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Objectives The purpose of this study was to identify the type of male nurse image of nursing students recognized by nursing students by applying it through the Q methodology and to analyze the characteristics of each type. Methods The Q population, the first step in the Q methodology, was constructed based on the contents of written interviews of nursing students and the results of a literature review of previous studies related to the image of male nurses. After that, the final 34 Q samples were selected based on the advice of one expert through a categorization process that ties meaningful statements. The Q sample statements were classified into 50 P samples that were forcibly classified into a normal distribution table on a 9-point scale, and the collected data were analyzed with the PC-QUANL program. Results As a result of the analysis, there were a total of four types of perceptions of male nurse image of nursing students. The first type was found to be ‘traditional sexual role breakaway type’, the second type was ‘sex role recognition fixed type’, the third type was ‘transitional friendly type’, and the fourth type was ‘social image influ-ence type’. Conclusions Through the results of this study, it is expected that it will be used as useful basic data to differentially develop strategies to enhance the nurse image of male nurses in the future. In nursing practice, it is expected that through the implementation of these strategies, it will contribute to improving the nurse image of male nurses and further enhancing the status of Korean nursing.
Choi et al. (Mon,) studied this question.