Experiences of Male Nursing Students in Women s Health Clinical Learning Areas: A Qualitative Study

Objective: This study was carried out by using a qualitative research method to determine the experiences of male nursing students in women s health clinical learning. Method: The study group of the research consisted of third-grade male nursing students who continue their education in a public university nursing undergraduate program. (N = 14). The content analysis method was used in the analysis of the qualitative data obtained from the study. Results: In the content analysis conducted as a result of the study, three main themes were identified as “women s health clinical learning process,” “gender perception” and “plans for specialization in the field of obstetrics.” In the study, it was determined that the students felt the feelings of embarrassment and shyness in the obstetrics clinical learning environments. Besides, some students stated that they were exposed to behaviors such as not being wanted by the female patients and not being included in the care by their colleagues. It was determined that some of the students had a sexist perspective in the field of obstetrics, while others had a professional perspective. In order to increase the adaptation of male students to the clinical practice of obstetrics, students made suggestions such as finding male trainer models, providing compliance training on subjects such as the approach to the patient before clinical education. Almost all of the students stated that they do not want to specialize in the field of women s health after graduation, but rather they want to specialize in the fields of surgery and internal medicine. Conclusion: As a result, it is seen that male nursing students are adversely affected by social and cultural values, and they tend not to prefer the field of women s health in the specialization. In this context, it is recommended to make plans that will take students away from the sexist point of view in the field of obstetrics, increase their compliance in clinical practice, and facilitate their attempts.