The Current Status and Educational Requirements for Genetics Curriculum at Nursing Institutions

간호교육에서의 유전학 교육과정 현황과 요구

The purpose of this study was to investigate and analyze current educational requirements related to genetics curriculum(from June 2002 to September 2002) established at nursing institutions and to provide the basic data for the development of genetics science program at the undergraduate. Subjects of this study were comprised of twenty-three colleges of nursing in 4-year baccalaureate and thirty colleges in 3-year diploma programs. The results of this study were as follows : 1) 32 colleges offer courses related to genetics. 29 among 32 colleges have that integrated. Three schools have established completely independent courses of genetics. 21 colleges do not have any courses dealing with genetics. 2) The contents of courses related to genetics include: Congenital abnormalities, chromosomal aberrations, congenital metabolic disease, prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling, genes and chromosomes, immune genetics, blood type and genetics, rule of genetics, variation in gene expression, the map of the human gene, gene linkage genetics, interaction of genes, single inheritance in order and genetic biochemistry. 3) For course credit, 14colleges(48.3%) offered at most 1 credit per course. The grade of student who can take the course, 51.7% were in their second year while 37.9% were in their third year. The majors of nursing faculty who taught the course were nursing(51.7%) and basic nursing science(17.2%). 4) As far as the need of opening the courses related to genetics, 36 colleges(67.0%) have made a 'need', 12 schools(22.6%) state 'dose not need'. 711e reason for need were the following development of bio engineering, increase number of patients who are related to genetics, recognition of the need in clinical nursing. 7 schools(13.2%) agreed to offer independent course in genetics but 39 schools(73.6%) are in disagreement with that. When the school offers the course with other courses, 27 schools(50.0%) are opening basic nursing science and 14 schools(26.4%) are opening nursing as an integrated courses. If the name of course was either genetic nursing(34.0%) or genetics(28.3%), the credits for the course was one or 2 credits. 33 schools(62.3%) students were in the first or second years. 41 schools(84.9%), the majors of the faculty who had taught the course were either basic nursing science(35.8%), nursing(28.3%) or basic medicine(24.5%). The contents of the course should include in that order: Chromosome aberrations, prenatal diagnosis and genetic counseling, congenital metabolic disease, congenital abnormalities, genes and chromosomes, the rules of genetics, immune genetics, interaction of genes, variation in gene expression, etc. The results and discussions of the study indicate that the entire curriculums need to be investigated with respect to contents of education, nursing curriculums and name of courses because of the increasing need of knowledge related to genetics in the clinical practice.