The compatibility of the new undergraduate nursing curriculum with occupational needs from the viewpoint of the faculty members of some north and north-west Universities of Medical Sciences of Iran

Background: Nursing education is part of the higher education system that deals with human life and considering its quantitative and qualitative aspects is very important. Understanding educational needs is a prerequisite for successful education. This study is aims is to investigate the compatibility of nursing undergraduate curriculum with occupational needs from the viewpoints of faculty members of some north and north-west universities of medical sciences of Iran. Methods: This is a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted with the participation of 61 nursing faculty members of Ardebil, Urmia, Zanjan, Tabriz, and Rasht Universities of Medical Sciences in the fall of 2017 using the census method. A checklist containing the curriculum of undergraduate nursing based on the approved headings of the Ministry of Health and Medical Education was used. Data were analyzed by SPSS software. Results: The findings of this study showed that the highest compatibly with job requirements from the viewpoint of faculty members based on the checklist scores from 1 to 4 was related to biochemistry with a mean and standard deviation of 2.1 ± 1.03, among specific courses, epidemiology with mean and standard deviation of 1.90 ± 0.99, and among internship and field apprenticeship, adult and elderly internships with mean and standard deviation of 1.51 ± 0.03. Conclusion: The findings of this study indicate that the curriculum developed for the undergraduate nursing degree is not suitable for nursing job requirements and needs modifications in some aspects. Therefore, presenting the results of this study can be used developing and modification of the undergraduate nursing curriculum based on occupational needs.