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Park and Kim: Mutual Recognition Agreement for Nursing Professionals: Policy Issues and Alternatives
Original Article

Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing Administration 2020; 26(1): 1-10.

Published online: 31 January 2020

DOI: https://doi.org/10.11111/jkana.2020.26.1.1

Mutual Recognition Agreement for Nursing Professionals: Policy Issues and Alternatives

Euntae Park1, Jinhyu Kim2

1Graduate Student, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Korea.

2Professor, College of Nursing, Seoul National University, Korea.

Corresponding author: Kim, Jinhyun. College of Nursing, Seoul National University, 103 Daehak-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul 03080 Korea. Tel: +82-2-740-8818, Fax: +82-2-766-1852, jinhyun@snu.ac.kr

Received 12 June 2019       Revised 29 July 2019       Accepted 1 October 2019

Copyright © 2020 Korean Academy of Nursing Administration

Korean Academy of Nursing Administration

(open-access):

This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0/), which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to identify the current issues concerning a mutual recognition agreement (MRA) for nursing professionals, and to suggest policy alternatives in South Korea.

Methods

The study was conducted through a literature review.

Results

The nursing MRA was signed by the European Union, the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, Australia-New Zealand, India-Singapore, and the Caribbean Community. The United States and Japan have not concluded a nursing MRA with other countries, but they have lowered the entry barriers for foreign nurses from certain countries. In order to prepare for a nursing MRA with developed countries such as the United States, Canada and Australia, it is necessary to establish international standards for nursing and to build a verification system for the qualifications of foreign nurses. In addition, there is a need to establish an independent professional licensing authority that assumes responsibility for all the tasks regarding a nursing license.

Conclusion

The findings of this study can be used as basic data for the preparation of a nursing MRA, and can contribute to the establishment of policies for foreign nurses.

Keywords: International migration, International nurses, Mutual recognition, Nurses

Figures and Tables

Table 1

Share of Foreign-Trained Nurses, 2017 (or nearest year)

jkana-26-1-i001

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (2018).

Table 2

Major Receiving and Sending Countries of Foreign Nurses

jkana-26-1-i002

Source: Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (2018).

Table 3

Acceptance Requirements for Foreign Nurse Candidates under Economic Partnership Agreement

jkana-26-1-i003

Source: Kim (2016); JLPT=Japanese language proficiency test.

Table 4

Japanese Nursing Examination Pass Rates of Foreign Nurse Candidates

jkana-26-1-i004

Source: Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare (Japan) (2018).

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ORCID iDs

Euntae Park
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5406-7978

Jinhyun Kim
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7141-1606

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