Snapshot

APN Role Exists in Country Today:
Yes

Title:
Advanced Practice Nurse

Nationally Certified/Registered:
Yes

Recognize Foreign Licensure:
Uncertain

Treatment Authority:
Uncertain

Prescribing Authority:
Uncertain

Practice Autonomously:
No

Contact:

Role

Advanced Practice Nurses in South Korea date back to the 1950s (Sheer & Wong, 2008).  There are various roles of APNs in South Korea including (Sheer & Wong, 2008):

• Nurse Midwife
• Community Health Nursing
• Nurse Anesthetist
• Mental Health Nurse

While the advanced practice nurses have also existed in their country for more than 20 years, a strong value of the physician role has inhibited the professional respect to allow advanced practice nurses their own autonomy and peer collaboration.  Lack of local support in Korea further is represented as there is only one hospital in the nation that hires APNs in the nurse practitioner role, and even then the position reflects more of a senior nursing position than that of a medical provider (Maryland Nurses’ Association, 2012).

Education & Certification

Advanced Practice Nurses in South Korea are educated at the masters level of graduate education (Kang, 2005; Sheer & Wong, 2008).  The Advanced Practice Nurse role in South Korea is governed and certified by the Ministry of Health (Sheer & Wong, 2008).

Specialties

Advanced Practice Nurses in South Korea have various specialties (Kang, 2005; Sheer & Wong, 2008):

• Anesthesia
• Community Health
• Critical Care
• Emergency Medicine
• Gerontology
• Home Care
• Infectious Disease
• Industrial Health
• Palliative/Hospice
• Psychiatric/Mental Health

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References:
Kang, Y. (2005).  Development of advanced practice nurses in South Korea.  Applied Nursing Research, 18(4), 226-227.

Maryland Nurses’ Association (2012).  A trip by Korean nurse practitioners to observe the U.S. nurse practitioner’s practice.  Maryland Nurse.  Retrieved from: http://www.thefreelibrary.com/A+trip+by+Korean+nurse+practitioners+to+observe+U.S.+nurse…-a0293416966

Savrin, C. (2009). Growth and development of the nurse practitioner role around the globe.  Journal of Pediatric Health Care 23, (5),310-314.

Sheer, B. & Wong, F.K.Y. (2008).  The development of advanced nursing practice globally.  Journal of Nursing Scholarship, 40(3),204-211.