Men in nursing: making the right choice

Why do men choose nursing as an occupation? What are the perceived barriers for men working in a predominately female-oriented profession? To answer these questions, the authors conducted a study in 2005, using a self-report survey as the data collecting tool. The 250 male registered nurses in Newfoundland and Labrador were the target population. The most common reasons for entering nursing cited by the respondents (N = 62) were career opportunities, job security and salary. The most commonly perceived barriers were sexual stereotypes, lack of recruitment strategies, female-oriented profession and lack of exposure to male role models in the media. The respondents stressed that recruitment strategies should focus on the factors that are important to them: job security, career opportunities and salary. The findings from this research may help with future recruitment strategies designed to attract more men into the nursing profession.