“Men in nursing” as viewed by male students in secondary schools

Abstract

Globally, the significant and increasing shortage of nurses is alarming. Male nurses have established their positions in hospitals and community health settings but their overall numbers remain suboptimal. Therefore, this study sought to explore and describe the views of secondary grade male students regarding men in the field of nursing in Egypt. The study was conducted at 2 secondary schools: Omar Makram and the Military Governmental Secondary Schools for boys in Damanhur, Egypt. A total number of 350 male students were recruited in the study and their perceptions and attitudes towards men in nursing were assessed using the Attitudes Towards Men in Nursing Scale (ATMINS), which was developed by Bartfay WJ et al., in 2010. Interestingly, it was found that there is a general positive perception toward men in nursing. Specifically, the most apparent positive attitudes were in the direction to “Mass media portrayal of the male nurse as being gay or effeminate in nature which discourages males to choose it as a career” followed by “Mass media portrayal of nursing to be more suited to women which also discourages males to choose it as a career”. On the other hand, their negative perception and disagreement was toward “Encouragement male family members to pursue nursing as a challenging and rewarding career choice”. Therefore, “Media description”, “No specific job title for men” and “No role model” are the major factors that discouraged male students from choosing nursing as a future career. In contrast, “Gaining good income and travelling abroad” seemed to have potentially shifted their perception. Eligible students chose nursing as a prospective future career right after medicine, pharmacy and engineering. In conclusion, Male students in secondary grade seem to have a positive perception toward men in the nursing field but do not prefer it as a future career. Having said that, a considerable part of society reflects a limited attraction to the nursing profession even though they appreciate it. Future research is indeed warranted to investigate other key factors that may influence the overall male perception toward the profession of nursing.