Shu-Jian Yang, Xiang-Shu Cui*

1School of Nursing, Yanbian University, Jilin Province, Yanji, 133000, China.

Abstract:This article through the analysis of male nursing students after graduation employment status quo and the cause of low professional identity, to explore the status quo and countermeasures of male nursing student’s professional ideological education, to provide basis for male nursing students personalized training, to meet the needs of society and patient nursing diversification.

Keywords:Male nursing students, Professional identity, Professional ideological education, Nursing education

Introduction

Although in the press conference held by the Joint Prevention and Control Mechanism of The State Council on May 21, 2020, Ms. Wu Xinjuan, president of the Chinese Nursing Association, mentioned that in recent years, the construction of nursing teams in China has made remarkable achievements, with the number of nurses increasing at the rate of hundreds of thousands every year. At the same time, male nurses are playing an increasingly prominent role in nursing as a new force. For example, in the Novel Coronavirus outbreak, it is reported that a total of 42, 000 medical workers from across the country rushed to Wuhan, among whom 28, 600 were nurses, accounting for 68% of the total. Male nurses have played an important role in the battle against the epidemic. However, male nurses are faced with a series of practical problems, such as high turnover rate and low professional identity [1]. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out relevant research on this practical problem.

The professional thought of nursing refers to the psychological state of college students majoring in nursing who have general views and views on the nursing profession they are engaged in as well as their professional behavior tendency [2]. Studies have always shown that some male nursing students choose nursing not out of their own interests or voluntary choice, but for good employment prospects or voluntary transfer, so there is a widespread problem of professional ideological barrier. Professional thought disorder refers to the pessimism and sense of loss of nursing students towards their majors, which eventually leads to resistance and rebellious psychology [3]. Professional ideological education is an important method to cultivate nursing professionals, help male nursing students understand the direction of professional development, and guide them to actively participate in nursing career [4]. Therefore, it is particularly important to carry out professional ideological education for male nursing students. How to carry out professional ideological education is also an important link that must be faced in the education for male nursing students.

Employment Status of Male Nursing Students

According to the survey of nurses in the 2019 China Health Statistics Yearbook by the National Health and Family Planning Commission, male nurses are younger than registered nurses nationwide. From the perspective of working years, compared with the national registered nurses, more male nurses are new to the workplace; In terms of educational background, compared with the national registered nurses, male nurses had the highest proportion of graduate and undergraduate degrees. In terms of job and social roles, the proportion of male nurses in positions within the nursing community or in different social roles is increasing. In conclusion, male nurses are more energetic, have more development potential, have more education, are more open to new things and have more leadership.

However, through reviewing the literature in recent five years, it can be concluded that under the influence of social pressure, professional identity, subjective happiness, work environment, workload and other factors, the professional life of male nurses is generally at a medium level, and they have a high level of turnover intention [5]. Wei Lijun et al [6] pointed out in their study on the professional life quality of male nurses that the work environment score was inversely related to turnover intention, while the workload score was positively related to turnover intention. Yue Huijuan [7] pointed out in the survey of the employment status of male nursing students after graduation that the love degree of nursing major, professional identity, enrollment motivation and consideration of career choice are the important factors affecting the loss of male nursing students after graduation. Admission motivation, nursing work itself, personal experience and external opportunity choice are the important factors affecting the loss of male nurses after work.

The reason for the higher turnover intention of male nurses is that they did not form a good professional identity and have not formed a good cognition of nursing when they were students. As a result, influenced by various factors in their work, their professional identity declined instead of rising, and eventually they had a higher turnover intention.

Reasons for The Low Professional Identity of Male Nursing Students

Improper career motivation

Motivation mainly refers to the intention, intention or psychological impulse when a person acts or restrains action, and is an internal cause and direct driving force that causes or controls action [8]. The enrollment motivation of male nursing students directly affects their enthusiasm for professional learning. Previous studies have shown that [9], many male students do not really love nursing, but choose to study this major in consideration of good future employment prospects, stable income and working environment, which will make them less interested in nursing, professional identity and subjective well-being.

Passivity of major selection

Some studies have shown that some male students choose nursing major not because of their own initial will, but because of the adjustment of major in school or the strong demand of parents at home. They have no knowledge of nursing, no interest in learning or even rejection of learning, resulting in lower professional identity [10].

Occupational Gender Stereotypes [11]

In the minds of most people in the society, nursing is still a female-dominated profession. Therefore, when male students choose to study nursing, they may be laughed at or opposed by others, and thus doubt and deny their choice, which ultimately leads to the decline of professional identity.

Curriculum and classroom format

In terms of curriculum and classroom form, give priority to with the teacher taught in class, especially the gynecology and obstetrics nursing this kind of special courses, boys learn to abstract theory is not easy to understand, in class, compared to female life and death back theoretical knowledge is more difficult, therefore, male nursing students generally have lower academic scores, which could hit the enthusiasm of study, make professional identity is reduced.

Teachers have low professional identity

The instructor is in part due to their own professional identity is not high, in order to from clinical work environment, can choose turned teacher, so in the process of class, intentionally or unintentionally will be conveyed to the students is not the correct professional values, so in the process of this kind of narrative, will also be of the male nursing student’s professional identity negative impact.

Clinical practice gap

Before the internship, everyone has a vision and expectation for the internship. But after really entering clinical practice, male nursing students often have a certain psychological gap. Simple and mechanical basic nursing operation in clinical practice, unfriendly attitude of patients and their families, heavy workload and "three shifts" working system, and irresponsible teaching activities of some clinical teachers are the important factors that lead to the decrease of male nursing students' professional identity.

Suggestions and Countermeasures

To strengthen the ideological education of freshmen through narrative education

As freshmen just enter the school, they are not familiar with nursing. Therefore, we should seize the opportunity to carry out professional ideological education in the way of narrative nursing in class, so as to strengthen the molding of male nursing students' professional identity. In the study of Hu Yan et al. [12], through the introduction of narrative nursing into undergraduate freshman nursing courses, the results showed that the professional identity of nursing freshmen was significantly improved. Male nursing students' interest in learning can be aroused by holding "open laboratory" and visiting hospitals. By explaining nightingale's story and reciting the Nightingale oath, male nursing students can establish a sense of sacredness in what they have learned and what they want to do in the future. Of course, professional ideological education is not temporary, but should always run through the whole learning process, at the same time, to actively guide male nursing students to do a good job in career planning; In addition, due to the particularity of nursing work, training freshmen to establish a sense of love and responsibility is also the top priority of school teaching departments.

Strengthen cross-major learning

Some elective courses of nursing professional courses can be carried out in the school. On the one hand, public health culture can be popularized in the school, on the other hand, students of other majors can improve their understanding of nursing, support nursing work, so that male nursing students can increase their recognition when communicating with other majors, and stabilize their professional thoughts. Internally, male nursing students majoring in nursing can strengthen cross-specialty learning, cultivate compound applied talents, meet students' demand for multi-disciplinary knowledge and adapt to the development of modern nursing, especially the cooperation with clinical majors can lay a good foundation for future medical cooperation. According to Zhuang Shumei et al. [13] cross-specialty education for nursing students and medical students, it can be seen that cross-specialty education is conducive to improving professional identity and maintaining it at a high level.

Carry out model education and give full play to the power of role models

In the study of He Chaokai et al. [14], the professional identity of nursing students was effectively improved by carrying out model education. To the male nursing students professional ideological education, strengthen is a very important link, the model can be combined with education, by setting typical examples in the previous senior, or invite more excellent male nurse in the hospital to the school with the male nursing students face-to-face discussion, share experience, emotion, introduced the hospital work environment, play a role model, So that the male nursing students in school to understand the future working environment in advance, to avoid a large psychological gap in the internship, and to their future good employment prospects and post development full of confidence.

Further carry out teaching and classroom reform

Classroom now although the introduction of the super star class, experience new forms, such as classroom but largely in the form of traditional classroom the teacher taught, but of male nursing students have gender advantages lies in the beginning ability is strong, good practice ability, and the male nursing students in the future job market mainly in the face of intensive medicine, emergency department, operating room and other departments, so deal with male nursing students to carry out targeted education, Play to their strengths. Male nursing students can also be trained individually or in groups. Hu Zhizhen [15] only proposed a hierarchical training model for male nursing students, so as to further improve their professional identity.

Promote the professional ability training of full-time teachers and pay attention to the cultivation of "double-qualified" teachers

Nursing "double teacher" teacher refers to, has rich classroom teaching experience and clinical nursing experience; Teachers who can be engaged in both theoretical teaching and clinical nursing work and give guidance to students in clinical practice [16]. As the most frequent partners of "preaching, teaching and clarifying" and students, teachers should first of all constantly improve their professional identity, and at the same time pay attention to the improvement of professional quality. They should not only rely on textbooks for clinical practice in each semester. At the same time, teachers are the main way for male nursing students to understand the hospital environment and all kinds of information. Teachers should be objective in the process of teaching, and should not add their own subjective factors, so as to avoid the change or shaking of male nursing students' professional identity. In the research of Da Zhen [17] et al., strengthening the construction of "double-qualified" teachers and training "double-qualified" teachers with high theoretical level and strong practical ability can provide a strong guarantee for the improvement of students' clinical nursing ability and job competence cultivation, so as to enhance their professional identity.

Create a good practice environment and arrange male nursing students for clinical practice

As the key node of male nursing students' transition from school to society, internship is also an important period to determine whether professional identity will eventually change. It is particularly important to pay attention to the psychological fluctuations of male nursing students all the time. Wang Tingting [18], according to a study by good practice environment to improve nursing student’s professional identity, so training hospital for male nursing students to build a good internship atmosphere, also can hold internship mid-term feedback form to understand the idea of male nursing students in practice, the targeted education, further strengthen the ideological education.

Summary and Outlook

At present, the employment of male nursing students still has a very long-term prospect, and the more potential of male nurses in clinical work is still to be developed, but the problems of male nurses still cannot be underestimated, so nursing educators should pay attention to the establishment of correct professional cognition of nursing students in the learning stage, and improve the sense of professional identity of nursing. Of course, the establishment of correct professional cognition is not accomplished overnight, it needs a process of learning and cognition. In this process, through professional ideological education, not only can establish correct professional cognition but also set up a firm professional thought, the two complement each other and promote each other, and will eventually reduce the loss of nursing staff to a certain extent.

Hope this research can be for the nursing educators in the education of male nursing students to provide reference, improve male nursing student’s professional identity, reduce the turnover rate and the rate of turn professional male nurse, balance the nurse the sex ratio of the industry, further meet the demand of social diversification, individuation and patients, to promote the further development of nursing career in China.