nursing practice to attract and keep more male nurses in the nursing profession. The results illustrate how culturally congruent nursing care can be achieved when we more concern male nurses' role pressure and address traditional gender sensitivity to promote male nurses' career development.

Men student nurses: the nursing education experience

PURPOSE

This study explored the phenomenon of being a male in a predominately female-concentrated undergraduate baccalaureate nursing program.

BACKGROUND

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.

METHODS

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.

FINDINGS

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.

IMPLICATIONS

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.

Mentoring new nurses in the neonatal intensive care unit: impact on satisfaction and retention

With the retirement age of baby boomers drawing near, neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) need to retain and develop new talent. Several hospitals have formed mentoring committees in an effort to preserve new graduate nurses by helping them acclimate to their new units. This has proven to have a tremendous cost savings in specialty areas such as the NICU. This article will describe the advantages of developing a mentoring program in the NICU as well as the importance of understanding how generational differences need to be addressed to best utilize the talent pool of nurses.