A Male Perspective On Being A Nurse In Today’s Healthcare Environment

Female exclusivity in nursing has been a barrier for men in nursing for more than a century and continues to be one of the greatest contributing factors for the gender disparity in nursing today. Previous studies have demonstrated that men are thought to be poorly suited for nursing, based largely on gender normative stereotyping. This abject view discourages males from entering the nursing profession. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore the experiences of male nurses in today’s healthcare environment to describe the current professional practice climate for men in nursing, from the male nurses’ perspective. Group and individual interviews were conducted with 11 male Registered Nurses who practiced in the United States. The study used interpretive description methodology due to its specificity in nursing’s approach to generating knowledge. Nine themes and multiple subthemes were identified during data analysis. Participants reported similar experiences found in previous studies, as well as experiences that have not been seen in past research. This study concluded there has been progress toward correcting the gender disparity, but a focused effort to make nursing a more gender inclusive profession, and more welcoming for men, is still needed to improve the gender disparity in nursing.