한국간호교육제도의 현황,문제점 및 전망 = Nursing Education System in Korea: Now and Then

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Current Korean health care environment such as low birthrate and aging changes a population structure and health care needs. Rather than medical services for treatment of diseases, health care providers have focused on 1) disease prevention by encouraging healthy life style, 2) early identification of disease, and 3) health maintenance and promotion. These movements demand changes in the nursing education system. Therefore, we evaluated current Korean nursing education system, found problems and proposed strategies. Problems in the nursing education system are; 1) a dual education program (3-or 4-year system), 2) varieties of contents of Registered Nurse-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) programs, 3) confusion of nurse practitioners` role, and 4) decrease in quality of education due to the quantitative extension of nursing institutes. The strategies we are proposing are; first, the dual nursing education system should be united into the 4-year Bachelor program and the qualification for the Korean nurse license examination should be bachelors as a statement in the medical law. Second, a standardized nursing program for quality assurance is needed because varieties of contents of Registered Nurse-Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) programs may mislead about nursing identity. Third, Korean Accreditation Board of Nursing should play an active role to maintain and control quality of nursing institutes. Forth, roles of nurse practitioners should be stated in the medical law. Fifth, communications among health professions about roles of a nursing profession are necessary. Sixth, Doctor of Nursing (ND) program for other professions should be considered. Korean Nurses Association or Korean Society of Nursing Science should conduct research for this.