BACKGROUND: Korea and the People's Republic of China received their nursing traditions from European and the American missionaries in the late 1800's. However, the stages of nursing education development and its standards are not same among countries. Korea, People's Republic of China and the United States have gone through various internal socio-political, hierarchical changes which impact development of its nursing education systems in the past. PURPOSE AND METHODS: In this paper the authors have endeavored to review undergraduate nursing education systems in Korea, China and the United States in consideration with their unique historical social and political background of its development. Result: Korea has two nursing education systems: associate and baccalaureate. China developed three types of nursing education systems: certificate, associate and baccalaureate. The United States, one of the countries, which nurtured the modern nursing education, has four types of nursing education systems: certificate, associate, diploma and baccalaureate. Furthermore, the authors have discussed on several core and common issues to be considered for future directions on nursing education systems for three countries.

This study, was done to compare the nursing education systems of China and South Korea (Korea), then, on the basis of this comparison, to examine the direction of nursing education in China. The results the study are as follows: 1. Nursing education in Korea was influenced by social change, political policy, but as it was established, nurses in Korea, were able actively involved in presenting nursing education development proposals to the government, and in developing nursing education through their own efforts. Nursing education in China developed through the political policy of a socialist Country. During the period of modernization after 1977, a nursing education developed very quickly, In 1983, the first baccalaureate nursing education program was established and, in 1992, the first masters program was opened. 2. In Korea, there are two nursing education systems; diploma and baccalaureate, and there is only one entry level, high school graduation. In China today, on the other hand, there are three types of nursing education systems; technical, diploma, and baccalaureate, and they have middle school and high school graduation as the two levels of entry. 3. There are similarities between China and Korea in curriculums for nursing education which include the major nursing concepts. But in descriptions of the education objectives, China the emphasis is on training the 'expert' in clinical nursing which is not consistent with their educational philosophy. Korea differs from China in that the focus is on training for 'multiple ability' to be used in both clinical and community environments. 4. In Korea, the curriculum is organized with the theoretical and clinical experience combined. The curriculum is oriented to the life cycle and human developmental process. In China, however, the curriculum is organized so that after finishing the theoretical part of the curriculum, the students begin a one year intensive field experience in which the major clinical field is the hospital, and the focus is on disease oriented care and research ability. 5. In order for nurses to be proposed to address nursing education system needs follows : to change as The new nursing education system should be baccalaureate education in order to improve the education level in all nursing education programs, to develop doctoral programs, to open nurse specialist programs, and to develop a new curriculum based nursing philosophy and health delivery system change. New nursing curriculum for health care in China in the 21st century should be directed by a framework based on nursing philosophy, objectives and nursing content. In conclusion, the study will contribute China nursing education system revolution for policy develop and curriculum research. According to these results, in the future, nurses in China should be more actively involved in research and in a nursing education revolution, Also they should be involved in building information networks and in developing long term projects in nursing education.