South Korea's New Nursing Act: A Victory for Nurses or an Ongoing Battle?

[nurselog]

Hello fellow nurses,

As a nurse from South Korea, I wanted to share some major news regarding the passage of the Nursing Act, a law that has been debated for decades.

For years, South Korean nurses have been advocating for an independent Nursing Act, similar to those in many other countries. Despite strong opposition from certain medical groups, the law was finally passed and will take effect in June 2025.

📌 Why is this important?

South Korea was one of the few developed countries without a dedicated Nursing Act.

The new law aims to clarify nursing roles, improve working conditions, and expand community healthcare services.

However, some physician groups have strongly opposed the law, arguing that it may disrupt the current healthcare system.

📌 How does this compare to other countries?

In the United States, each state has its own Nurse Practice Act that defines the scope of nursing.

In Canada, Australia, and the UK, nursing regulations are well-established and allow for greater autonomy in advanced practice.

South Korea is now trying to align itself with these global standards, but the transition is challenging.

📢 What do you think?
Should more countries establish independent Nursing Acts to better define and protect the role of nurses?
I would love to hear the perspectives of nurses from different healthcare systems!

🔗 Full article: [South Korea's Nursing Act – A Game Changer or a Controversy?](https://nursedailylog.blogspot.com/2025/03/south-koreas-nursing-act-what-it-means.html)

Looking forward to your thoughts! ⬇️

[DavidFR, BSN, MSN, RN]

Such a law has just been passed here in France by an absolute majority in Parliament. 

Basically it better defines the scope of professional practice, taking into account the evolution of the rôle over the years, taking on tasks which have never been officialised in law but now are, thus giving nurses greater protection. It also officialises the rôle of nurses who have undertaken the Masters programme in Advanced Practice which is a relatively new thing here.

Good physicians always support the evolution of nursing rôles and see it as a complement to their own service to the patient. Those who oppose it are basically very insecure in seeing their own rôle threatened, which of course is nonsense. It has always been very important to oppose these old fashioned doctors who essentially don't understand what the evolving rôle of the nurse is and would hold us back. We are not trying to become mini-doctors. 

In the 1990s I was a Clinical Nurse Specialist in the UK. Things have moved on enormously there now, however back then there was no clear rôle definition and such a law would have been enormously helpful. I was lucky enough to work with a physician whio believed in the nursing rôle and encouraged me to develop the service as I saw fit. Yes, I took on certain rôles from him, but I always maintained a nursing perspective and approached my patients as a NURSE. I was never a pretend doctor. He saw our rôles as complementary, not as me trying to muscle in on his power. To the doctors who oppose nurse prescribing etc. we need to show that we're competent and it's in the best interets of the patient.

I've talked alot about advanced practice rôles, but the bedside nurse is also protected by such an act. Having it clearly defined where we can act independently and where we can't is crucial. I think particularly of nurses who work in small facilities where a doctor isn't always on site 24/7.

Particularly recognised in our French act is the idea of Nursing Diagnosis. For anybody who reads French:

www.infirmiers.com/profession-ide/la-reforme-du-metier-infirmier-approuvee-lunanimite-par-les-deputes