Keele Research Repository

This thesis explores the experience of being a male general student nurse in the feminised world of nursing in the Republic of Ireland, where only 5% of general nurses are male. The main focus of the thesis is the experienceof male general student nurses in relation to their conceptualisations of their work, their masculinities and how they negotiate gendered identities. The research questions centred on the men’s feelings, perceptions and ways of coping and therefore the overall approach was framed within a broadly interpretative perspective. Using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) the thesis set out to research how the male general nurses make sense of the world in which they find themselves and specifically what it is to be a male general student nurse in the female world of nursing. I carried out 10 in-depth one-to-one interviews with male general student nurses who were in their final year of training. The findings showed that the participants considered they were treated differently because of their gender. Discrimination was both positive and negative. This thesis represents a snapshot in time. It contributes to the overall knowledge of what it is like to be a male general student nurse in the feminised world of nursing in the Republic of Ireland. At the time of the thesis, there was little other research work on a similar cohort of participants. The thesis illuminates the advantages and disadvantages to being male in this world, even before they complete the programme and become registered general nurses.