Nursing in Iran: Issues and Challenges

The authors of this article discuss the challenges that nurses in Iran face as they seek to advance the profession and healthcare in Iran. The challenges they face are shared by nurses in other nations in the region and to some degree globally, that is to say a significant nursing and nurse educator shortage, the aging of the nursing work force, and inadequate resources committed to the recruitment, education, and retention of a sufficient number of competent nurses to deal with the information explosion and rapidly changing workplace. Nurses in Iran have historically suffered from a low social status that has limited their voice in the country, despite having the BSN (Bachelor of Science in Nursing) as the entry to practice, and fine graduate and doctoral programs in the country. Efforts to address these challenges are discussed.