Professors’ view on the appropriate postgraduate degree in nursing education: A comparative study in two different sociocultural societies and literature review

Generally, studying and taking license in doctorate of nursing should be according to the society's requirement for better applying of that doctorate degree. In this line, selecting appropriate doctorate program is one the most challenges for any nurses that fulfill the different professional need of nursing disciplinary in academic and clinical settings. The purposes of present study were comparison of the PhD and DNP programs aims and determining appropriate doctoral program from the American and Iranian professor's perspective according to the academic and clinical contexts. The design of study was a review and an internet-based cross-sectional research. Selected governmental Universities in all over the Iran and the United States (presenting DNP program) were settings of study. The participants of study were lectures with the academic position higher than instructor (Assistant professor = 32, Associate professor = 22, and Professor = 5). According to the first purpose, all of American's professors were compared and declared clearly but the majority of Iranian's professors weren't differentiated between the purposes and were explained their responses in the uncertainty halo. However, curriculum compatible with the interests and goals, increase in intellectual knowledge, career advancement, primary care clinical practice, and nursing education were described as the final purposes of PhD and DNP programs. About the second purpose, new PhD curriculum was developed according to the academic and clinical contexts with two sections: theoretical (24 credits) and clinical (22 credits) courses. The evolution of such new doctoral program in nursing especially in the developing countries, due to their limitations, deficiencies, and even lacks of resources, needs a multi and interdisciplinary partnership and cooperation to ameliorate bridges and reducing barriers; because of the majority of doctoral courses have dynamic nature and for that, need to modify and reconsider continuously. Furthermore, for better managing the new and sometimes challenging situations, such partnership and cooperation are so necessary.