Work as a Frontline Volunteer During the COVID-19 Outbreak in Hubei, China: A Qualitative Inquiry of Male Nurses

10.1097/jnr.0000000000000560

Liuliu CHEN；Xiangying CHEN；Zhijian DENG；Junyan ZHAO；Liu YANG；Jianghui ZHANG；Jianying PENG；Lili SUN；Yeyin QIU；Renli DENG；Hongtao ZHANG

COVID-19 ； male nurses ； public health ； qualitative descriptive study

The Journal of Nursing Research

31卷4期（2023 / 08 / 01）

1 - 8

英文

Background: During the coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak in 2019, an increased large number of male nurses volunteered for frontline assignment. Their excellent performance suggests that male nurses have several advantages over female nurses. However, research into the activities of Chinese male nurses engaged in frontline work during the COVID-19 pandemic remains limited. Purpose: This study was designed to summarize the reflections of male nurses on their experiences while volunteering for frontline COVID-19 duty in Hubei, China. Methods: An interpretative qualitative descriptive study was conducted from May to July 2020 on male nurses who had volunteered for frontline COVID-19 duty in Hubei. Twelve male nurses were selected using a purposive sampling method. Data were collected using semistructured interviews, transcribed verbatim, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Four main themes and 11 subthemes were identified, including (a) changing the way of thinking at work (four subthemes), (b) clarity regarding career development (three subthemes), (c) change in life philosophy (two subthemes), and (d) personal growth (two subthemes). Conclusions: The experience of volunteering during the COVID-19 public health emergency influenced the male nurses positively in terms of improved organizational, management, and decision-making skills as well as improved performance. The beneficial attributes of male nurses should be taken into consideration when developing management policies related to nursing personnel.

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