Males in Dietetics, What Can Be Learned from the Nursing Profession? A Narrative Review of the Literature

Publication: Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
17 August 2015

Abstract

In Canada 95% of dietitians are female despite serving a sex-diverse population. Literature examining why there are so few male dietitians is limited. However, nursing, like dietetics, is female dominated but has a large body of literature examining sex diversity within the profession. Therefore, a narrative literature review was conducted to find articles that examined the following questions: (i) What are the barriers and motivating factors for prospective male nursing students? and (ii) What are the perceived sex-based challenges that male nursing students encounter during their education? A total of 38 articles were included in the final review and the results are presented under the following headings: barriers, motivators, and educational experiences both in the classroom and during clinical rotations. The review outlines the current state of knowledge regarding sex as it relates to nursing and how this information compares with the current dietetics literature. Conclusions and recommendations are drawn about what changes could be made in dietetic education immediately and how further research could provide insight towards reducing the barriers and facilitating easier access to dietetics education for males.

Résumé

Au Canada, malgré que les diététistes desservent une population mixte, 95 % sont des femmes. Il existe peu de littérature expliquant pourquoi si peu d'hommes pratiquent ce métier. En soins infirmiers, tout comme en diététique, les femmes sont majoritaires. Toutefois, dans ce domaine, un vaste corpus est voué à la diversité des sexes au sein de la profession. Par conséquent, une revue narrative de la littérature a été menée afin de trouver des articles traitant des questions suivantes : (i) Quels sont les obstacles et les facteurs de motivation des potentiels étudiants masculins en soins infirmiers? (ii) À quels défis perçus liés au sexe les étudiants masculins en soins infirmiers font-ils face durant leur scolarité? La revue finale comprend 38articles, et les résultats sont présentés sous les en-têtes suivants : obstacles, sources de motivation et expériences éducatives, tant en classe que durant les rotations en clinique. La revue présente l'état actuel des connaissances sur le lien entre le sexe et les soins infirmiers, et fait la comparaison entre ces informations et la littérature actuelle sur la diététique. Les conclusions et recommandations dressées concernent les changements immédiats qui pourraient être apportés dans les programmes de formation en diététique et abordent comment les recherches futures pourraient contribuer à diminuer les obstacles et faciliter l'accès aux programmes de formation en diététique aux hommes.

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Information & Authors

Information

Published In

cover image Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Canadian Journal of Dietetic Practice and Research
Volume 76Number 4December 2015
Pages: 166 - 171

History

Version of record online: 17 August 2015

Authors

Affiliations

Brandon Gheller MSc, PDt
Department of Applied Human Nutrition, Mount Saint Vincent University, Halifax, NS
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY
Daphne Lordly DEd, PDt
Division of Nutritional Sciences, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY

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Cited by

1. Men who are Dietitians: Deconstructing Gender within the Profession to Inform Recruitment
2. A Qualitative Study Exploring the Experience of the Male Dietitian from Student to Professional

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