Award Date

12-1-2020

Degree Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Nursing

First Committee Member

Patricia Gatlin

Second Committee Member

Roseann Colosimo

Third Committee Member

Catherine Dingley

Fourth Committee Member

Andrew Spivak

Number of Pages

181

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to construct a substantive grounded theory specific to the gender transition experiences of practicing nurses in their personal and professional lives and to explore the barriers and facilitative factors to gender transition for practicing nurses. There has been research regarding transgender individuals’ discrimination experiences in their daily lives related to their gender identity. These negative experiences increase their vulnerability to negative health outcomes, such as anxiety, substance abuse and depression. However, there is very little known about practicing nurses who are transgender. This research is important because the mental and physical health of nurses influences the health of their patients. A constructivist grounded theory approach was used to examine the social processes practicing nurses utilize during gender transition in their personal and professional lives, as well as the barriers and facilitative factors to gender transition within the theoretical perspective of symbolic interactionism. The use of semi-structured interviews with practicing nurses who had experienced gender transition in their personal and/or professional lives (n=12) was used to inform this constructivist grounded theory study. The researcher co-constructed a substantive theory explaining the process practicing nurses used to navigate gender transition in their personal and professional lives and the barriers and facilitators to their gender transition process with the participants of the study. Four theoretical concepts were identified: Searching for the True Self, Sharing the True Self, Establishing Self Safety and Living as the True Self. This study adds to the currently limited body of knowledge of nurses who identify as transgender and how to support gender transition in the nursing profession. The results of this study conceptually align with previous research, such as gender transition and gender transition in the workplace, as well as adds to the literature by examining the experiences of practicing nurses gender transition experiences in their personal and professional lives. The findings of this study may be used to inform further research focused on supporting transgender nurses and improving the gender transition experiences of practicing nurses.

Keywords

Gender Transition; Transgender Nurses; Transition in the workplace

Disciplines

Nursing

File Format

pdf

File Size

940 KB

Degree Grantor

University of Nevada, Las Vegas

Language

English

Rights

IN COPYRIGHT. For more information about this rights statement, please visit http://rightsstatements.org/vocab/InC/1.0/

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