On the Art of Science and Care: Conversations with Clinical Nurse Educator Derya Kayaoglu

Published: 7 September 2024

If you’ve ever explored different careers in the sciences, you’ve likely come across fields like biology, chemistry, or physics. Like many of the STEM sectors, the science field is a ground where innovation thrives. Its activities in different fields and areas, such as physical sciences, earth sciences and life sciences have paved the way for new knowledge, discovery, and innovation, which will, in turn, contribute to the economy and improve healthcare delivery in medical fields. One such field where science plays a vital role is nursing—a profession that blends the art of care with the rigor of science. This involves pursuing knowledge to understand the natural and social world through observation and experimentation.

The statistics of women in nursing fields drastically contrast the numbers in the rest of the STEM fields. In just the year 2021, 91% of the nurse workforce were female in Canada. Out of all the fields, it’s the only one that is female-dominated. Nursing stands out as a STEM field where girls can explore science and step confidently into a healthcare career. It also provides a solid foundation for those who wish to expand into other medical fields, blending science, empathy, and practical skills. In our latest pursuits at OK Youth!, we interviewed Derya Kayaoğulu, an exemplary Clinical Nurse Educator at William Osler Health System, dedicated to shaping the future of healthcare with her profound expertise.

In her day-to-day life as a healthcare worker, it is no surprise that Nurse Derya has a very busy and sometimes, stressful job. Despite her tight schedule, she still enjoys her job and feels she has achieved her dream of taking care of and showing compassion to those in need. She takes her job seriously, carefully assesses her patients from head to toe, learns their clinical background and identification consisting of age, weight, allergies, current diagnoses, and past medical history, to name a few. This crucial step, alongside a psychological assessment, allows her to perform her absolute best in treating her patients. She mentors aspiring nurses by understanding their needs, identifying knowledge gaps, and guiding them toward success in their nursing careers.

Nurse Derya describes the most challenging part of her job to be not knowing patients’ diagnosis when they are assigned to her. She finds differences in cultural beliefs and values between the nurse and the patient to be a struggle, highlighting the importance of educating oneself on diverse backgrounds and cultures before pursuing a job in the field. She stresses the importance of mentally preparing oneself before each shift.

For her future aspirations, Nurse Derya looks forward to educating and mentoring those who wish to pursue her field. She would also like to take part in advocacy and wishes to get involved in politics, focusing on marginalised community rights for inclusive healthcare. She particularly wants to work on a project that aims to establish greater distances between cannabis stores and schools to help discourage youth from using it.

Overall, our interview session with Nurse Derya was an enjoyable experience for our volunteer team and participating middle school girls. Nurse Derya spoke about key figures like René Laennec, the inventor of the stethoscope, and Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. The stethoscope she brought in the interview and its demonstration on the interviewers themselves was also a great learning experience as she went into even greater detail on its history and significance to the medical field. Nurse Derya is an extremely passionate and intelligent woman who puts her heart into her role and the welfare of her patients even in the most difficult and anxiety-inducing situations. With no doubt, we are lucky to have such caring and dedicated people like Nurse Derya serving the public!