A Comparative Study of The Master's Curricula of Psychiatric Nursing of Vanderbilt University, USA and Iran

Improving the quality and dynamism of higher education programs in the field of nursing, which is parallel practice and knowledge, requires continuous quantitative and qualitative surveys and comparative studies to improve the translation of knowledge in that field. Therefore, this study was carried out with the aim of a comparative study of the educational system of master's degrees in Psychiatric Nursing in Iran and Vanderbilt University in America.

The present study is a comparative descriptive study that was performed using Bereday's four-step model including description, interpretation, proximity, and comparison. The details provided from the Iranian master of degree in Psychiatric Nursing curricula are taken from the website of the Ministry in Iran and the University of Vanderbilt.

Comparing the characteristics and structure of the master's degree in Psychiatric Nursing, both environments have similarities and differences. Education in Iran's Psychiatric Nursing master's degree is full-time, c entirely face-to-face, and often free of charge, and the student's acceptance is done only through a national exam, In contrast, in the American university, education is both full-time and half-time with the use of advanced technologies. Distance education and training are provided and student recruitment is done independently by the university itself and there is no emphasis on the thesis.

The new curriculum of Iran's Psychiatric Nursing Program has been modified towards a more social perspective, but in practice, the provision of social and public services by Psychiatric Nurses due to the limited scope of responsibilities and also the lack of definition of these services is more limited than that of Vanderbilt University in America, and there is a need to improve its content.