Barbershop Talk: African-American Men's Perceptions of Nursing as a Career

African-American men are significantly underrepresented in nursing. An increase in African-American nurses would more accurately represent the patient demographic and has the potential of mitigating health disparities in this population. This study used a qualitative approach with interviews from 7 participants recruited from barbershops in Northern California. As a result, 3 major themes emerged from the data: (a) minimal understanding of how to become a nurse, (b) the stigma of a feminized profession, and (c) a need for African-American men in nursing. Furthermore, this study found that barbershops are a viable setting for obtaining the perspectives of African-American men. This data provides important information about where schools of nursing can focus resources when trying to recruit African-American men. Providing detailed information about what nurses do and by depicting how nursing has changed over the decades to include men might be a mechanism for African-American men to consider nursing as a career option.