TITLE:
Educational Experiences of Undergraduate Male Nursing Students: A Focus Group Study
AUTHORS:
Alia Mahadeen, Lubna Abushaikha, Samira Habashneh
KEYWORDS:
Nursing Education, Academic Experiences, Nursing, Jordan, Male Student
JOURNAL NAME:
Open Journal of Nursing,
Vol.7 No.1,
January
18,
2017
ABSTRACT: Background: The educational experiences of undergraduate male nursing students in developing countries such as Jordan have yet to be fully investigated in the literature. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to explore the educational experiences of Jordanian undergraduate male nursing students. Methods: A qualitative research design using inductive content analysis approach was used to explore educational experiences of undergraduate male nursing students at a prominent public university. Focus group interviews were used to obtain information of an interactive, conversational nature from male nursing students and to gain in-depth insight regarding their educational experiences. Twenty undergraduate male nursing participants representing the four academic levels of a nursing program were recruited. Four focus groups ranging between 4 - 6 students were used to gather data. Inductive content analysis was used. Results: Three themes emerged from this study: “nursing: a deliberate choice”, “nursing is wonderful yet challenging”, and “nursing is not for men”. Students articulated that they deliberately chose to study nursing and to enter this academic field. Participants indicated that studying nursing was a wonderful experience that was intertwined with several challenges. Students from different levels explicitly emphasized that they were challenged and bombarded with enduring negative stereotypes and negative societal views regarding males in nursing. Conclusions and Implications: Findings illustrated that educational experiences of undergraduate male nursing students varied between wonderful experiences upon deliberate entry into nursing programs to enduring negative stereotypes and views regarding male nurses. Nursing educators are expected to comprehend the educational experiences of their students, particularly male students, and provide counseling, role-modeling and support as needed. Additionally, nurse educators should encourage all students to manage gender related problems by emphasizing a nurse’s role identity without gender segregation or discrimination.