Male Students and Stress During their Nursing Education

Stress is a common phenomenon experienced by nursing students; however, there is a gap regarding the perception of stress by male nursing students. It is important for nurse educators to be aware of the stressors that are unique to male students to provide appropriate resources and ensure their success in nursing school. The purpose of this qualitative study was to identify the lived experiences male nursing students’ stress. Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress was the theoretical framework for this study. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 8 participants, who were male students enrolled in associate degree nursing programs, to answer the research question exploring the lived experiences and perceptions of stress of male nursing students related to nursing school. The data were manually coded and analyzed using Colaizzi’s method of data analysis. Five common themes emerged: stress, time commitment, loss, self-care, and positive experiences. Recommendations for future research include exploring the perception of stress, and perceived role strain related to stereotypes of male nurses with students in higher levels of education. The findings promote positive social change, as they can be used to encourage the assistance of students completing their programs, which can improve the health of their patients, the community, and the nursing profession by increasing the representation of males entering the discipline of nursing and providing high quality care