Mentoring is one way to help recruit and retain male nursing faculty. While mentoring has been demonstrated to be a great support to those transitioning to the academic role (Schrodt, Cawyer, & Sanders, 2003), men may also have different mentoring experiences because socialization is such an inherent component of mentoring. Just as a lack of diverse faculty may negatively impact faculty socialization, it is also reasonable to expect that professional socialization experiences of current male nursing faculty may differ from those of female faculty. Berent and Anderko (2011) proposed that faculty enter and remain in academia because of the professional satisfaction of being able to mentor others and the opportunity to shape future nurses. From an education standpoint, if male nursing faculty can be role models and mentor students, then it may attract additional men into the profession, thereby further diversifying the workforce. Evans (2013) found that males who were encouraged by male faculty were more likely to enter academia. Although there are separate bodies of literature about the mentoring experiences of male nurses and male faculty, little is known about the mentoring experiences of male faculty in nursing education. An increased understanding of these experiences is essential to recruit and retain male nursing faculty in numbers which more closely reflect the demographics of society. Therefore, a qualitative descriptive study was done to examine the mentoring experiences of male nurses in academia.
The study was guided by the global mentoring process model by Baxley, Ibitayo, and Bond (2012) whereby the authors reflected on personal experiences and reworked Zey’s (1991) Mutual Benefits model. Baxley et al. (2012) explained that within the global mentoring process model the mentor and protégé benefit in the form of advancement, expertise, loyalty, and role-modeling. This is in addition to the benefits identified by Zey (1991) of knowledge, personal support, prestige and protection. Furthermore, according to the global mentoring process model mentoring occurs in an environment where there is trust, communication, respect and cultural influences. The research questions were as follows:
- What are the experiences with formal or informal mentoring related to career development of male nurses in academia who are teaching or who have previously been in a teaching role?
- What are the experiences with formal or informal mentoring related to psychosocial development of male nurses in academia who are teaching or who have previously been in a teaching role?
- What are the facilitators to formal or informal mentoring experiences among male nurses in academia?
- What are the barriers to formal or informal mentoring experiences among male nurses in academia?
- How, if at all, does gender affect the mentoring experiences of male nurses in academia?
Male nurses in academia were invited to participate in semi-structured interviews if they had formal or informal mentoring experiences, were currently teaching or had experience teaching, and were employed full or part-time as defined by their institutions. The sample size was 10 participants and based upon data saturation. The majority (n=9) of the participants had a PhD or DNP degree and were employed full-time. Two of the participants were 31-40 years of age, three were 41-50, two were 51-60, one was 61-70, and two were over 70 years old. The participants had six to 20 years of experience in academia.
The data analysis was carried out using the constant comparative method described by Glaser and Strauss (1967). The researcher developed codes and continued to review any newly developed codes to those previously identified. Five themes emerged from the data. In the theme of early supporters many of the participants identified having individuals who, either formally or informally, provided early support for their career decisions. Some of these early supporters included family members, male or female nurses, and male or female instructors. Overall, the participants explained that although those individuals may not be considered formal or informal mentors, they were crucial in helping them develop early on and helped affirm their career decisions. The theme of figuring it out had to do with finding the necessary tools to be successful in the culture of academia. The participants explained that the transition to academia was different than working in a clinical setting; therefore, mentoring provided an opportunity to learn how to handle processes and issues unique to the institution. This included figuring out which committees to be involved in and how to progress in academia. Additionally, mentoring was a way to get answers to questions, seek out resources, and learn to handle student issues. Some participants explained that because of a lack of education related to pedagogy, mentoring assisted with figuring out the day-to-day aspects of academia.
The making connections theme was related to how the mentoring experiences allowed the participants to foster relationships and socialize into the academic environment. Informal mentoring also provided connections to others in order to progress personally and professionally. The theme of paying it forward emerged as participants described their experiences with mentoring. Many of them consistently discussed their progression from protégé to mentor and how it was important to help other faculty members and students. In the role of gender theme, most participants identified that the lack of males in the profession and their availability for mentoring was an issue. Because there were mixed responses related to the role of gender in mentoring experiences, the subtheme of pros, cons, and neutrals emerged. The subtheme of need for understanding was developed as participants expressed a need to be understood from a male perspective within the profession. Facilitators to the mentoring experiences included having a supportive person and connection with mentors. Barriers to the mentoring experiences were described as not enough time and lack of support from the individual and institution.
Based on the findings of this study, nurses must advocate for the profession by providing information to males and other underrepresented groups about the potential of nursing and academia as a career. Schools of nursing must develop mentoring programs based on the individual needs of the protégé with clearly delineated roles and responsibilities of the mentor and protégé. Additionally, nursing education administration must provide a supportive environment and monetary and non-monetary resources to support effective mentoring programs.
The real challenge for nursing education moving forward is to demonstrate a genuine commitment to mentoring. The National League for Nursing (NLN, 2006) recommendations on mentoring in nursing education were published over a decade ago and explained the value of mentoring to help orient and socialize faculty, assist faculty with teaching, research, and service, and provide growth for future nurse educators and leaders. Research to support those recommendations is now more widely available. The question then, is “Why have those in nursing education not committed to invest the time and resources necessary to mentor and support nursing faculty members? The findings from this study support investment in mentoring programs not just as a strategy to support recruitment and retention of males in academia, but to promote an environment inclusive of any underrepresented populations in nursing academia, which should help further diversify the nursing workforce long term.