Perceptions of Male Millennial baccalaureate Nursing Students

Men of the millennial generation were raised in a time when societal influences embrace acceptance of diversity. In the past twelve years, the population of men who chose nursing as a career has grown a derisory 1.3%. The purpose of this qualitative hermeneutic study was to explore the perceptions of male millennial baccalaureate nursing students regarding factors that affected their decision to pursue nursing as a career. Influences may have been barriers or facilitators, which were perceived to be real by the participants. Interviews were conducted and demographic data collected at the Houston facility of the Texas Woman's University, College of Nursing. Eight men enrolled in the baccalaureate-nursing program participated. Interviews were face to face, digitally recorded, and the transcriptions were analyzed using Benner's (1994) approach. Four themes emerged from these interviews: Deliberate Decision to go into nursing, Previous Experience with the healthcare environment, and an overall Lack of Male Mentors and Role Models in nursing. The over-arching theme is that nursing as a profession, needs be gender-neutral in order to attract and retain men.Malecha, AnnCesario, SandraAyers, Constanc