In this blog post, we will look at the possibility of changing the practice of nursing assistants and the resulting changes in medical services to solve the nursing shortage in Korea.
The number of nurses in hospitals in Korea is seriously insufficient, ranking among the lowest in OECD countries. One of the biggest reasons for the shortage of nurses is poor working conditions and heavy workload. This is clearly demonstrated by the fact that only 40% of those licensed as nurses actually work in hospitals. In this harsh environment, many nurses are quitting their jobs or looking for other jobs, which is directly affecting patients and their families. There are constant complaints about the lack of nursing services in hospitals, and it is known that this problem is slowing down the recovery of patients and even affecting their lifespan.
The government is looking for various ways to solve this situation. One of them is a proposal to reorganize the nursing staff by converting nursing assistants to practical nursing. This plan is expected to alleviate the shortage of manpower in the short term, but experts are concerned about the possible side effects. Since nursing assistants cannot completely replace the role of nurses, it is likely to increase the incidence of medical accidents and reduce the quality of nursing services.
The shortage of nursing staff is causing an excessive increase in the number of patients and workload that nurses have to handle in hospitals. As the number of patients that a single nurse has to take care of increases, the quality of care that can be provided to individual patients inevitably decreases. This causes nurses to be under extreme stress, which eventually leads them to make the decision to leave their jobs. However, when a nurse leaves the company, the workload of the remaining nurses increases, which in turn creates a vicious cycle that encourages new resignations. In addition, the irregular work pattern caused by the three-shift system damages the health and mental well-being of nurses, which is another factor that causes them to give up their jobs.
Despite this difficult work environment, the compensation nurses receive is insufficient. If nurses were given compensation commensurate with the difficulty of their work, the number of nurses leaving the profession could be reduced to some extent. However, in the current situation, it is difficult to prevent nurses from leaving the profession.
The government is making various efforts to solve this shortage of nurses, such as expanding the number of nursing school students. In fact, the number of nurses has increased as the number of nursing school students has increased, but many nurses leave the hospital or give up finding a job altogether due to poor working conditions, such as working three shifts. This shows that simply increasing the number of nurses cannot solve the problem of a shortage of staff. It is even more important to improve the environment so that licensed nurses can work in practice.
The government’s proposed plan to reorganize the nursing workforce is to convert nursing assistants into nursing staff to perform nursing duties. However, since nursing assistants cannot replace the role of nurses, this could lead to a decline in the quality of nursing services and increase the risk of medical accidents. Nurses are highly specialized personnel who have undergone rigorous education and training, and their experience and knowledge are directly linked to patient safety. Therefore, assigning the role of a nurse to a nursing assistant is not a desirable solution.
To solve the problem of a shortage of nurses, the key is to improve the treatment of nurses and provide them with compensation commensurate with their hard work. Nurses should be given compensation commensurate with the services they provide. To do this, the medical fee calculation method must be reformed so that nurses can receive reasonable compensation according to the services they provide. If the level of compensation is increased, the nurse turnover rate will decrease, and the shortage of nursing staff will be naturally resolved. If the shortage of staff is resolved, the workload of nurses will also be reduced, which will ultimately contribute to improving the quality of nursing services provided to patients.
In addition, we need to find realistic solutions, such as introducing a night nurse, instead of the existing three-shift system. The three-shift system has made the life patterns of nurses irregular, putting a heavy burden on them. If this system is improved, nurses will be able to lead more regular lives, which will have a positive impact on improving the quality of nursing care. Finally, the government should abolish the proposed nursing staff reorganization plan. This may solve the problem of a shortage of nursing staff in the short term, but in the long term, it may lead to a decline in the quality of nursing services, an increase in medical accidents, and a decline in nurses’ self-esteem.
The shortage of nursing staff cannot be solved by simply increasing the number of staff. To do so, we need to make continuous efforts to solve the underlying problem. It is necessary for the government and the medical community to work together to improve the treatment of nurses, respect their expertise, and provide them with appropriate compensation. Along with this, creating an environment where nurses can work in a stable manner will be the ultimate solution.
