Profile of nurses with baccalaureate degrees in Turkey

This study presents a profile of nurses with baccalaureate degrees in Turkey and focuses on their personal, social, economic, and professional characteristics. In this study, 1,170 nurses with a baccalaureate degree who have been working at hospitals in major cities in Turkey comprised the possible sample. Of these, 870 were given a questionnaire and 417 (47.9 percent) responded. The questionnaire, prepared by Yetim (1993) on the profile of engineers, was adapted for nurses. It includes questions about the demographic features of the nurses, their perceptions of their educational background and economic conditions, their participation in and opinions about professional organizations, and their evaluations on regional and state policies. Nurses with baccalaureate degrees are a young, middle-class group, and most have an urban background. Most of them have been working at university hospitals, and approximately one-third know a foreign language well enough to read professional journals. They have been experiencing some difficulties related to their autonomy. They have negative feelings and attitudes toward professional associations, and their organizational awareness is low. The number of the nurses who are in favor of full participation is low. Apart from a positive view of the move to increase the length of nursing education to 4 years, nurses have a negative view of the state's policies concerning nursing.