The essence of helping: significant others and nurses in action draw men into nursing

Background: Nurses are ageing placing nursing workforce sustainability under threat. An untapped potential resource of men in nursing exists within Australia. Objective: The aim of the first phase of this longitudinal study was to investigate why men choose nursing. Design: Qualitative methodological approach used interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). Research question: What are the experiences of male graduate nurses regarding their career choice? Method: The IPA method focused on personal subjective experience where the participants' own sense-making is important. Discussions were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim and analysed using a format relevant to IPA. Participants: Purposeful snowball sampling recruited nine nurses. Findings: The essence of helping permeated the key theme through significant others and career choice triggers impacting on their decision to enter nursing. Conclusion: Exposure to nurses in action is purported to enhance the awareness of nursing as a career option for men that may contribute to increased recruitment of men into nursing.