Proposing clinical nursing education standards in Iran

BACKGROUND: In recent years, the accreditation of nursing education in Iran, especially in clinical field has been felt acutely. Yet there are not compiled standards at the same time. Accordingly, the researchers in this study tried to develop the national accreditation standards for clinical nursing education derived from international standards. METHODS: This research is a triangulation study, using international standards of nursing education and the views of expert faculty members (Delphi technique), to set proper standards for the context of Iran. Then, the proposed standards were investigated through a descriptive survey method, using designed questionnaire and were approved by an 80 percent desirability rate. Finally, standards of clinical nursing education for Iran were proposed. RESULTS: Fifty five standards in 5 domains (faculty and preceptors, students, curriculum, clinical facilities and teaching and learning processes) were drafted for accreditation of clinical nursing education in Iran. CONCLUSION: The most of the standards had either appropriate or fairly appropriate level except in some cases that are mostly related to the prevailing situation of the national nursing education system in Iran. So, necessary changes in final standards have been made based on subjects' viewpoints. The findings of this research are hoped to contribute to the enhancement of the quality of nursing education in Iran.