Nurses role, importance and status in Armenia: A mixed method study

Aim To assess the perception of the nursing profession in Armenia from the perspective of multiple stakeholders, including nurses and the general public. Background Nurses’ role perception is a complex phenomenon defined by multiple stakeholders. Methods The assessment used a convergent parallel mixed‐methods design, with a dominant qualitative status. We conducted the qualitative phase through focus group discussions and in‐depth interviews with 235 people and collected quantitative data in a cross‐sectional telephone survey with 389 participants. Results The nursing profession has been influenced by medical hierarchy and subordination, and none of the participants recognized nursing as an autonomous health care profession. The quantitative survey findings were largely consistent with the qualitative results. Our findings highlighted empathy and compassion as inherent qualities of nurses in Armenia. Conclusion To change opinions about the nursing profession and highlight nurses’ meaningful contribution to the provision of health care services, it is important to develop a national definition of nursing and introduce higher educational opportunities for nurses in Armenia. Implications for nursing management The paper highlights the importance of quality education for preparing highly competent nurse managers who can become role models in promoting nurses’ roles in health care systems and improving the professional and public image of nursing.