Seoul, South Korea – The Korea Health Personnel Licensing Examination Institute (KHPLEI) announced that 23,760 new nurses passed the national licensing exam this year, a pass rate of 94%. This is the highest number of new nurses trained in recent years, with a notable increase in male nurses.

For the first time in 64 years, the number of male nurses exceeded 40,000, with men making up 18.1% of the successful applicants. This marks a significant shift in the nursing profession, which has traditionally been dominated by women.

However, despite the record number of new nurses, the job market remains uncertain due to the ongoing conflict between doctors and the government. Many university hospitals are facing financial difficulties and have either frozen hiring or significantly reduced the number of new nurses they are taking on.

The prolonged conflict has also led to delays in the appointment of new nurses who were hired last year. According to a survey conducted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Korean Nurses Association, 63% of new nurses hired by general hospitals in 2023 are still waiting to be appointed.

The situation has left many nursing college graduates struggling to find employment. The employment rate for nursing college graduates is only 33.9%, with many graduates opting for other professions due to the uncertain future of the nursing job market.

A nursing college student who attended a press conference at the National Assembly last month to demand measures to address the employment of nursing college students said, "Many of my peers are exhausted by the uncertain future and have chosen indefinite leave of absence, and juniors are choosing other majors, saying that they cannot take care of patients even if they graduate from nursing school."

The government and relevant organizations are urged to come up with measures to resolve the conflict between doctors and the government and to stabilize the nursing job market so that new nurses can find employment and contribute to the healthcare system.

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