TEHRAN — In an attempt to in improve the quality of healthcare services Health Ministry is planning on holding nurse practitioner courses, Maryam Hazrati as the deputy health minister for nursing has said.

According to nurse.org nurse practitioners (NPs) can prescribe medication, examine patients, diagnose illnesses, and provide treatment, much like physicians do. In fact, nurse practitioners have what’s referred to as “full practice authority”, meaning that they do not have to work under the supervision of a doctor.

Isfahan University of Medical Sciences has led studies to decide the details of the courses for a year and the final findings will be soon published, Hazrati said, IRNA reported on Friday. 

The more a nurse is trained and the more they pursue further specialization the higher the quality of healthcare services will be, she suggested. 

In December 2017, Hazrati said that all nurses and nursing students in Iran are required to obtain nursing license within the frameworks of the registered nurse (RN) program. A registered nurse is a nurse who has graduated from a nursing program and met the requirements outlined by a country, state, province or similar licensing body [in case of Iran Ministry of Health] to obtain a nursing license.

This way all nurses and nursing students, regardless of their university or the city they are working or studying in, are required to possess standardized vocational and professional qualifications, she suggested.

MQ/MG