DEGREE DESCRIPTION

According to international standards, nursing graduates acquire the following competencies after obtaining their degree:

1. Scientific Knowledge and Critical Thinking:

• Understanding and applying scientific knowledge in daily practice.
• Assessing and analyzing clinical data to make decisions.
• Ability to participate in research programs and evaluate research data.

2. Clinical Skills:

• Ability to perform nursing procedures according to current standards and protocols.
• Skills in conducting clinical exams and procedures.
• Ability to recognize and manage clinical problems and complications.

3. Care Management:

• Designing, implementing, and evaluating nursing care plans.
• Coordinating and supervising the care provided by auxiliary staff.
• Collaborating with other members of the interdisciplinary health team to provide comprehensive care.

4. Communication:

• Ability to communicate with patients, families, and healthcare staff.
• Providing clear and accurate information to patients and their relatives.
• Counseling and supporting patients with mental health issues and their families.

5. Education and Continuing Education:

• Participating in the education of nursing students, new nurses, and auxiliary staff.
• Taking initiatives for continuous professional development and education.
• Developing and implementing educational programs for patients and their families.

6. Ethics and Professionalism:

• Adhering to the nursing code of ethics and standards.
• Making decisions based on the best interest and safety of patients.
• Implementing regulations and guidelines regarding safety and public health protection.

7. Quality and Safety Management:

• Developing and implementing quality criteria to improve the care provided.
• Participating in committees and working groups to promote quality and safety in healthcare services.
• Implementing protocols and procedures to prevent and control infections.

8. Leadership and Team Management:

• Developing leadership skills to effectively coordinate and manage the nursing team.
• Enhancing teamwork and participation in decision-making.
• Managing crises and handling emergency situations with professionalism and determination.

9. Health Promotion:

• Developing and implementing health promotion and disease prevention programs.
• Contributing to community education to promote healthy lifestyles.
• Participating in public health campaigns and educational activities.

10. Technological Skills:

• Using information technologies and healthcare systems to improve care and administrative support.
• Training in the use of specialized medical equipment and applications.
• Keeping up-to-date with developments in medical technology and integrating them into everyday practice.

Areas of Work for Nurses with Higher Education

According to international standards, the areas in which nursing graduates can work include:

• Hospitals – public and private.
• Clinics – specialized and general.
• Health Centers – primary care.
• Private Practices – in collaboration with physicians.
• Nursing Homes – elderly care.
• Rehabilitation Centers – recovery and reintegration of patients.
• Various Healthcare Institutions.
• Schools – schoolhealthcare.
• Industries – occupational health and safety.
• Public Health Organizations – prevention and health promotion.
• Research Centers – conducting and participating in research.

Duties and Responsibilities of Nurses

Based on the decision “Duties – Responsibilities of Nurses in Hospitals and other Healthcare Facilities in the Public Health System (ESY), as well as public primary healthcare structures” (Decision No. 4262, August 10, 2022), nurses perform the following actions:

Autonomous Nursing Actions:

• Providing comprehensive and personalized nursing care to patients based on general and specialized scientific knowledge and applying scientific methods.
• Assessing biological, psychological, cognitive, social, and cultural needs of patients and their families.
• Taking nursing histories through interviews and observation, conducting clinical nursing examinations, and identifying any difficulties or complications in all bodily functions.
• Discussing the clinical significance of findings with other nursing staff and the interdisciplinary health team.
• Recognizing existing and potential health problems, setting and prioritizing nursing diagnoses and issues.
• Developing and modifying the nursing care plan based on findings, patient desires, and cultural particularities.
• Implementing, supervising, and executing the nursing care plan based on scientific principles and evidence-based practice, and applying current nursing protocols and guidelines through the nursing process.
• Explaining and clarifying procedural measures and therapeutic processes to the patient.
• Preparing and informing patients about diagnostic tests and treatments.
• Developing and implementing educational programs for patients and families for self-care and promoting their independence, and evaluating outcomes.
• Counseling specific patient groups according to their specialization.
• Educating and supporting mentally ill patients to improve and develop personal and social skills.
• Applying techniques to de-escalate tension and manage psychomotor agitation.
• Administering, safeguarding, and ensuring the safety of medications.
• Assigning, guiding, and supervising the work of nursing assistants and auxiliary healthcare staff.
• Guiding, coordinating, supervising, and educating specialized nurses, students, and nursing trainees.
• Mentoring new nursing staff and ensuring continued education.
• Recognizing clinical problems, developing research proposals, and conducting clinical research while adhering to ethical and professional standards.
• Proposing quality and safety criteria for nursing care and adjusting practices based on research data.
• Participating in committees related to nursing duties.
• Collaborating with other health team members and stakeholders to address health problems in mass disasters and other emergencies.
• Contributing to the establishment of health policies in the workplace and at all levels of decision-making in the health system.
• Performing any other professional activity that arises in the specialty field due to technological advancements.

Nursing Actions in Applying Protocols Following Medical Orders:

• Implementing basic and specialized therapeutic techniques for supporting organic functions, continuous invasive and non-invasive monitoring, administering medications, oxygen, fluids, parenteral and enteral nutrition, and providing first aid.
• Assisting with and caring for the function of excretion of the bowel and bladder.
• Supporting the patient’s respiratory function.
• Catheterizing the urinary bladder and washing with a permanent catheter.
• Performing eye, ear, nasal, stomach, and sinus washes.
• Inserting a nasogastric tube.
• Performing peritoneal dialysis and training patients, families, and caregivers.
• Drawing blood from arterial lines for gas analysis in Intensive Care Units.
• Performing nasopharyngeal swab collection.
• Managing arteriovenous fistulas for hemodialysis in Dialysis Units.
• Conducting vaccinations.
• Administering blood transfusions and addressing complications.
• Performing blood group determination and crossmatching.
• Applying and removing splints and plaster casts.
• Performing and removing skin and skeletal traction.
• Drawing blood for laboratory tests.
• Performing allergy tests and administering serums.
• Isolating, managing, and reporting infectious disease cases and public health threats.
• Preventing and controlling healthcare-associated infections.