A Study on the Demand for Nurse Anesthetists in Korea

Shin, Sung Rae; Oh, Pok Ja

Abstract

PURPOSE
This descriptive study was conducted to project the number of nurse anesthetists needed in hospital settings, up to the year 2015. METHOD: Necessary data and information were collected from various funded reports, professional literature, web sites and personal visits to national and private institutions. The number of nurse anesthetists needed was projected after considering the total number of cases requiring anesthesia including deliveries, workload ratio for caesarean section to total number of deliveries, and percent of deliveries requiring and anesthesia. RESULT: The projected number of nurse anesthetists needed for hospital settings are as follows: 1. The number of registered anesthesia personnel in Korea in 2002 was 2,481 anesthesiologists and 543 nurse anesthetists but only 60%of anesthesiologists and 30% of nurse anesthetists (147) were actually practicing in the field of surgery. 2. By the year 2015, the total number of projected nurse anesthetists needed in hospital settings will be between 214 and 265. CONCLUSION: In order to match the supply to the need, the professional organizations should direct efforts towards enacting legislation. Educational systems should identify strategies to initiating an adequate number of nurse anesthetist programs at the master's level as well as standardizing curriculums across programs.