Factors influencing recruitment and retention of male nurses in Macau and mainland China: a collaborative, qualitative study

BMC Nursing

Jialin Wang¹  Hon Lon Tam²  Pak Leng Cheong²  Aimei Mao²  Iat Kio Van²  Yuan Zhang³ 

[1] College of Nursing, Chengdu University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, 1166 Liutai Road, Wenjiang District, Chengdu, Sichuan, China;Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau, Est. Repouso No.35, Macau, China;Neijiang Health Vocational College, 368 East Section 4, Han-an Avenue, Dongxing District, Neijiang, Sichuan, China;

关键词: Male nurses;    Professional development;    Qualitative research;    Mainland;    Macau;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12912-020-00497-9

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundMacau and the Mainland China have different political and socio-economic policies but are both influenced by Chinese culture. By comparing the professional development experiences of male nurses from Macau and the Mainland, this study aims to explore factors influencing the recruitment and retention of male nurses.MethodsA collaborative, qualitative approach was adopted in which researchers from Macau and the Mainland were jointly involved in carrying out interviews and analyzing data. A total of 24 clinical male nurses were invited, with 12 each from Macau the Mainland. Recruitment was based on purposive sampling from various health institutions in the two regions. Semi-structured interviews were conducted in 2017–2018 with similar interview guidelines for both Macau and the Mainland sites. Thematic analysis was used for data analysis, and Nvivo11 Plus software was used to facilitate the analysis.ResultsKey facilitators/barriers to recruitment and retention of male nurses were clustered under the two research questions: 1) What are the factors influencing the recruitment of male nurses? 2) What are the factors influencing the retention of male nurses? Males in Macau and the Mainland experienced pressure while entering nursing because of the stereotype that nursing is a feminine occupation. However, males in Macau chose nursing as a college major under their own volition while males in the Mainland were mostly forced into nursing. The males in Macau hardly thought of leaving nursing while their Mainland counterparts constantly felt uncertain about their professional future. The males on both sides hoped to thrive in career development. While the Macanese tended to pursue advanced programs in specialty nursing for better health care in the frontline, the Mainlanders wanted to get promoted to leave the frontline.ConclusionMale nurses in Macau and Mainland share some common experiences in professional development but have different views and values regarding nursing.

【 授权许可】

CC BY