RETENTION OF MALE NURSES IN DIRECT SERVICE DELIVERY IN LILONGWE CITY

Abstract

Retention of professional nurses in public healthcare facilities is essential for maintaining quality nursing care. Effective retention strategies enhance nurses‟ job satisfaction, promote professionalism, decrease organisational costs and improve patients‟ care. Florence Nightingale’s perception and feminisation of nursing into a female-only profession has resulted in fewer men pursuing nursing as a career, with men in contemporary society making up only 2% of the total nursing professionals. Stereotyping and gender bias against men has helped create a less than inclusive, sometimes isolating and challenging experience for men in nursing, who are frequently treated differently from their female counterparts. The purpose of the study was to assess factors that influence male nurse retention in direct service provision in Lilongwe, Malawi. The assessment was carried out through an investigation of the current state of knowledge in the area of factors influencing men to enter nursing. The study also discovered challenges faced in this female-dominated profession, coping mechanisms used by male nurses, and ways in which the male nurses can be retained in the nursing provision. The study revealed that job satisfaction among male nurses is two-fold, that is, it is influenced by both institutional and external factors. The results have shown that most male nurses are influenced by whether their work environment is responsive not only to the service that the consumer needs but also to the service providers‟ needs. Not only male nurses but health workers overall are motivated if they have good remuneration, are recognized by their superiors, have a clear career path providing room for self-advancement and ensure that they can ably support their households.