Barriers and facilitators to enrolling in nursing programs as perceived by male students: a qualitative study in the United Arab Emirates.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the cultural challenges and stigma associated with nursing in the United Arab Emirates, there has been an increase in male nursing students. It is therefore important to understand barriers and facilitators that influence their decision to choose nursing education. METHODS: This qualitative study used purposive sampling to recruit 30 male undergraduate students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and data were analyzed with thematic analysis. RESULTS: Ten themes were identified that described barriers and facilitators to choosing nursing programs as perceived by male students. Four themes reflected barriers and six themes were identified that encompassed facilitators to choosing nursing programs. CONCLUSIONS: For international audiences, our findings could be helpful in enhancing both the recruitment and educational opportunities for male nursing students. Male students may be inspired to pursue the nursing profession by the presence of men in the profession and favorable male role models. Effort is needed to recruit male role models in nursing schools.

Listening to the minority: A qualitative study exploring male students' perceptions of the nursing profession and reasons for choosing nursing as a career.

INTRODUCTION: Nursing is a rapidly growing profession that has traditionally been dominated by women. Research has highlighted various challenges associated with increasing the number of male nurses, such as cultural challenges and stigma related to nursing. The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has experienced an increase in male students enrolling in nursing programs. To ensure this is sustainable, it is important to understand how male students perceive nursing and clarify factors that influence their decision to choose nursing as a career. OBJECTIVES: To explore male nursing students' perspectives of the nursing profession and understand why they chose nursing as a career. METHODS: Participants in this qualitative analysis were 30 male students that were selected using purposive sampling. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect data about participants' experiences. We used a qualitative content analysis to guide the data analysis. RESULTS: Three main themes were identified that described male students' perspectives of and reasons for choosing nursing: (1) perceptions of nurses and nursing profession; (2) individuals as facilitators or role models in choosing the nursing profession; and (3) barriers to choosing the nursing profession. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: Our results regarding barriers and facilitators for male students in choosing to study nursing may be useful to help improve the recruitment of and learning opportunities for male nursing students. Highlighting the male presence in the nursing profession and positive male role models may encourage males to enter the profession. Therefore, understanding the experiences of male nursing students in choosing nursing as a career has important implications for nursing practice and education.