Chinese Male Nursing Undergraduates’ Experience of Learning Obstetrics and Gynecology Nursing: A Qualitative Study

Can Wang,1,* Zhunzhun Liu,1,* Melissa SY Thong,2 Xiang Hu3 1Nursing School, Wuxi Taihu University, Wuxi, People’s Republic of China; 2Unit of Cancer Survivorship, Division of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), Heidelberg, Germany; 3School of Education, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Zhunzhun Liu, Email [email protected]: Obstetrics and Gynecology Nursing (OB-GYN) is a critical yet challenging field of study for male nursing undergraduates due to traditional gender biases and the perception of it being a female-dominated profession.Objective: The study aimed to better understand the experiences of male nursing students in learning OB-GYN.Methods: This study used a qualitative method of phenomenological study approach. The purpose sampling approach was used to recruit participants from April to May 2024. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Van Manen’s method of phenomenological hermeneutics was adopted to analyze the text.Results: The study interviewed 10 participants and identified three key themes: (1) negative future appraisal, (2) breaking out of information bubbles, and (3) positive capacity-building among male students.Conclusion: In this study, male nursing undergraduates expressed negative future appraisal, but experienced the growth and gain of personal skills in the learning process. An important finding was that male nursing undergraduates expressed the need to overcome traditional cultural biases. Future OB-GYN class is recommended to introduce male role models for male nursing students, encourage their discussion on gender-bias. Researchers are recommended to investigate the barriers and facilitators in OB-GYN education for male nursing students.Keywords: male nursing undergraduates, obstetrics and gynecology nursing, qualitative study