Purpose
This qualitative study explored nurses' experiences in selecting hospitals within a dual labor market framework.
Methods
Focus group interviews were conducted with 18 general nurses, divided into three groups of six, each representing both large and medium-sized hospitals.
Results
The analysis revealed two themes, four categories, and nine subcategories, highlighting differences between large and medium-sized hospitals. Nurses who choose large hospitals prioritized "professional development" but faced "struggles to maintain professional identity" while those selecting medium-sized hospitals sought "stability and accessibility" but experienced "crisis of professional identity." Conclusion: This study highlights significant differences in the factors influencing nurses' hospital choices based on hospital size. These findings provide foundational data for establishing the Enforcement Decree and Rules of the Nursing Act, emphasizing the importance of developing legal measures to strengthen nurses' professional identity and promote a balanced and sustainable nursing labor market.

Purpose
Nursing colleges are continuously being expanded to solve the problem of imbalance among regions, but the outflow of the provincial brain-drain to metropolitan regions continues. Therefore, this study aimed to identify the influencing factors on the regional outflow intention of nursing students.
Methods
This study employed a mixedmethod design, and 214 nursing students in the Honam region filled out a self-administered questionnaire. Eight participants recruited through random sampling were interviewed in depth. Data were analyzed using a t-test, x² test and logistic regression.
Results
Among the total respondents, 161 students (75.2%) had intent to regional outflow. Influencing factors were significantly correlated with employment in tertiary general hospitals (OR=3.32, 95% CI=1.35~8.16), perception of job opportunities in the province (OR=0.52, 95% CI=0.31~0.87), intrinsic job values (OR=2.43, 95% CI=1.14~5.22), and voluntary employment preparation behaviors (OR=2.75, 95% CI=1.05~ 7.19). Through the interviews, themes related to regional outflow intentions were drawn into the following three categories: “recognition of working environment by region”, “aspiration for professional growth”, and “expectation for self-development and rich experience”.
Conclusion
This study’s results are expected to be used as strategic data for establishing plans for nurturing regional human resources and improving the local nursing workforce in non-metropolitan areas.

PURPOSE
This study was done to estimate supply and demand for nursing workforce to provide community-based primary healthcare in the North Korean region to cost-efficiently narrow the health gap between the two Koreas in case of a Korean reunification.
METHODS
To understand the nursing education system and current state of nursing workforce in North Korea, the authors interviewed six North Korean defectors who had worked as nurses in North Korea. Based on the interview results and literature review, the supply and demand for the primary healthcare nursing workforce that would be needed after Korean reunification were estimated RESULTS: Currently, a total of 2,100 to 2,700 North Korean nurses were estimated to have graduated from nursing schools with a 2 year curriculum or completed 6-month military nurse training courses every year. The projected number of nurses in demand to provide primary health care ranged from 84,160 to 105,200 and the shortage would be between 31,586 and 52,626.
CONCLUSION
An active utilization of the North Korean nursing workforce to improve the health of North Koreans after reunification will be the best way to reduce the reunification cost which will be inflicted mainly on South Korea.

Citations

• A North Korean Defector’s Experience With Becoming A Nurse in South Korea
  Sang Hui Chu, Jinsook Kim
  Journal of Korean Public Health Nursing.2024; 38(2): 220.     CrossRef
• Development of international nursing standard–based curriculum for North Korean nurses
  Younhee Kang, Insook Yang, Eliza Lee, Chohee Bang
  International Nursing Review.2022; 69(4): 503.     CrossRef
• The Utilization of Dental Hygienists in Oral Healthcare Exchanges between the South and North Korea
  Eunsuk Ahn, Ji-Hyoung Han, Kyung-Hee Kang, Young-Eun Jang, Ki-Ha Jeon, Jeong-Ran Park
  Journal of Dental Hygiene Science.2021; 21(1): 63.     CrossRef

PURPOSE
This study was done to suggest policies for nurse workforce based on patient safety.
METHODS
The two steps in developing the items were items related to what would be desirable policies and items on how the policies should be developed for patient safety regarding nurse workforce. A literature review was done and suggestions from experts through two rounds using the Delphi technique were outlined. The fifteen experts who participated in this study were six representatives of service consumers and nine representatives of service providers (four medical doctors and fives nurses).
RESULTS
To guarantee patient safety, accreditation of nursing practice and nursing education were found to be necessary, and to prevent medical and nursing accidents in clinical practice, the professional judgement of the nurses was found to be pivotal to the provision of safe nursing services.
CONCLUSION
Polices on nursing for the nurse workforce based on patient safety in clinical settings should be established to ensure that nursing care is provided according to the nurses' clinical judgements based on their professional knowledge and assessment skills.

Citations

• Analysis of the Adequacy of Nurse Staffing Level through the Estimation of Nursing Activity Hours and Implementation of Focus Group Interviews in a Tertiary Hospital: Using a Mixed-Method Design
  Hyun-Joo Kim, Sun-Hee Lee, Jai-Jung Lee, Sun-Suk Seong, Hee Yang, Hyang-Yuol Lee
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing.2024; 54(2): 237.     CrossRef
• An Exploratory Study on Current Nursing Issues in the COVID-19 era through Newspaper Articles: The Application of Text Network Analysis
  Young Joo Lee
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2022; 28(3): 307.     CrossRef
• Recognition of Healthcare Accreditation, Job Stress, and Burnout Resilience of Nurses in Long-term Care Hospitals
  Sun Whoa Choi, Duck Hee Kim
  Journal of Korean Gerontological Nursing.2017; 19(2): 125.     CrossRef
• The mediating effect of emotional intelligence between emotional labour, job stress, burnout and nurses' turnover intention
  Eunyoung Hong, Young Sook Lee
  International Journal of Nursing Practice.2016; 22(6): 625.     CrossRef
• Nurse Staffing and 30-day Readmission of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Patients: A 10-year Retrospective Study of Patient Hospitalization
  Seung Ju Kim, Eun-Cheol Park, Kyu-Tae Han, Sun Jung Kim, Tae Hyun Kim
  Asian Nursing Research.2016; 10(4): 283.     CrossRef
• Positive effects of medical staffing on readmission within 30 days after discharge: a retrospective analysis of obstetrics and gynecology data
  Seung Ju Kim, Kyu-Tae Han, Hyo Jung Lee, Jeoung A Kwon, Eun-Cheol Park
  The European Journal of Public Health.2016; 26(6): 935.     CrossRef
• Perceptions of Adequacy and Job Performance of Nurse Assistant Nursing Jobs according to Registered Nurses and Nurse Assistants in Geriatric Hospitals, and Caregivers
  Myung Hee Cho, Kye Ha Kim
  Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration.2016; 22(4): 384.     CrossRef
• Nurses' patient safety activities observed by nursing students
  Jee-Yoon Kim
  Quality Improvement in Health Care.2016; 22(1): 71.     CrossRef
• Validation Study of the Practice Environment Scale of Nursing Work Index for Psychiatric Hospital Nurses in Korea
  Hee Jung Kim
  Journal of muscle and joint health.2014; 21(3): 224.     CrossRef