Perceptions of Gender-Based Barriers for Men in an Online Nursing Completion Program Compared to Traditional On-Campus Nursing Programs

This paper reports on a mixed-method study that compared the perceptions of genderbased barriers experienced by 49 men who were enrolled in an online Registered Nurse to Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree completion program with those they experienced in their previous traditional on-campus nursing programs. The subjects responded to an online adaptation of O'Lynn's Inventory of Male Friendliness in Nursing Programs and provided narrative comments. There was no significant difference in total scores between the two programs, though significant differences were found for individual survey items between the two programs. Importantly, the men rated the online program significantly more accepting of them as men than their traditional on-campus programs. Narrative comments clarified the scores the men provided. This study contributes to the scholarship on gender and online learning by reporting the experiences of men in an online nursing program.