Attitudes toward nursing as expressed by nursing and non-nursing college males

One way to address the increasingly critical shortage of nurses in the health care system is to recruit more men into nursing. To do so effectively one must understand the attitudes that potential male recruits have toward nursing as a career. This investigation was undertaken to determine differences in attitudes toward nursing as a career held by men in various majors. The Attitudes Toward Nursing Scale (ATNS), developed by the investigators, was used to measure five categories of attitudes toward selecting nursing as a career frequently cited in the literature. A sample of 247 male non-nursing and 94 male nursing community college students completed the scale. Analysis of demographic variables revealed that the nursing students were more likely to be older, married, and have military corpsman experience than were the non-nursing students. Additional statistical analysis revealed that communication majors (i.e., English, Drama, Speech) were most similar and mathematics majors were least similar to nursing majors in various attitudes. Also, a substantial percentage of non-nursing majors were potential recruits for nursing in that they indicated interest in nursing as an alternative career. Recruitment of men into nursing programs will not solve the current shortage of nurses. However, men as a viable source should not be treated lightly. Recruitment efforts should focus on recognizing interested students, and recruiting those who have attitudes toward nursing as a career which are similar to those of nursing majors.