Professional nursing in Iran: an overview of its historical and sociocultural framework

Nursing in Iran has progressed from the apprenticeship style of nurse training to the higher education sector, with the baccalaureate degree required for registered nurses. Despite these many changes since the Islamic Revolution, nursing is still striving for acceptance and recognition as a profession. This article describes how nursing is conceptualized and practiced in Iran and provides insight into underlying sociocultural forces that have affected the profession in recent years. Nursing education and research, the current status of nursing in the health care system, and the public image of nursing are described based on combining information from several sources: clinical experience, academic experience, and selected qualitative research findings on Iranian nurses' experiences and perceptions of their work. Because knowledge of modern Iranian nursing was inaccessible in English until very recently, this description adds to the literature on the nursing profession cross-nationally. It shows that in Iran, as in other West and East Asian countries, the image of nurses has not changed despite advances in nursing practice, education, and research, necessitating professional socialization and policy changes.