Experiences of Male Student Nurse Midwives in Malawi During Undergraduate Education

BACKGROUND: Historically, nursing has evolved from being a feminine profession to a profession accepted by both sexes. In the contemporary world, gender mainstreaming has been instituted as a global strategy in promoting gender equality. Though men continue to join nursing, they face many challenges. It is believed that through proper socialization some of the challenges can be addressed. In Malawi, there is dearth of literature on this subject. This resulted in undertaking the study. OBJECTIVE: The goal of the study was to describe experiences of male student nurses during undergraduate education in Malawi. METHODS: A qualitative descriptive design was utilised. Focus group discussions were conducted with study participants in purposively selected nursing colleges. FINDINGS: Male student nurse midwives faced more negative than positive experiences in nursing. The following three major themes were generated: nursing is a feminine occupation, facing discrimination and socialisation experienced. CONCLUSION: Malawian male student nurse midwives face both positive and negative experiences during their integration in nursing. Formulation and implementation of gender sensitive policies would help in strengthening male nurse education.