Male Nurses—Reasons for Entering and Experiences of Being in the Profession

Abstract

In order to illuminate male nurse teachers' and nurse students' reasons for choosing to become nurses, and their experiences and positions within the profession, all 13 males among a total of 184 nurse teachers and students at one nursing school in Norway were interviewed twice with a 10-year interval between the interviews. In a personal interview in 1984 all the interviewees emphasized that their desire to become nurses was connected with a wish to act in a woman's role and expressed feminine values. The interviewees' fathers disapproved while their mothers approved with their choices to become nurses. The subjects thought that female nurses did not accept that they were bedside nurses, and exerted pressure on them to adopt roles within nursing that were perceived to be male; i.e. teachers, or administrators. In a telephone interview in 1994 they were asked about their experiences and positions within the profession. Eight interviewees had worked as nurses within psychiatric care and ten had current senior positions. They stated that the most positive thing in the profession was the contact with the patients and meaning so much to someone. All said they would have made the same choice today and become nurses.

Men in Female-Dominated Vocations: a Rationale for Academic Study and Introduction to the Special Issue

“…(e.g., Dodson andBorders 2006), U.K. (e.g., Simpson 2005;Whittock and Leonard 2003), and Scandinavia (e.g., Soerlie et al 1997). These equivocal findings are furthered by evidence from Rochlen et al (2009), who found that U.S. men in nursing and those in more traditional occupations experienced similar levels of gender role conflict.…”

“…These reactions are often framed within larger societal expectations of masculinity. In the U.S. and Scandinavia, researchers have found that whereas some men have experienced mistrust, narrowed career opportunities, and challenges to their manhood (e.g., Allan 1993;Henson and Rogers 2001;Soerlie et al 1997), others report having been welcomed and offered enhanced career opportunities, including swift advancement, and choice trainings and placements (Hultin 2003;Sargent 2001;Williams 2013). Researchers in the U.S., Canada, Germany, and the U.K. have also found that interactions around gender role issues in female dominated work environments can increase men's distress due to Gender Role Conflict (Dodson and Borders 2006;Henson and Rogers 2001;Luhaorg and Zivian 1995;Simpson 2005) and gender role strain (Sobiraj et al 2015).…”

Masculinity in Nontraditional Occupations: Ecological Constructions

“…Participants who entered professions for these different reasons may have experienced the lack of male colleagues differently-either distressing and/or fulfilling. Men who entered nontraditional occupations reluctantly or as a second or more distant choice may experience the lack of male colleagues differently than those who entered for reasons of enjoyment, fulfillment, or other sources of intrinsic motivation (Simpson, 2005;Soerlie et al, 1997;Whittock & Leonard, 2003), which likely affects the emergence of gender role conflict or strain. This experience may be particularly true if these men find themselves unable to move out (or up) relatively quickly.…”

“…Men in nontraditional occupations frequently experience comments and assumptions regarding their ambition, success, sexual orientation, and occupational status from friends, family members, colleagues, and themselves (Cross & Bagilhole, 2002;Dodson & Borders, 2006;Henson & Rogers, 2001;Simpson, 2005). Men have also experienced suspicion from service recipients (e.g., Soerlie, Talseth, & Norberg, 1997) as their presence in these jobs is perceived as violating male stereotypes and norms and posing threats to others.…”

Factors Affecting Career Plans of Faculty of Pharmacy Students in Ege University and Their Evaluations about Career Symposium

“…In addition, it was found that 24% of the students are interested in pharmacy and 16% preferred faculty of pharmacy because it is "a profession that offers respectable, comfortable, profitable and good future" ( Table 2). In other studies on students who prefer healthcare field in career selection, it was shown that factors such as indispensability of healthcare services, job guarantee, wide working area, importance given to health professions are effective in student's choice of profession [17,18]. These factors are thought to be also effective on students who prefer pharmacy faculties.…”