Abstract
Background: Comparing the existing curricula helps identify program strengths and weaknesses, provides an opportunity to improve the program, and fosters competition. This study aimed to conduct a comparative analysis of the Master’s curriculum in Critical Care Nursing between the University of Sharjah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Iran University.
Methods: This descriptive-comparative study was carried out in 2023 and compared the critical care nursing master’s programs at Iran and Sharjah University. Data were obtained from the websites of the Ministry of Health, Treatment, and Medical Education in Iran and Sharjah University in the UAE. Using Brady’s model, the two curricula were analyzed in four stages: description, interpretation, contiguity, and comparison, focusing on mission, vision, philosophy, goals of the department, acceptance conditions, program specifications and structure, course content, and student roles and duties.
Results: The comparison revealed similarities in the philosophy, vision, and mission of both curricula. However, differences were also observed. The Iranian curriculum presents a general and understandable philosophy guiding high-level organizational performance. In contrast, the curriculum at University of Sharjah emphasizes the education of professional nurses with a focus on the use of technology, advances in critical care practice, and the implementation of evidence-based nursing. Iran focuses on minimizing mortality in critically ill patients, while Sharjah University adopts a global research-oriented approach, focusing on providing a creative and supportive environment. The mission in Iran is to train graduates to improve nursing care for patients needing special care, reduce mortality, and use their opinions for policy-making within the Samat system, whereas Sharjah University’s mission focuses on training nurses with modern scientific knowledge and teamwork skills to meet current and future needs. It focuses on service delivery to both the local community and beyond. The job position for graduates in Iran involves roles in both special departments and other unrelated centers, but Sharjah University focuses on the special care department. In Iran, the graduates of this field are prepared for caring, educational, research, and managerial roles and can work as clinical and educational faculty nurses. In contrast, graduates from Sharjah University are prepared for caring, supportive, and research roles and only work as bedside nurses.
Conclusion: The strengths of the educational program for this course in Iran include the presence of working experience in hospitals for the admission of students, the use of evidence-based nursing care in the hospital, the strengthening of critical thinking, the provision of part-time courses, and the planning of courses aimed at faculty training.