From classroom to clinic: strategies for recruiting and retaining men in nursing in NSW

Nurses are the backbone of the New South Wales (NSW) public health system, but persistent workforce shortages pose an ongoing challenge. In Australia, there is a predicted shortage of over 70,000 nurses by 2035, especially in acute care. Traditional solutions like recruiting internationally trained nurses and increasing university placements are proving unsustainable in the long term, particularly as demand for nursing increases. Multifaceted solutions are therefore needed to address this challenge. One solution is to broaden the pool of potential nurses, in particular by encouraging men into nursing careers in order to attract and retain a more diverse workforce. Nursing remains a predominantly female profession, with only minor increases in male representation in recent years. This gender imbalance limits recruitment to half the potential population. This research explored potential strategies to improve the recruitment and retention of men in NSW nursing using a multistage approach that included an extensive literature review, expert input and a stakeholder workshop. It examined international efforts to address similar workforce challenges, exploring how initiatives in other countries have sought to increase the number of men in nursing. The recruitment of more men into nursing cannot be uncoupled from broader discussions about how improvements to pay and conditions may boost recruitment and retention of all nurses. However, the research focused on exploring specific initiatives – beyond pay and conditions – that might help attract more men into the profession in NSW, drawing heavily on international examples. Recruitment and retention strategies for men in nursing could form a key component of a multipronged approach to address NSW’s nursing workforce challenges. Young men can face barriers to entering nursing due to a lack of knowledge of entry pathways as well as outdated stereotypes. This research identified multiple barriers, including a lack of support, poor - or no - visibility of men in nursing role models or media representation, and embedded stereotypes and gender norms. There are also multiple pitfalls thereafter, with higher attribution rates among men in nursing training programs and within the profession at various stages. The study identified multiple opportunities for change with mentorship and peer support emerging as the greatest priority for student and professional retention. Across the recruitment and retention pipeline, there are opportunities to increase the number of men in nursing to help address nursing shortages in NSW. There is scope to boost recruitment into nursing programs by implementing education campaigns, enhancing career counselling and ensuring strong representation from men in nursing at school visits and career fairs. The allocation of resources and staff – including using men in nursing – could support such interventions. There is the potential to boost the retention of men in nursing programs by reviewing teaching materials for gender diversity, implementing gender-neutral teaching practices, and providing training for staff. Developing new peer support and mentoring programs that pair first-year and final-year students could also be implemented. Action is needed to aid the transition of men into the nursing profession. This could be achieved by piloting mentorship programs for men in nursing and supporting students on placement through to transitioning into the profession, working in partnership with healthcare services. Retention in the nursing profession could be increased by piloting mentoring and peer support programs for men in nursing across local health districts or healthcare services, providing or integrating gender diversity into existing unconscious bias training for nurse managers and investigating 'train & retain' initiatives to encourage a shift of existing allied healthcare staff into nursing, focusing on rural and regional health districts. This would help reduce the significant financial cost of high turnover. Recruitment and retention strategies for men in nursing could form a key component of a multipronged approach to address NSW’s nursing workforce challenges. By taking targeted action across the recruitment and retention pipeline, progress is possible. To bolster men in nursing and ensure the ongoing provision of high-quality and timely care to the people of NSW and wider Australia, the following initiatives could be enacted as a first step: adopting mentoring programs, addressing potential bias among teaching staff and nurse managers, ensuring greater visibility of men (in nursing through role models and media representation).