A review of nursing departments in higher education institutions in Turkey

Abstract

Aims: The presence of qualified nurses is an indispensable element for the health system. The training of qualified nurses depends on nursing education and the provision of this education by specialized nurses. This study aims to examine the nursing departments in higher education institutions in Turkey in terms of some variables. Methods: The data of this descriptive study were collected between March 20 and 31, 2024 by using the “https://yokatlas.yok.gov.tr” and “https://akademik.yok.gov.tr” databases of the Council of Higher Education and the official websites of 158 universities. Results: It was observed that the majority of higher education institutions providing nursing education were located within the Faculty of Health Sciences (82.3%), were state universities (65.9%), and were located in the Marmara region (31.6%). It was determined that there were 3641 academicians in 158 universities throughout Turkey, the highest number of academic staff was in the department of “Internal Medicine Nursing”, the lowest number was in the department of “Education in Nursing”, and 5.5% of the academicians were from non-nursing fields. Conclusion: It was observed that there are widespread departments providing nursing education in universities throughout Turkey, although state universities are predominant, foundation universities also prioritize nursing departments and out-of-field academicians are involved in nursing education.