For most people nursing work is poorly understood. Definitions of
nursing are also elusive and often based on what nurses do. This
approach is now seen as inadequate because what nurses ‘do’ is
determined by circumstances, which change over time. What is now
generally accepted is the fact nursing is responsible for defining nurses’
roles and scope of practice. However, while nurses, should define,
monitor and evaluate their roles and scope of practice, they must take
into account views of governments, employers, changing public
expectations and changes in the practice of other health professionals.
In other words nurses must understand that the profession operates
within a social, economic and political context in which nursing is a
valuable but not powerful player. They must find new ways to deal
with old issues such as the theory-practice gap, autonomy, specialization,
credentialism and multidisciplinary practice.

Clinical training is an inseparable part of nursing education. Detailed
evaluation of students’ clinical performance is an important process
even though it is usually time consuming and painful. This article
includes; clinical evaluation process, an example for the standards to
use in identifying students’ clinical performance levels and research
results related to clinical performance grading.

OBJECTIVE: Happy people are successful in many areas of life like
marriage, friendship, income, job performance and health. This study
was done to determine the reasons for happiness or unhappiness of
freshman students who have chosen to study nursing in a private
university in Istanbul.
METHODS: This descriptive research was conducted between 7th and
12th of January, 2010 in Istanbul. The population and sample of the
study was composed of 100 students who chose to study in the
university’s nursing department in the 2009-2010 academic year after
the Student Selection Examination (SSE) in 2009. The data were
collected through a student identification form and a survey which
was developed for determining the status of happiness. Evaluations
were given as percentages.
RESULTS: 89% of students (n=89) reported that they were “happy”
because they would become a nurse in the future. 46.4% of students
(n=41) reported that they were happy because they would be working
in a job where they will be helping people. 20.2% of students reported
that they were happy because nursing is their “dream job”.
CONCLUSION: It was determined that nursing students beginning their
education in the nursing program were happy because they will be
working in their dream jobs in the future and because they will be
working in a job which will make them happy. Based on these results,
it is expected that the nursing students who participated in the research
will become successful nurses in the future.

OBJECTIVE: The research is a descriptive study conducted to assess the
functional performance status, the quality of life and level of perceived
stress among patients who undergo hemodialysis treatment.
METHODS: The study sample consisted of 188 hemodialysis patients.
Data were collected using a Patient Information Questionnaire, Quality
of Life Questionnaire, Functional Performance Inventory-Short Form,
and Hemodialysis Stressor Scale.
RESULTS: The study found that the level of perceived stress by
hemodialysis patients was considerably high. The functional performance
status and the life quality of hemodialysis patients were negatively
affected.
CONCLUSION: In order to improve the adjustment to illness and
treatment, it is crucial to successfully manage the hemodialysis stressors,
and to assess the care needs and to plan interventions which will
promote physical performance and quality of life.

OBJECTIVE: Polyclinic services are very important in health care
institutions. This study was conducted to assess patients’ evaluation
of an ear-nose-throat (ENT) polyclinic in a university hospital and to
determine the affects of satisfaction of services on general life satisfaction
and health status of individuals.
METHODS: This cross-sectional study was done with 138 individuals
selected through random sampling method. Data were obtained with
the Structured Questionnaire, Life Satisfaction Scale and the EuroQol-
Health Questionnaire.
RESULTS: 50.7% of the sample was male, the average age of all subjects
was 36.67, the average score of EuroQol Score was 0.78, the EuroQol
VAS average was 74.99 points, and the Life Satisfaction Scale mean
score was 18.48. 33.3% of subjects reported ‘satisfaction’ as the reason
of choosing this clinic. A significant majority of individuals were
satisfied with the appointment system, admittance time, and the time
allocated for the examination. A significant majority of subjects were
satisfied with the information given to them and their relatives during
the care and treatment, which was clear and understandable. Subjects
were able to participate in decision making and privacy was taken into
account, and they expressed their satisfaction with smiling face and
tolerance toward health care team members. 99.3% of individuals
were satisfied with nursing care in the polyclinic services. The satisfaction
of polyclinic services did not affect the individuals' health status and
life satisfaction (p>0.05).
CONCLUSION: Individuals of the sample were satisfied with the services
of ENT clinic. The physical environment of this clinic needs to be
improved.

There is a gap in current and accurate information related to selfcare
in pre-peri and postpartum stages of childbirth. In recent
years, parents and the media have increasingly shown interest in
prenatal education and antenatal education, also called childbirth
education. Forma l childbirth education consists of basic information
regarding the preparation for childbirth. It focuses on newborn
care, parenthood and the childbirth event as a “natural” process.
Childbirth education has existed for over 50 years and many
education models have been developed since then. The most well
known of these are the Lamaze and Bradley models. Some newer
models have also emerged: “HypnoBirthing”, “Mindfulness-Based
Childbirth Education” and “Birthing from Within”. In this article
the scope of childbirth education models are discussed. New
approaches are presented in order for the participant to enjoy
childbirth education class. Studies related to the effectiveness of
antenatal education programs are examined. The benefits of prenatal
education programs are listed according to the findings of these
studies. Today these education programs are underdeveloped in
Turkey and they are not applied within the scope of any model.
Midwives and nurses should fill the gap by creating, diversifying
and universalizing training programs based on scientific principles.

Home care technology innovations increased the number of children
followed with the mechanical ventilator at home. Enhancing the quality
of life for these children and their parents without any health care
institutions depend on including sustainable support system which
starts at hospital and continues at home. In this essay, we will share our
experiences related to mechanical ventilator dependent-infant starting
from birth and his caregiver discharge plans with the guidance of nursing
diagnoses. Discharge process was planned and implemented in two
phases. In the first phase, data collection and parents’, especially caregiver,
understanding and acceptance the outcomes of process was followed.
In this process, some interviews were conducted with mother, father
and grandmother with the aim of data collection and knowledge-sharing.
The second phase is care management of caregiver with the aim of
gaining the necessary knowledge and skills by mother’s watching infant
with ventilator. In this essay, it was being experimented that nursing
care plan and record keeping to mechanical ventilator dependent-infant
and his caregivers facilitation of planning, maintenance, continuity,
evaluation of care processes; and it is observed that patients adaptation
to processes are facilitated.

OBJECTIVE: Today, after changes were made in Turkish nursing
law, men have begun to join the nursing profession, and regulations
in training and practice areas have emerged in line with these
modifications.
METHODS: This qualitative study was performed in a school of nursing
affiliated with a state university with the purpose of defining the first
male students’ (five students) reasons for choosing the nursing
profession, their opinions about the nursing profession, their viewpoints
about the physical and educational features of the school of nursing,
their perspectives related to the nursing profession, and their career
plans.
RESULTS: It was found that the male students had not chosen the
nursing profession ambitiously and that they have problems about the
physical environment of the school and the practice area. Furthermore,
they are uninterested in having education in a school where women
are majority, but they have been supported by their teachers, advisors,
patients, other health professionals and especially by male physicians.
They think to specialize in areas like management, education and
psychiatry after graduation and believe that they may be effective in
changing the social image of the nursing profession.
CONCLUSION: It is advised that male students become more aware of
nursing as a profession, and that nursing education institutions and
practice areas be adapted for accommodating male students in these
programs. Additionally, guidance and consultancy must be offered to
male students who may have problems planning their futures. Further
research should be done with a larger sample.

OBJECTIVE: To increase the awareness levels of nurses working in the children’s
services of the hospitals in the Edirne province for rotavirus
gastroenteritis prevention, care and control, which otherwise is highly
epidemic.
METHODS: The research was conducted on 65 nurses who agreed to
participate in the study from December 2008 to February 2009 at the
children’s services of state and private hospitals within the Edirne
province, and a university hospital. The sample group was given
training through a training booklet. The data were obtained using
questionnaires developed by the researcher in line with the literature
and expert opinion. Analysis of data was carried out via Wilcoxon and
matched t-test analysis, using the packaged software SPSS 16.00.
RESULTS: It was found that while the ratio of correct answers concerning
heat resistance status, incubation period of the agent, months with
high incidence of the disease, age group at most risk, clinical course
of the disease, applicability of the vaccine to preterm infants and
similar matters was below 50%, it rose to about 100% following
training.
CONCLUSION: It is necessary for the nurses working in children’s services
to receive regular training on rotavirus gastroenteritis. The training
provided proved to be statistically significant (p<0.001).