Emine Türkmen

Koç University School of Nursing Faculty Member

I was born in Balıkesir in 1963. I obtained my BS degree from Istanbul University's Florence Nightingale Nursing College in 1984. I worked as the coronary and cardiovascular surgery intensive care unit nurse at Istanbul University's Cardiology Department between 1984 and 1989. I got my Master's degree in 1987 and a Ph.D. in 1997. I worked as an education and research nurse at the VKV Semahat Arsel Nursing Education and Research Center (SANERC) from 1995 to 2004. I worked as the director of SANERC between 2004 and 2009. I still work as a faculty member at Koç University School of Nursing.

How were you first introduced to the Vehbi Koç Foundation?
I was first introduced to the Vehbi Koç Foundation in 1991. I attended the Intensive Care Unit Nursing Course which was one of the post-graduate courses organized for nurses for the first time in Turkey by the Vehbi Koç Foundation.This course was a milestone in my life. With the success I had in the course in 1993, I was offered to take a three-month training course in intensive care nursing at Texas Methodist Hospital with a scholarship from the Vehbi Koç Foundation. I learned from the nurses I worked with there and tried to convey my knowledge and experiences to my students in the organization.

The Vehbi Koç Foundation, SANERC and the School of Nursing … I spent around 20 years out of the 28 years of my professional life here. This is the place in which I have professionally grown, improved and matured.  The reason why I am here is to teach graduate and student nurses and to conduct research to improve our professional practices. Here, the resources for teaching, learning and research are infinite and I believe this is the most fun and motivating aspect of the job.

Could you talk about your future plans and goals?
I would like to see knowledgeable, skillful, autonomous and economically-sound Turkish nurses just like their colleagues that are working in the western world. In this respect, I think what Ms. Semahat Arsel and the Vehbi Koç Foundation have done for the nurses and nursing as a profession and especially the support they provide to the research made by nurses are very valuable. And my dream for the future is to be involved in (multi-centered and multi-disciplinary) research to determine nursing and healthcare policies.

February 2013