본 연구는 우리나라의 21세기 건강관리체계에 유용하고 바람직한 간호전문화를 정착시키기 위한 기초조사연구로서 전국 9개 지역의 임상간호사 1600여명으로부터 간호의 전문성 확립여부, 전문영역 분류유형, 명칭, 기준 및 표준 설정기관, 수련기관, 자격시험여부, 시험주관기관, 자격증수여 기관, 원하는 전문간호분야 등 전문간호사제도에 관한 다각적인 견해를 설문지를 통해 수집하였다. 이들 수집된 자료에 다시 층화별무작위법에 의해 선정된 755명의 자료를 분석한 결과 응답자의 대부분(94.4%)이 간호의 전문성 확립을 위해 간호전문화의 필요성을 인정하였으며, 전문간호영역은 ICN에서 제시하는 내외과간호, 모아간호, 아동간호, 정신간호 지역사회간호의 여섯분야로 크게 분류하되 임상의 현실과 대중의 요구에 부응하기 위해 융통성있게 더 세분화할 수 있으며, 간호사의호칭을 일반간호사, 분야별간호사, 분야별전문간호사로, 그리고 전문간호사 교육기간은 현행대로 1년이 적당하며, 반드시 여러 관련 단체들이 공동으로 자격시험을 운영하되 자격증은 국가로부터 받기를 원하는 것으로 나타났다. 그리고 응답자의 52%가 앞으로 4년안에 전문간호사가 되기를 원했으며 그 분야는 내외과간호, 정신간호, 모아간호, 아동간호, 노인간호, 중환자간호, 정맥주입간호 분야 등의 순이였다. 본 연구는 이러한 결과를 근거로 하여 앞으로 설정해야 할 전문간호영역에 대한 청사진을 제시하고 간호사의 호칭과 Professional Career Ladder, 전문간호사를 위한 교육, 그리고 전문간호분야의 수준과 확충에 대한 제안을 하고 있다.

Rapid changes in technology, globalization, and consumerism call for a major transformation not only in economies and businesses to be competitive in the international market but also health delivery systems within a society and related professions. Nursing profession should also train competent nurse-practitioney who can deliver high quality care to meet the needs of health consumers. As a step toward this goal, I condcted a opinion survey of 1,600 clinical nurses (herein-after nurses), who attended national and regional conferences between March and November 1995 on nursing specialization. These nurses represent opinion leaders in nursing profession in Korea. Major findgs include : (1) A majority of nurses believe that nursing specialization should be established at the level of than in medical profession. (2) Nursing specialization should in principle adopt ICN`s framework, which includes medical-surgical nursing, Maternal-child nursing, pediatric nursing, psychiatric and mental health nursing, geriatric nursing, and community nursing. Detailed description of specializations should be prepared in a flexible term, so that nursing specialization may be able to meet the changing needs of health consumers. (3) Current RN(Registered Nurse) should be called "general nurse(GN)" while those GNs who complete specific special programs stipulated in Article 56 of the Health Practice Law and Article 54 of it Implementing Decree should be called "certified nurse(CN)" and those certified nurses who complete the specialized Master of Nursing Science program, which includes advanced nursing theory courses, clinical experiences, and a research methodology course, should be called "advanced practice nurse(APN)". (4) The criteria and standards of training programs for CN and APN should be established not by a single organization but in joint efforts among Korean Academy of Nursing. Certified nurses` society, and other related organizations. (5) The current one-year training program for CN is adequate. (6) APN should be required to pass licensing examinations to be administered jointly by various nursing organizations. License should, however, be issued by the government. (7) 52.3% of surveyed nurses aspire to become an APN within four years. Preferred specialization are in the order of medical-surgical nursing, community nursing, psychiatric and mental health nursing, maternal-child nursing, pediatric nursing, and geriatric nursing.