Faculty notions regarding caring in male nursing students

Men are entering the field of nursing in increasing numbers. As men enter nursing programs, they may encounter role stereotyping and gender bias through the faculty's assumption of stereotypical notions of caring. The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to describe the ways faculty perceive and respond to caring in male nursing students to better understand how to facilitate it. The central question for this study was: What are the essences and meaning of nursing faculty notions regarding caring in male nursing students? Six faculty members in a nursing program with a large percentage of male student enrollment were interviewed. Applying a phenomenological data analysis method, the researchers identified six themes: altruism, antecedents, attainment, ambiguity, agency, and anecdotes. Implications for nursing education and practice are made, including the need to recognize, allow, and support male nursing student ways of caring.