Gerontological Nursing Education in BSN Programs in South Korea: Present Status and Direction for Improvement in the Future

Purpose: This study was done to identify the current status of gerontological nursing education in BSN programs in South Korea and explore directions for improvement in the future. Methods: The participants were 51 schools providing 4-year nursing education programs located in Seoul or one of 6 provinces, Gyeonggi, Gangwon, Chungcheong, Gyeongsang or Jeolla provinces. Questionnaires were developed by 13 experts in gerontological nursing. The questionnaires included items on gerontological nursing curriculum, faculty professionality, and future directions for improving gerontological nursing education. Data were collected via email. Results: Among the school participants, 31.4% of them rated gerontological nursing as a required subject while 50.9% gave two credits for the subject. Of the expert participants, 54.9% reported that credits for gerontological nursing were not sufficient. The experts suggested providing gerontological nursing education as stand-alone courses and included gerontological nursing as an independent subject on the national examination for registered nurses, as this inclusion would improve gerontological nursing education. Conclusion: Over the past 30 years, gerontological nursing in South Korea has evolved. With environmental changes in sociodemographic and healthcare service, it is inevitable that positive changes of gerontological nursing in nursing education must be made.ope