It is essential for nurses to have a strong scientific background and humanist/holistic philosophical view in order to protect and improve the condition of healthy individuals and to provide better quality care to sick individuals. Nurses need to have sophisticated cognitive, affective and psychomotor skills and experiences, besides using evidence-based approaches and technology more effectively and efficiently. Our nursing department was founded in 2010 within the body of Bezmialem Vakif University, School of Health Sciences, which is also well-known as the first School of Medicine in Turkey. The department of Nursing aims to raise leading nurses who have a sense of responsibility for their country and profession. Moreover, these promising students are expected to take on the roles and functions of modern nursing that requires innovative, researcher individuals, who can demonstrate competence in the development of new ideas and processes at the forefront of work or study contexts, including strong competence, innovation, autonomy, critical thinking, scientific and professional consistency and research. As such, students should provide care with a holistic approach, act on a multidisciplinary team conception and consider ethical principles with the help of theoretical and practical education equipped with occupational skill training laboratories and the clinics and polyclinics in Vatan, Dragos, Eyüp and Fatih campuses. The curriculum of the department has been prepared in accordance with national and international standards, and the content and scope of theoretical and practical courses have been determined concerning these criteria. Thanks to exchange programs, both students and lecturers, get a chance to observe, analyze and acquire patient care practices in different settings and hospitals.
Besides its graduate and postgraduate education programs, the Department of Nursing, being among the top three favorite departments of foundation universities, also enhances scientific-based nursing care with its postgraduate education. From the first year of undergraduate education, we enable students to take an active role in National and International scientific activities, gain research experience, and strengthen their ability to adopt work life and academic life with their final year projects and internship practices. We encourage their participation to extracurricular activities and events to enhance their scientific, social and cultural development. The graduates, who have a wide range of research interests and academic career opportunities within various branches, are our source of pride in that they are primarily being employed both in public and private institutions.