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Background: Nurses need to be lifelong learners to provide care, efficiently, and apply the art of care, in a context of rapid change in knowledge and technology. Life-long learning is an indicator of professionalism for health care professionals. A study of creating a lifelong learning culture for nurses is a necessity. This study aimed to identify the basis of lifelong learning for nursing education in the field of "education system".
Materials and methods: This study was based on grounded theory approach and purposeful sampling method with open-ended semi-structured interviews on 19 nursing scholars and professors who had a PhD in nursing and medical education. According to Strauss and Corbin's method, the data were collected, analyzed and interpreted simultaneously and analyzed by continuous comparative method for validation and the acceptance of data a collaborator check and external observer were used.
Results: By analyzing the viewpoints of participants, the basis of lifelong learning in the field of educational system had three main areas, including "policies, curricula and assessment system, and teaching-learning methods". They became the main category of characteristics in the educational system.
Conclusion: Regarding the necessity of education with the a lifelong learning approach for nursing students, policy makers in the field of health and nursing, planners and administrators of nursing schools can develop effective strategies with the aid of factors identified in this study.