The perceptions of core professional nursing values of men in baccalaureate nursing programs are poorly understood.

The study purpose was to understand and interpret the meaning of core professional nursing values to male baccalaureate nursing students.

One-to-one interviews were conducted with male nursing students from a public university in the Midwest, following interpretive phenomenology.

Measures to protect participants included obtaining Institutional Review Board approval, obtaining signed informed consent, and maintaining confidentiality.

The study revealed five themes and several subthemes under an overarching finding of caring. Acquisition of professional nursing values began prior to the nursing program and continued to varying degrees throughout the program.

Several implications are offered for nursing education, nursing practice, research, and public policy. These include identification of common values, teaching-learning strategies, inclusive environments, teamwork, and conflict resolution.

Caring was revealed using a metaphor of a puzzle.