Nursing professors, students gather to discuss challenges and future
By Kim Se-jeong
Im Sook-bin, dean of the College of Nursing at Eulji University
The third Eulji International Conference is a venue where nursing professors and students come together, critically evaluating nursing education over the years and discussing ways to best proceed.
“I hope this conference will project a sense of direction for the future of nursing,” said Im Sook-bin, dean of the College of Nursing at Eulji University, which organized today’s conference, and the president of the Korean Society of Nursing Science.
“I feel we teach students theories that they hardly apply into practice. Practice is much more important than knowing theories, and I think the teaching method should be reformed to address this need,” Im said in an interview.
In addition, she said nursing is more than simply a job. “I find more nursing students that are like nomads. They don’t seem to feel it’s their lifetime commitment. They are quick to get bored and tired, and to leave to do something else.”
She said the competitive social environment is an impediment to professors improving the training of nurses.
“Because professors have to win projects, they pay little attention to improving the quality of education. Also, collaboration among professors is very important, but I see less of that.”
The conference’s guest speakers — from China, the Philippines, Japan, Korea and the United States — will share their experiences and suggest improvements.
Patricia Benner, a renowned professor in nursing from the University of California in the U.S., will speak about educating nurses and call for swift change in bringing clinical practice into the classroom through innovative programs.
Susie Kim, who became the first nursing doctor in Korea and runs Daeyang College of Nursing and Midwifery in Malawi, will speak about the role of nursing in global health.
Mihoko Miyawaki from Keio University in Japan will share her own teaching experiences in a presentation titled, “We learn by teaching: professional development for Japanese mid-level career nurses.”
Diana Lee from the Chinese University of Hong Kong will discuss the importance of integration of life education and nursing education. Josefina Angeles Tuazon of the University of the Philippines will touch upon how to reinforce inter-professional collaboration for nursing education.
In addition, 85 papers will be available at the venue on nursing leadership, the role of nurses, nursing education and nursing for promotion of public health improvement.
The nursing profession was established by Florence Nightingale (1820-1910).
The English woman established the first nursing school in London in 1860. In Korea, the first nursing educational program was launched in 1903, which later became part of the Ewha Woman’s University’s College of Nursing.