Working Conditions of Occupational Health Nurses in Korea

산업간호사의 근무조건 실태 분석

Purpose: The aim of the study was to investigate the working condition of occupational health nurses and analyze change pattern of working condition compared to 10 years ago. Method: A questionnaire was measured to 431 occupational health nurses attending the training program held by the Korean Association of Occupational Health Nurses during the period from June 2005 through November 2005. Results: The number of respondents aged 30 years or older and those who are married increased, compared their counterparts found in the earlier study conducted in 1996. Respondents with a college degree accounted for 13.5% in the earlier study, but respondents with a college degree increased to 38.0% in the study. Those with more than 10 years of work experience also increased. Employment type of respondents divided into permanent employment(56.3%) and contract-based employment(41.1%), compared with permanent employment(66.4%) and contract-based employment(32.0%) found in the earlier study. Of total respondents, 91.1% said their retirement age was 55 years or above, and the ratio is higher than that found in the earlier study. Conclusion: The study revealed that the working condition for occupational health nurses especially career recognition, employment type and promotion system were getting worse. It is therefore necessary to implement measures to improve those conditions.