The Experience of Being Male Nurse: Exploring the Enhancing Factors and Barriers of Jordanian Nursing Students

INTRODUCTION: Despite advances in health care and education, males continue to be considered a minority in nursing programs. Little is known about the decision of Jordanian male nursing students to become nurses. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this research was to explore the factors that encourage or discourage Jordanian male nursing students from pursuing a career in nursing. METHODS: A qualitative narrative approach was used for this study. Data were collected using semi-structured individual interviews. Purposive sampling was used in the research. In this study, interviews were conducted with a sample of 28 male college students. RESULTS: The current study discovered that the following six themes exemplified the male nursing students’ lives: “helping and caring,” “job security and economic stability,” “parents and peer influence,” “level of autonomy,” “social stigma,” and “long working hours.” CONCLUSION: The study's findings highlighted the importance of researching male nursing students’ motivating and inhibiting factors.