COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MASTER’S CURRICULUM OF NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE NURSING IN IRAN AND PENNSYLVANIA UNIVERSITY OF UNITED STATES

Nurse Practitioners (NP) are vital members of the health care system. Their
knowledge and skills in the quality of care that patients receive is very important. In order to achieve
more success in the Master’s of Science of Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing in Iran and identify its
weaknesses and strengths, comparative studies and utilization of successful universities’ strategies and
experiences are necessary. The present research compares the Master’s curriculum of Neonatal Intensive
Care Nursing in Iran and Pennsylvania University of United states.
Materials & Methods: This descriptive-comparative study was carried out in 2017. After searching the
network on the master curriculum of Neonatal Intensive Care Nursing in well-known international
universities, we selected Pennsylvania University of United states due to relative similarities between
two courses and Both curriculums were compared using Bereday’s four-stage model: description,
interpretation, juxtaposition and comparison.
Results: The program of both universities is based on the principles of strategic planning with values
and mission, vision. The philosophy of the Pennsylvania School of Nursing has included cultural and
ethnic differences, while nursing care in Iran has not been given due attention to different cultures and
ethnicities. The entry criteria for this degree at Pennsylvania Nursing School are volunteers' work
experience in infants wards and interviews in terms of examining personality and psychological
characteristics before entering the field. It is also possible to offer courses in addition to being full-time,
but also part-time possible.
Conclusion: the Master's program of neonatal intensive care nursing, due to its clinical nature has much
strength. In order to improve the quality of the course, it is recommended to take into account the work
experience of the volunteers, to conduct the interview in terms of psychological characteristics before
entering the course and offering part-time courses