The Journey of Saudi Male Nurses Studying within the Nursing Profession: A Qualitative Study

Background: Nursing is considered to be a primarily female profession, particularly in Saudi Arabia, despite the fact that male nurses have contributed to the advancement of the nursing profession in various specialties, such as military nursing, mental health, and critical care. Purpose: We explore the factors influencing Saudi male nursing interns to study within the nursing profession in Saudi Arabia. Methods: A descriptive qualitative study was conducted. A convenience sample of 12 Saudi male nursing interns from different nursing colleges were recruited, alongside four hospital internship coordinators. The data were collected by conducting two semi-structured focus group interviews and four individual interviews. All the interviews were analyzed using a comparative analytical approach. Results: Role models and the role of the internship year were identified as factors influencing Saudi male nurses’ decision to study nursing. However, hospital placements, cultural preferences, and the preferences of patients and their families for female nurses were the key challenges encountered. Importantly, this study demonstrated that social media plays a critical role in raising awareness regarding the importance of Saudi male nurses. Conclusion: Awareness needs to be raised of the nursing profession as a gender-diverse field through volunteering programs for the community. It is recommended that Saudi male nurses act as role models for students in the Academic Orientation Forum and on social media.

Negotiating Masculinity in a Post-Socialist Society: The Case of Chinese Male Nurses

Occupational gender inequalities are an important sociological concern. Studies on men in female-dominated occupations, such as nursing, have offered rich insights to advance our understanding of gender dynamics in contemporary society. However, current theoretical and empirical accounts have been mostly dominated by Westernized discussions. Utilizing insights from critical studies on men and masculinities, alongside Chinese masculinities studies, this article seeks to enrich the discourse by examining the working experiences of 12 Chinese male nurses in a city hospital. It identifies a culturally specific stigma faced by filial Chinese men. It unravels the masculinity strategies and gender capital, and their effects, used by Chinese male nurses to defend their ability and contributions. It reveals the difficulties and paradoxes arising when men negotiate new hegemonic masculine ideals in post-socialist China. This article provides a nuanced understanding of non-Western masculinities and insights into practices that have been used to sustain male dominance in female-dominated and emotionally demanding jobs.

Factors Influencing Turnover Intention among Male Nurses in Korea

The study examined predictors of male nurse turnover intention in Korea using data collected from Korean hospitals. The results were obtained based on a secondary analysis of data previously collected from 306 male nurses in 16 regions of Korea from December 2014 to February 2015. Our findings suggest that male nurse turnover intention is predicted by (1) individual factors: single (B = 0.93, p = 0.008); (2) organizational factors: organizational commitment (B = −0.36, p < 0.001), job satisfaction (B = −0.27, p = 0.001), and job stress (B = 0.24, p < 0.001); and (3) social factors: hospital location in medium-categorized cities (B = 0.70, p = 0.012) and kinship responsibility (B = 0.13, p = 0.026). These factors accounted for 56.9% of the total variance. To lower the rate of turnover intention among male nurses, strategic interventions should be implemented based on the factors identified in this study.

Are male nurses sexually harassed? A cross-sectional study in the Greek Health System

Background The #MeToo and #Times Up movements have put a global spotlight on the phenomenon of sexual harassment in healthcare. Yet, most studies have explored sexual harassment among female professionals. This study departs from current research practices and investigates the frequency of sexual harassment in male nurses working in the Greek NHS and the reasons for not reporting their experiences. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted using the Sexual Experiences Questionnaire (SEQ) to collect data from 507 male nurses working in Greece's various settings during October and February 2021. The electronic survey was sent to male nurses (n=3,091 registered with the Hellenic Association of Nurses. Survey items were consent form, demographics, three-dimensions of sexual harassment, silencing and negative consequences. Questions were measured using five-point Likert scales, binary scale and multiple-choice questions. ANOVA and T-tests were used to investigate whether specific groups more frequently dealt with sexual harassment. Multiple regression analyses were conducted to investigate the association between independent variables (sexually harassing behaviours) and the dependent variable (participants' negative physical, mental, and job-related outcomes). Results 40% of male nurses have experienced sexual harassment at least once in their working lives, and the most common form of sexual harassment faced was gender harassment, followed by unwanted sexual attention. Male doctors and male nurses were the most common perpetrators. Private and younger male nurses with up to 5 years of experience experienced more frequent sexual harassment. 30% did not report sexual harassment due to the fear that no one would believe them, and because of beliefs, no action would be taken against the wrongdoer. Multiple regression analyses showed that unwanted sexual attention and sexual coercion were associated with physical and job-related outcomes. Cronbach Alpha was 0.91. Conclusion A high proportion of male nurses have experienced sexual harassment during their careers. Being younger with limited working experience and working in the private sector were positively associated with sexual harassment. Policymakers and health managers should focus on sexual harassment prevention strategies and report-enabling policies.

The Mediating Effects of Nursing Professional Commitment on the Relationship between Social Support, Resilience, and Intention to Stay among Newly Graduated Male Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Questionnaire Survey

The current shortage of nurses is an important global issue. Most male nurses leave nursing within four years of starting their nursing career. It is crucial to understand the influencing factors on newly graduated male nurses staying in nursing. Previous studies on intentions to stay as nurses were seldom based on theory and failed to consider the differences between genders. Based on the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model, this study tested the model that social support, resilience, and nursing professional commitment influence the intention to stay and the mediating effect of nursing professional commitment in the above relationship. This cross-sectional study adopted purposive and snowball sampling methods. Data were collected using online questionnaire, and 272 newly graduated male nurses completed it. The hypothetical model had a good fit with the data. Nursing professional commitment had a complete mediating effect between social support and intention to stay and between resilience and intention to stay. Nursing professional commitment was highly positively correlated to intention to stay. It is suggested that future research and practice should enhance male nurses’ professional commitment to increase their intention to stay. The findings can serve as reference for developing newly graduated male nurse retention programs.

Prevalence of Plantar Fasciitis Among Nurses at A Tertiary Care Centre in A Rural Area: A Cross Sectional Study

Background: The plantar fascia can further encounter a form of pathological degeneration called as plantar fasciitis that is one of the most common causes of heel pain. Plantar fasciitis is a multifactorial in origin and works as a mechanical overloading reaction to multiple instances of microtrauma. Purpose: This research will rule out the prevalence of plantar fasciitis in nurses both male and female with the help of windlass test and also make us aware about the correlation of plantar fasciitis among males and females. Methodology: A simple random sampling of 100 healthy nurses, 70 female nurses and 30 male nurses from Pravara Institute, Loni was included. The participants included were between age group of 20-50 years and were screened according to inclusion and exclusion criteria. Windlass test was performed in all the recruited participants. The test was done both in non-weightbearing (NWB) and weightbearing (WB) position. If pain was reproduced, the subject then marked the location of the pain. If pain was provoked then the test was considered positive. Result: The windlass test (weight bearing and non-weight bearing) showed that out of 100 participants 21% tested positive; out of which 17% females and 4% males responded positive in the study. Conclusion: The study concluded that female nurses are more prone to develop plantar fasciitis when compared with male nurses. KEY WORDS: Plantar fascia, Plantar fasciitis, Plantar fascia thickness, Pain, Nurses, Windlass test.