Professional Nursing in Iraq

This paper examines professional nursing in Iraq, with emphasis on selected sociopolitical policies and the role of women. A baccalaureate program in nursing was established at the University of Baghdad in 1963, followed by a masters' program in 1986. Although modernization policies encouraged the development of nursing, the profession was influenced negatively by the restricted role and low status of women in Arab society. Shortly after the ceasefire in the Iran-Iraq war, the professional nursing program was closed by the government. The analysis suggests that nursing leaders have not had access to sources of power through a role in policy making and thus have not been able to ensure the development of the profession.