Voices of Men in Nursing Academia: What Attracts Them to the Faculty Role?

Abstract

Aim: The aim of this study was to recognize factors that attract male nurses to the nurse educator role.

Background: Although there is a shortage of nurse educators in general, the particularly low retention rate of male educators is a mostly unresearched predicament that affects the diversity and effectiveness of the healthcare workforce.

Method: Data was collected using a survey that consisted of demographic data and three Likert scales that requested information related to factors of attraction to the current position, recruitment, and retention. An open-ended question was asked for each of the scales for the participants to expand on their answers. The open-ended question that will be discussed in this article is “Please describe strategies that you believe would specifically attract male nurses to become nurse educators.”

Results: There were 141 men across the United States that responded to the questionnaire. Within these responses, there were five main factors identified to attract men to nursing education. These include employee benefits, male mentorship, advancement and leadership opportunities, reducing stigma and stereotypes, and male nursing image.

Conclusion: Men as nursing faculty can provide unique perspectives and skills to the role of nurse educator. Future research must focus on increasing the diversity of faculty in nursing education and the value to nursing students with diverse backgrounds.