The changing world conditions and understanding of health have made it mandatory to have well-trained healthcare personnel specialized in their field in health services. The World Health Organization (WHO), with the slogan “Health for All in the 21st Century,” mentioned that 21 goals should be achieved in the field of health for the whole world, and emphasized the importance of developing human resources for health services, particularly ensuring that the education of health professionals is of high quality, and capable of preparing them to provide promotive, preventive, therapeutic, and rehabilitative services, helping them to serve as a bridge between clinical and public health practice.
Among health professionals, nurses are undoubtedly the professionals who have the longest interaction with patients both in the clinical setting and in community health. Therefore, the education of nurses holds a special place within health education. In our country, there are 65 Schools of Health, 40 Faculties of Health Sciences, and 5 Faculties of Nursing.
Since its establishment, the Department of Nursing at Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Health Sciences has worked devotedly to train nurses who can make a difference in patient care, and has always been open to change as required by developments in the field of health. For this reason, it has consistently made its voice heard in scientific platforms and, with its growing academic staff, has adopted the goal of training nurses at international standards. The most significant goal ahead for the nursing profession is the transformation of Ondokuz Mayıs University Faculty of Health Sciences into a more advanced institutional structure.
Nursing is a professional health discipline that encompasses comprehensive roles based on the principle of protecting and improving the health of individuals and society, planning, implementing, and evaluating care services aimed at restoring health when necessary, and monitoring and researching developments in the field of health. Therefore, in the field of nursing, it is essential to follow scientific developments closely in addition to providing theoretical and practical training related to multiple specific areas.
According to article 3(g) of the Higher Education Law No. 2547, a faculty is defined as “a higher education institution that places emphasis on education and training directed toward a specific profession.” According to article 3(e) of the same law, a faculty is “a higher education institution that conducts high-level education and training, carries out scientific research and publications, and can have units affiliated with it.” As can be understood from these articles of the Higher Education Law, a faculty differs from a school in that it conducts scientific research and publications and can have other units associated with it. At our university, nursing education is provided within a framework where scientific research and publications also have an important place alongside professional education.
The faculty members of our Department of Nursing, who continue their education within our faculty, have made their names known in the scientific world with numerous international and national publications. Additionally, our department conducts master's programs in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing and Public Health Nursing. Fifteen students have successfully graduated from these programs and have begun academic careers at universities in various provinces of Turkey (Ordu, Zonguldak, Erzurum, Samsun, Konya, İzmir). Furthermore, the students enrolled in these programs have completed two scientific research projects, and the theses they completed were presented at international congresses. With its expanding academic staff, our Department of Nursing plans to open doctoral programs in these master's fields and has begun admitting students to master's and doctoral programs in other specific areas of nursing—such as Internal Medicine Nursing, Surgical Nursing, Women's Health and Obstetrics Nursing, Fundamentals of Nursing, and Pediatric Nursing—as of the Spring semester of 2015–2016. As a result of agreements made through Erasmus, Farabi, and Mevlana exchange programs, student and academic staff exchange programs at undergraduate and graduate levels are successfully carried out. In this context, our department has an academic staff capable of providing and receiving education at the international level. Additionally, our department conducts international projects (IP Erasmus project). Through these projects, our university, school, and department are represented in the best possible way.
Aim of Our Department:
As the Department of Nursing at Ondokuz Mayıs University Samsun Faculty of Health Sciences, our aim is to train nurses who, based on the idea that the human being is unique, are leaders in organizing safe, high-quality, culturally sensitive care; who can understand the values and behaviors of individuals; who use scientific problem-solving skills; who can identify the nursing care needs of individuals, families, and groups in all settings to help them maintain optimal physical, psychological, and social functioning; who can plan, implement, monitor, and evaluate the nursing care required to meet these needs at professional standards; who can sustain lifelong learning and personal development; who can produce and conduct educational and research projects; who adopt and apply international standards and ethical principles; who actively contribute to the efforts to improve national health and evaluate the outcomes of their contributions; who can set forward-looking goals and determine new strategies to achieve them; who can work in interdisciplinary teams; who seek excellence; who can research freely; who can reach high intellectual and ethical standards; and who are aware of their duties and responsibilities toward their country and profession in accordance with Atatürk’s Principles and Reforms.
Objectives of Our Department:
– To consider individuals, families, and society as a whole together with their environment – To acquire the knowledge, skills, and understanding required to provide nursing care in accordance with changing individual and societal needs – To understand the importance of human health – To identify risks that threaten human health – To recognize deviations from health at an early stage – To fulfill the roles of care, education, and counseling in the restoration and maintenance of health in case of illness – To enable individuals to take responsibility for their own health through health education – To possess correct communication skills and management skills for planning, conducting, and evaluating nursing services with awareness of professional roles and responsibilities – To collaborate with other disciplines in nursing education, management, and research – To engage in behaviors appropriate to the ethical codes of the nursing profession – To implement the results of conducted studies in the clinical field – To follow research that promotes the development of the nursing profession and apply it to professional life
Our Vision:
To be an educational institution that is proud to be affiliated with; that sets an example with its students, academic staff, graduate programs, and scientific studies; that enhances the quality of life by ensuring the complete well-being of individuals, families, and society; that conducts original studies in its field and is recognized in national and international arenas; and that trains professional nurses who know how to learn and teach as a leading and pioneering institution.
Our Mission:
To train nurses who are educated with approaches and methods based on science and technology; who are focused on protecting, improving, and maintaining the health of individuals, families, and society; who effectively fulfill care, education, research, management, and leadership roles; who are committed to Atatürk’s principles and reforms; who have adopted universal values and developed their personal values in this direction; and who, through postgraduate programs, will contribute to the advancement of basic education and nursing services and pursue academic studies as leader nurses.
Admission Requirements:
Candidates must hold a high school or equivalent diploma and obtain a sufficient score on the University Student Selection Examination (ÖSYM). For Turkish students, registration, admission, examination, and evaluation procedures are carried out in accordance with the Higher Education Law and the decisions and regulations issued by the Higher Education Council based on this law. The relevant information is provided to students in booklet form during registration at Ondokuz Mayıs University.
Curriculum Information:
Nursing education consists of 8 semesters. In addition to basic cultural courses, field-specific courses are also offered. Within the scope of the Bologna Process, credit arrangements have been made in our curriculum, and the work carried out within the Diploma Supplement process at our university has been completed. Thus, our students will be able to obtain a diploma supplement that is internationally recognized. In our department, more than 50 elective courses are offered to provide students with different perspectives and enable them to gain more in-depth, field-specific knowledge alongside theoretical and practical field courses. Students receive their theoretical education in the classrooms of our school, and their practical education is carried out in the school laboratories and the laboratories of the Faculty of Medicine. Additionally, clinical practice areas include the University’s Faculty of Medicine Hospital, Samsun Training and Research Hospital, Gazi State Hospital, Samsun Maternity and Children’s Hospital, Family Health Centers affiliated with the Public Health Institution, social service institutions affiliated with the Ministry of Family and Social Policies (children’s homes, nursing homes, orphanages), home-care centers, and other institutions and organizations affiliated with the Ministry of Health.
Employment Opportunities After Graduation:
Our graduates work as professional members of the health discipline in inpatient treatment institutions (public, private, etc.), hospitals, medical faculty and specialty hospitals, and health institutions such as occupational health units in workplaces, as well as in prisons, social service institutions, and schools as school health nurses. Additionally, to promote the development of the profession, they may pursue postgraduate education and academic careers, and become academic staff members in university nursing departments.
Graduates of our department do not experience any significant difficulty finding employment. According to data from the Ministry of Health, there is a considerable shortage of nurses in our country, and the need for nurses increases each year. Therefore, nursing is a profession with wide employment opportunities. Furthermore, graduates with the title of nurse can work as nurses in other countries as well.