She graduated from the Nursing Program at the School of Health Professions, Gülhane Military Medical Academy (GATA), in 1998 and from the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Atatürk University, in 2011. In 2014, she completed her master's degree in the Nursing Program at Acıbadem Mehmet Ali Aydınlar University, graduating as the top student in her cohort. In 2026, she completed her doctoral studies at the same university.
She began her professional career as a nurse at GATA Haydarpaşa Training Hospital in 1998, working in the emergency department and psychiatric units. She worked for many years in the emergency department as a staff nurse and charge nurse. Between 2020 and 2026, she worked at the Istanbul Provincial Directorate of Health, where she was involved in coordinating in-service training and various healthcare education programs.
Her research focuses on internal medicine nursing, pulmonary hypertension, symptom management, patient education, and quality of life. She has published international scientific articles, presented papers at academic conferences, and contributed a book chapter in these fields. Fatma YILDIRIM currently works in the Department of Nursing, Faculty of Health Sciences, Üsküdar University.