Traversing the Funambulist's Fine Line between Nursing and Male Identity: A Systematic Review of the Factors that Influence Men as They Seek to Navigate the Nursing Profession.

Daniel Terry,Andrew Smith,Blake Peck,Alicia J Perkins,Clarissa Carden

doi:10.3390/ejihpe10030051

Abstract

Nursing has seen a dominance of women within the profession, and today, the presence of men in the role remains less understood and appreciated. Males considering or entering nursing face challenges concerning role misconception, marginalization, and gender bias. With a looming shortage of nurses on the horizon, it is more important now than ever before to find better ways of engaging males into nursing. The aim of the study was to examine the psychological constructs that influence male perceptions of nursing as they seek to navigate the profession, and what aspects influence men to consider nursing as a career. To achieve this, a systematic review and mixed research synthesis (integrated design) was conducted. English language research published between 1999 and 2019 was eligible. The methodological rigor of qualitative articles followed the Critical Appraisal Skills Program, while the Best Evidence Medical Education guided the quantitative review. Among the 24 publications identified, three sub-themes emerged from the overarching theme of the funambulist or tightrope walker. Sub-themes included societal, inner and collective voices that inform men’s place in nursing or their decision making about entering the profession. There is a need to re-visit what it means to be a nurse in order to address the gendered stereotypes that impact men entering the nursing profession.

Highlights

While nursing is plagued with workforce shortages across the globe [1], nurses still represent the single largest category of healthcare worker across the globe [2]
A systematic review and mixed research synthesis—an integrated design informed by the work of Sandelowski et al [13]—was utilized as a framework to navigate the integration of results from both qualitative and quantitative studies within this review
Even though there is research suggesting that males who engage in nursing are satisfied with their roles, with a ratio of only 1 in every 10 men contemplating nursing, we have some work to do

Summary

Introduction

While nursing is plagued with workforce shortages across the globe [1], nurses still represent the single largest category of healthcare worker across the globe [2]. A key strategy to address this impending workforce shortage is to improve the recruitment of males into nursing [3,4]. It is questionable whether this strategy will yield success given the longstanding historical and socio-cultural evidence in support of fewer men enrolling in programs of nursing study [5]. It is a widely held view in contemporary thought that gender alone is not grounds for acceptance or preference into a professional body of knowledge and subsequent role. In Australia males make up a mere 11% of the nursing workforce [8], a picture seen time and again in other parts of the word: 9%

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