THE PERFORMANCE OF MALE NURSES AS CAREGIVERS IN PUBLIC HOSPITALS IN SELANGOR

Abstract

The study focused on the performance of men working in what has culturally and traditionally been labelled as a woman's profession, which is nursing. There has been little focus on men who have ventured beyond the traditional gender limits and ventured into what has been labelled as feminine roles. Therefore, this study examined male nurses' character as caregivers in public hospitals in Selangor. The research employed the descriptive research design, which is used to gather quantitative data. The sample size was calculated to be 88 male nurses. The respondents were obtained from 6 selected public hospitals in Selangor. The study focuses on the method of motivation needed to enter the nursing field, the importance of rewarding male nurses, and self-evaluation as they work in a sector dominated by a female. Perception of the male nurses about their profession (62%) mentioned that they did not find any advantage when compared with female nurses. Respondents from this study (63.3%) were very confident in their full abilities to perform their duties. As the health care profession is thriving, this sector needs serious attention, mainly for male nurses' development, and action needs to be taken for more males venturing into this nursing profession. Policy from government and nursing colleges needs to be revised for better policy outcomes for the male gender to involve themselves in nursing. Further studies are highly encouraged for psychological aspects of how males deal with the female-dominated sector.