Analysis of The Educational System of Nursing PhD in Iran and College of Nursing in Salt Lake City, UTAH (USA)

Introduction: The expectations of nursing PhD graduates are very wide and complex. Studies show the inadequacy of graduates in playing their role, especially in reforming the health system and solving nursing problems. This important issue seems to be related to the design and implementation of the curriculum and its incompatibility with the work environment. The purpose of this study was to compare the Iranian Nursing PhD program with the University of Utah. Methods: The present study is a comparative descriptive study that was performed using Bereday's four-step model including description, interpretation, proximity, and comparison. The information provided from the Iranian Nursing PhD curriculum is taken from the website of the Ministry of Health in Iran and the University of Utah from the website http://nursing.utah.edu. Results: The basis of the PhD program in Iran and the Utah Faculty of Nursing is similar and includes education, research, and dissertation, but the way students are admitted, the way students are evaluated during their studies, the philosophy, the goals, and the perspective of the programs are different. There is only one PhD nursing program in Iran, but at the University of Utah there are 10 doctoral programs in clinical nursing (DNP), two different paths to PhD (traditional and non-traditional) and a DNP-PhD program simultaneously. Conclusions: The discrepancy between the courses and the expectations and duties of the graduates in the doctoral program in nursing in Iran is evident. The University of Utah, by adapting the curriculum and the needs of the community, has been able to well prepare nursing PhD graduates to address community health and educational and research issues. The results of this study can be used to reform the educational curriculum of nursing doctoral students.