Men in obstetrical nursing: perceptions of the role.
OBJECTIVE
To explore the role of men as obstetrical nurses.


METHODS
Exploratory cross sectional survey using structured and open-ended questions.


METHODS
Three groups: 599 men licensed as Registered Nurses by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 337 District I AWHONN members, and 130 pregnant women.


METHODS
Univariate, bivariate, and logistic regression were performed for the AWHONN and pregnant women groups. Descriptive and narrative summaries for the men who were Registered Nurses.


RESULTS
Seventy-three percent of AWHONN members had positive attitudes toward men in obstetric nursing. The experience of having worked with men in obstetrical nursing roles was the most significant predictor of positive perceptions by AWHONN members. Nurses in the positions of clinical nurse specialists or nurse educators in academia had more negative perceptions of men in this specialty. No predictor variables reached significance for the group of pregnant women. Only 6.8% of the male RNs questioned had ever worked in the specialty, and most reported a lack of interest in working in the specialty of obstetrics.


CONCLUSIONS
Findings suggest that both clinical and academic settings may need to adopt more nontraditional recruitment and teaching strategies to encourage men to pursue this specialty.
McRae
Maureen J
MJ
School of Nursing, Salem State College, Salem, MA, USA. mrnmcrae@aol.com
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002321:Career Choice; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008404:Massachusetts; D009511:New England; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009727:Nurses, Male / Q000523:psychology*; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D009740:Nursing Staff / Q000523:psychology; D009773:Obstetric Nursing / Q000193:education / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011247:Pregnancy; D037841:Pregnant People / Q000523:psychology*; D011287:Prejudice; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires