Approaches of male nurses for degendering nursing and becoming visible: A metasynthesis.

INTRODUCTION: Patient, nurse and public discrimination against male nurses is well-documented. Male nurses encounter challenges in degendering nursing and becoming more visible nursing professionals. However, little is known about male nurses' decisions and strategies to address issues concerning gender-based discrimination and professional visibility. AIMS: To develop a comprehensive understanding of the approaches of male nurses to degender nursing and become more visible in the profession. METHODS: A metasynthesis using the PRISMA guidelines. A comprehensive literature search was performed PubMed, CINAHL, Web of Science and Scopus databases. The search terms included 'lived experiences', 'male nurses', 'clinical practice', 'male educators' and 'male nurse managers'. In total, 16 qualitative studies published from January 2005 to November 2020 were critically appraised and synthesised. Two authors independently extracted data using summary tables. Data were synthesised using thematic synthesis which entails generation of codes and development of descriptive and analytical themes. RESULTS: Male nurses used intrapersonal, interpersonal and strategic adaptation to degender nursing and becoming visible as a nursing professional. These approaches entailed goal-directed behaviours, relationship-building strategies and positive and negative manipulation of resources. DISCUSSION: The approaches to degender nursing enabled men to prove their worth as competent nursing professionals, lessen the gendered stigmatisation and receive autonomy and respect. CONCLUSIONS: Degendering the gendered stigmatisation of nursing and becoming a visible nursing professional is essential for male nurses to promote diversity in the profession. Male nurses used both negative and positive approaches to gain recognition, respect and autonomy. They continued their struggles to promote the role of men as nurses. RELEVANCE TO CLINICAL PRACTICE: Nursing institutions and regulatory bodies could use the findings to develop conducive environments to degender nursing and increase male nurses' visibility. Future male nurses could use the identified positive approaches and tailor them to meet their needs to become more visible and competent nursing professionals.

Current situation and challenges concerning nursing education in Pakistan.

Despite the advancements in the nursing education and nursing education-based research worldwide, nursing remains an undervalued profession in Pakistan and the nursing education system is steadily evolving. The purpose of this discussion is two-fold: (i) to describe the nursing education system in Pakistan and (ii) to analyze the status, trends, and challenges in nursing education and nursing education-based research in comparison with the international nursing education standards.

A Mixed Methods Review of Male Nursing Students' Challenges during Nursing Education and Strategies to Tackle these Challenges.

BACKGROUND: Calls to action have been placed for recruitment of more men to address nursing shortage and to achieve a better balance and diversity in workforce. Studies also indicated patients' demand for male nurses. Despite this, male nursing students experience challenges during their education resulting in their attrition. No reviews have explored this research area. This review explored the challenges of male nursing students during their education and identified strategies used to tackle these challenges. METHODS: Literature was searched within three databases using indexed search phrases and 1 mixed-methods, six quantitative, and 36 qualitative studies (n = 43), published from December 1990 to May 2018, were reviewed. The qualitative and quantitative data were separately extracted and analyzed using thematic synthesis and narrative summaries, and then compared using joint displays. FINDINGS: "Call me a nurse" and "Male nurses understand us better: Need more men in nursing" were the prominent themes. An array of educational and clinical challenges was identified. Students used appraisal-focused, problem-focused, and social support strategies to tackle these challenges. CONCLUSION: Considering the identified challenges, the lack of support and efforts from educators and institutions, we reiterate calls to action for strategic policies to help male nursing students adapt to educational and clinical learning environments and to increase their recruitment and retention in nursing.