Thesis on shortage of male nurses
A UWC student has done her Master’s degree research exploring why men remain a minority in the nursing profession in the Western Cape despite the health-care system’s current needs.
Ilhaam Noordien from Mitchells Plain decided to do her Master’s thesis on what could be the reasons holding male nurses back from pursuing a career in nursing and why they are encouraged to follow this path.
According to the abstract of the theses, “A cross-sectional profile of male students registered as nursing students at a nursing training institution in the Western Cape”, an increase has been noted in the number of males entering the nursing profession.
“However, it is reported that male nurses experience discrimination related to gender bias, nursing culture, lack of equity in learning opportunities and the stigmatisation of male nurses by the media.
“It said that figures indicated that there had been an increased enrolment of males in the nursing programme at UWC. However, little was known about what motivated them to enter this female-dominated profession.
Noordien said it was important to break the perception that nursing was only a female-oriented profession. This could assist in meeting the needs of South Africans.
“Recruiting more men into the profession is one way of addressing the demand for more nurses,” she said.
Noordien said female nurses were seen as more caring than males and men were often perceived and portrayed as not being caring enough. Strategies such as including men in career promotional material should be implemented to assist with recruiting more men into the profession. |