Societal perceptions of male nurses in South Korea: A Q-methodological study

One of the remarkable changes in today's nursing profession is the emergence of male nurses. In order to promote the development of nursing, it would be beneficial for a positive perception of male nurses to be established in society. This study identified the public perceptions of male nurses in South Korea by using Q methodology and offered basic strategies for enhancing the perception of male nurses.

A Q-methodological approach, suitable for subjective research, was used for a survey. Q statements were based on 600 Q concourses that were collected through a literature review and individual interviews. Thirty-seven final Q statements were selected from those. The P sample was collected from 45 persons who were likely to represent a diverse range of views about male nurses. The collected data were analyzed with PQMethod software; a principal component factor analysis with varimax rotation was used to identify the patterns of the public's perception of male nurses.

Four distinct perspectives were identified: progressive occupational; conservative occupational; negative occupational; and supportive occupational.

This study provided strategies for improving the public's views of male nurses in a conservative country with gender stereotypes. These findings also could attract more male nurses into the profession and increase their retention.