The experiences of the lectures and nursing students in the implementation of the curriculum for master students in Critical Care Nursing: a qualitative research

The specialization in the health care system leads to the need for the training of special clinical nurses. The master degree’s curriculum in critical care nursing is new and different in nursing education in Iran. Thus the participants meet the many challenges about implementing it. The aim of this research is to explore the experiences of the students and lecturers in implementing the master of critical care nursing in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. This was a qualitative research using conventional content analysis conducted in 2014. Participants were 12 persons, including the instructors and critical care nursing students. We used purposeful method of sampling. The study was conducted in the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences. Data were gathered using semi structured interviews (30-60 min) and continued until data saturation. The interviews were transcribed and analyzed immediately after the interviews. We employed One Note for data analysis using the inductive method of qualitative data analysis. The Unit of analysis was selected and labeled using open coding system, then the similar open codes were categorized in subthemes and at last the subthemes were organized to the main themes. The results of data analysis emerged in 4 main themes including: ambiguous disciplines on internal regulation, effort to establish a professional identity, limitation of expert human resources, and student’s heterogeneity. Qualitative content analysis showed various challenges in the implementing methods and the content of the curriculum. Consequently, there is a need to revise the strategy of implementing the contents of the curriculum by the policy makers.