Abstract:

OBJECTIVE: Today, after changes were made in Turkish nursing law, men have begun to join the nursing profession, and regulations in training and practice areas have emerged in line with these modifications. METHODS: This qualitative study was performed in a school of nursing affiliated with a state university with the purpose of defining the first male students’ (five students) reasons for choosing the nursing profession, their opinions about the nursing profession, their viewpoints about the physical and educational features of the school of nursing, their perspectives related to the nursing profession, and their career plans. RESULTS: It was found that the male students had not chosen the nursing profession ambitiously and that they have problems about the physical environment of the school and the practice area. Furthermore, they are uninterested in having education in a school where women are majority, but they have been supported by their teachers, advisors, patients, other health professionals and especially by male physicians. They think to specialize in areas like management, education and psychiatry after graduation and believe that they may be effective in changing the social image of the nursing profession. CONCLUSION: It is advised that male students become more aware of nursing as a profession, and that nursing education institutions and practice areas be adapted for accommodating male students in these programs. Additionally, guidance and consultancy must be offered to male students who may have problems planning their futures. Further research should be done with a larger sample.

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