This study was aimed at exploring the current status of graduate programs for an advanced practice nurse(APN) to recommend future directions of APN education.

A total of 142 students enrolled in seven APN specialty programs, 67 professors who were involved in APN education, and nine nurse administrators participated in the study. Data was collected by questionnaires and focus group interviews.

The current definition of APN was found not to be specific enough to represent expected roles of APN in regards to knowledge, attitudes, roles, and skills. Standard curricula employed regardless of the area of APN specialty, lack of qualified clinical practice settings, as well as prepared instructors were found to be problematic.

The following needs to be addressed: 1. redefining of APN roles, 2. tailoring specialty areas of APN, 3. consolidating educational programs, and 4. ensuring APN role models and faculty. Suggesting a CNS role in Korean APN, areas of APN should be rearranged toclarify their roles and educational programs need to be further developed to meet the expectations and quality of APNs. It is necessary to ensure APN's employment in the health care system by laws and policies to perform advanced nursing roles.

The purpose of this study was to investigate RN-BSN students' clinical nursing competency in order to establish baseline data for developing nursing competency based clinical education for RN-BSN students.

A survey of 1,453 RN-BSN students from 21 nursing schools was conducted using a self administered questionnaire.

The mean score of the clinical nursing competency was 2.93. The scores for competency were shown as 2.91 for nursing management, 2.94 for developing professionalism & legal implementation, 2.95 for critical thinking, 2.96 for teaching & leadership, and data collection, basic nursing care, and communication were above 3.00. The items perceived as insufficient competency were physical examination and observation & monitoring in data collection, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, psycho-social care, spiritual care, hospice in basic nursing care, application of knowledge and theory, formulating nursing diagnosis, nursing care planning in critical thinking, education material development, leadership, delegation in teaching and leadership, analysis of organization, planning, infection control, role & job description, evaluation of nursing activities in nursing management, quality improvement, and research in developing professionalism and legal implementation.

This study will contribute to developing a nursing competency based on clinical education for RN-BSN students who have various education needs and clinical backgrounds.

This study was designed to identify the degree of self-image and social support among Korean-Chinese adolescents and investigate the relationship between these variables.

A total of 621 Korean-Chinese adolescents in five middle schools in YanBian, China were recruited from March 1st to the 9th, 2005. Data was analysed using descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation coefficient, t-test, and ANOVA with the SPSS 11.5 program.

In Korean-Chinese adolescents, the total self-image score was statistically different for age, parents' education status, parents' job and living with parents. In the 12 subscales, scoresof emotional tone, impulse control, sexuality, social functioning, vocational attitudes and self-reliance had significant differences between groups regarding gender. The total self-image was in the average range. However, areas of mental health and family function were lower than average and the scale of idealism washigher than average. The adolescents perceived parent's support was higher then friend's support. There was a positive correlation between self-image and social support.

The findings suggest there is a need to examine self-image and social support of Korean- Chinese adolescents according to their parents' marital status and a need to develop a program to help these broken family's adolescents.

Research related to social support in Korea has been hampered by paucity of measurement tools reflecting Korean culture. The aim of the study was to develop Korean social support questionnaire (KSSQ) based on the Korean social support pyramid and to test psychometric properties of the KSSQ.

The questionnaire was administered to 701 subjects and 658 college students. Psychometric analyses included factor analyses, expert validity, criterion-related validity, internal consistency, and test-retest reliability.

A principal components analysis support for construct validity, eliciting a three factor solution accounting for 65.46% of variance in scores. Concurrent and discriminant validity supported criterion-related validity. Internal consistency of reliability was support with Cronbach's alpha of .97-.98 for the entire scale. Test-retest reliability was .76.

This initial testing of KSSQ to measure Korean social support demonstrates evidence of reliability and validity. Assessment of known-group validity and norm establishment of KSSQ are suggested to provide further sound psychometric properties and practical measurement tools.

The purpose of this study was to identify the quality of life and its predictors in low income Korean aged.

This was a predictive correlational study. An accessible sample from the population of people who were 65 and over and were supported by the basic livelihood security system was 1,040. Quota sampling with strata of state division in the nation was chosen. Quality of life and its predictors in the subjects were measured.

The mean quality of life in the subjects was 47.0±10.7. Predictors of this study significantly explained 54.3% of the total variance of quality of life. Depression was the most significant predictor of quality of life. Health problems, district, social support, leisure activity, and health behavior had effects on quality of life.

This finding indicates that quality of life in lower income Korean aged is different from other populations by economic status. Demographics, health status and social status were predictors of quality of life in the aged with a small income.

This study was done to describe the research trend of Complementary and Alternative Medicine(CAM) in Korea and internationally.

A Systematic review of CAM related literature published from 2000 to 2005 was done. A comprehensive search by using 34 CAM modalities as search terms to identify all articles dealing with CAM was undertaken from 4 databases: PubMed, RICHIS, KoreaMed, and Riss4U. A Total of 588 abstracts and 223 original articles were reviewed by two independent reviewers using systematic analysis guidelines. Data regarding the types of study design, characteristics of subjects and researchers, and classification of CAM modalities was recorded. The outcome measures of CAM were identified.

CAM research has been rapidly increasing worldwide in the last decade. In Korea, nursing(53.5%) followed by medicine(42.7%) occupied the majority of CAM research in comparison to medicine(42.9%) and disciplines in CAM(25.0%), like homeopathy, internationally. Prevailing research designs in Korea were experimental and quasi-experimental, however, randomized clinical trials were found. Internationally, survey research was dominant, with the exception of randomized clinical trials that were mostly an experimental design.

The findings suggest that a robust research design in CAM research is needed to accumulate strong scientific evidence and to adopt nursing interventions from CAM modalities.