The event started with the opening speech of Ayse Nur YEREBAKAN, who is Research Assistant of the Department of Nursing (English), and the heads of the departments Asst. Prof. Dr. Funda KARAMAN and Asst. Prof. Dr. Aslı GENC continued by saying “It is a great source of pride for us to see our alumni among us again and to share their experiences with our students. Your experiences both at domestic and abroad will be a guide for our students.”
RN. Cagla DEMIR expressed the process of working as a nurse abroad by saying; “After graduation, I applied for a job to many institutions. While I was working as a Pediatric Nurse in a private institution, I learned about the Erasmus + project with the interval of a friend of mine. It was an independent project from the university and I started researching. I decided to apply with the support of my friend. I settled in Germany in a period of 2 months. First, I worked with the children, helping them with their daily activities. At the same time, I was working to have the foreign language proficiency I needed. After the project was completed, I started researching other projects. During this period, I applied to nursing homes and made an agreement with an institution. Afterwards, I started my transactions to ensure my equivalence. Meanwhile, I learned that I was admitted from a public hospital in Turkey, but I decided to stay in Germany. I need a few more months to complete my equivalence. I am currently working in the intensive care unit and I am very happy that I am working in this field.”
RN. Rabia ACAR, who is highly experienced in public and private sector organizations in Turkey, talked about the differences between the public and private sector and gave information to the students about the areas they can work in. ACAR, who is continuing his graduate education at the same time, emphasized once again that an academic career is not the only option for nurses pursuing graduate and doctorate degrees, that there is a high need for specialist nurses in hospitals, and how valuable it is for equipped nurses to transfer this information to patient care. ACAR, who worked as an Intensive Care Nurse during the pandemic process, stated that she had difficulties in this process, but that she was able to use her independent roles more actively in this field and thus reached professional satisfaction.
The speakers, RN. Cagla DEMIR and RN. Rabia ACAR, gave information about their careers and they answered students’ questions about the profession. The event ended with the celebration of the upcoming Nurses Week and wishes.
