Discuss Journal of Nursing Research

Discussion: Journal of Nursing Research

This could be a result of their assignment to the nursing department based on the entrance examination. There were also some students who wanted to defer mandatory military service through con- tinued studies. Thus, it may not be their interest that led to their admission as a student of nursing (Tzeng et al., 1999). The Ministry of Education has also recently opened an altemative recruitment channel for new stu- dents outside of the standard entrance examination. After passing a preliminary test, the students can apply to schools based on their own interests and career ambitions. Therefore, it is necessary to conduct a further study to understand if male students who choose nursing by themselves would have different results.

Recommendations On the basis of these results, we suggest that clinical

instructors and healthcare providers should examine them- selves and their work for evidence of stereotyped gender- based attitudes to reduce role strains experienced by nursing students. Nursing clinical instructors, in particular, play a critical role in directing and guiding nursing students in the obstetrics practice area because they are usually in charge of curriculum development and course delivery. They also serve as a bridge between healthcare providers and clients and their families (Tumminia, 1981; Tzeng, 1996). Clinical instmctors should pay more attention to the negative im- pact caused by a stereotyped attitude toward gender roles when planning and delivering programs and providing guidance to nursing students (Benda, 1981 ; Tzeng, 1997). Clinical instructors should also try to understand the attitudes of healthcare providers toward male nursing stu- dents and how these have developed so that better chan- nels of communication can be established. This will help to develop a more useful and consistent mindset and proper support for students. Following the obstetrics train- ing component, instructors should encourage students to express their feelings about their experiences and give appropriate explanations and clarification. In this way, male nursing students will more easily adapt themselves to the obstetrics area, thereby reducing the degree of role strain experienced.

Role Strain of Nursing Students

Journal of Nursing Research Vol. 17, No. 1, 2009

It has fiirther been reported that nursing educators, nurse administrators, and female nurses usually encourage male nurses to advance to more senior positions perceived as congruent with their masculine gender role (Brady & Sherrod, 2003; Patterson & Morin, 2002; Tzeng & Chen, 2008).

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