Job satisfaction and career development of men in nursing

Abstract

Background: Men are a growing minority in nursing. A deeper understanding of their motivation, career paths, and job satisfaction is needed to target recruitment and retention efforts. Currently the largest male cohort entering nursing is by second career. This study examines if job satisfaction differs for men who choose nursing as their first choice of career, as a convenience after exploring other options, or as a second career.Methods: This mixed-method study examined the relationship between men entering nursing by choice, convenience or second career and their resultant job satisfaction. A convenience sample of 238 men answered an online survey. Entry path, current practice position, and future career plans in five years was by self report. Job satisfaction was measured using Lester's instrument.Results: Second career men were significantly more likely to work in specialty practice and more likely to aspire to advanced practice than those entering by choice or convenience early in their careers. No significant differences in job satisfaction were found between entry paths. Conclusions:These data raise provocative issues relating to recruiting men and the impact of men on the profession of nursing. Despite the steady but slow growth in the percent of men in nursing, its image remains overwhelmingly female. This survey does not identify substantial differences in job satisfaction between men who enter through different career paths or substantial differences with other studies of male and female nurses.

Comparing Job Expectations and Satisfaction: A Pilot Study Focusing on Men in Nursing

“…Research on job satisfaction among male nurses indicated that salary, autonomy, and social relationships within work are among the main factors that predict male nurses' job satisfaction [4]. High income and expected increase in future earnings often play an important role in attracting men to nursing; nursing is ranked among the top 5 highest paid professions in the United States.…”

“…In addition to the expected increase for nurses, more nurses are expected to approach retirement age or work part-time, amplifying the long-lasting issue of nursing shortage in the U.S. [3,4,5]. Previous attempts to reduce nursing shortage and enhance diversity within the health care profession began since the 1970s, with nursing institutions targeting more men and minorities into the nursing workforce.…”

“…Male nurses have higher salaries and faster career advancement compared to their female colleagues with same work responsibilities and working hours. On average male nurses with a bachelor degree earn around 60,000 a year, and can earn up to 162,000 per year for higher and more specialized degrees such as nurse anesthesia [4,6]. In addition, men reported choosing nursing due its high work autonomy, flexible working hours and job security [4,6].…”

“…However, the proportion of men in the nursing profession is still relatively small; men represent 9% of the overall nursing workforce [3,6]. Therefore, understanding the factors that contribute to attracting and retaining men into the nursing discipline became a research priority [1,2,3,4,5,6,7].…”

A qualitative study of the work environment in obstetrical nursing in northeastern Ontario, Canada

“…This is finding is unique as many studies report of a nursing environment that is laden with physical and mental stress, [39,40] high workloads, [41] burnout [42] and job dissatisfaction. [43,44] These findings are presented in a conceptual map to demonstrate the relationship of the themes with the subthemes (see Figure 2). The map allows for a visual representation of the multifactorial and complex themes and subthemes that constitutes obstetrical nurses work envi-ronments.…”