Goals of Nursing Education
History
History
As it approaches its 120th anniversary in 2026, the Yonsei University College of Nursing stands as Korea’s premier institution for nursing education, fostering global leaders who advance the nursing profession beyond national boundaries. Since its founding as the Severance Hospital Training School for Nurses in 1906, the College has played a pioneering role in shaping modern nursing education in Korea. Following its elevation to an independent college in 1968, Yonsei University established the nation’s first master’s and doctoral programs in nursing in 1963 and 1978, respectively, setting a benchmark for advanced nursing education.
In 1992, the College further expanded educational opportunities and professional development by launching Korea’s first Registered Nurse–Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) program, which was successfully operated until 2021. In 2002, it established a practice-oriented Advanced Practice Nurse program, administered as a specialized graduate school, thereby strengthening the integration of clinical excellence and advanced professional training. Beginning in March 2026, Yonsei University will inaugurate a Graduate School of Nursing to cultivate doctoral-level nursing leaders with advanced practice expertise, reinforcing its commitment to the preparation of leaders capable of addressing complex healthcare challenges in diverse global contexts.
The academic excellence and leadership of the Yonsei University College of Nursing and its graduate programs have been widely recognized at both national and international levels. The College was designated as the top nursing program in the Comprehensive University Evaluation conducted by the Korean Council for University Education in 1996 and 2007. In 2020, the Mo-Im Kim Nursing Research Institute was selected as the first University-Based Research Institute in the nursing discipline by the National Research Foundation of Korea. In the same year, the College was awarded funding through the Ministry of Education’s BK21 FOUR Project as the S-L.E.A.P. Education and Research Group for Future Nursing Leaders. In 2021, it was also selected for the Ministry of Health and Welfare’s Nursing Education Practice Support Project, further affirming its national leadership in nursing education and research.
In response to the evolving demands of healthcare and society, the Yonsei University College of Nursing remains steadfast in fulfilling its social responsibility to enhance the quality of nursing and improve population health. The College is dedicated to educating visionary leaders who will contribute to the advancement of nursing science, professional practice, and health policy, thereby promoting the universal health and well-being of humanity.
Goals of Nursing Education
Educational Goals
To realize such goals, the College of Nursing is fully dedicated to producing professional nurses who have not only acquired expertise in nursing knowledge and skills to carry out therapeutic care for clients and to collaborate with other health professionals but who are also capable of fulfilling leadership roles.
Philosophy of Education
- The founding philosophy of Yonsei University, which encompasses the values of Truth and Freedom based on the Christian spirit, along with the founding spirit of Yonsei University Health System, emphasizing Creation, Christianity, and Cooperation, form the core principles.
- Nursing is an applied science that is grounded in the humanities, social sciences, and natural sciences, responding to the demands of society.
- The domains of nursing encompass the human being, health, environment, and nursing actions. The human being is a unique and integrated entity that undergoes growth and development throughout the lifespan. Health is a state of well-being in which the human being achieves optimal functioning and balance through interactions with the environment, which is constantly changing and influenced by internal and external factors. Nursing actions involve therapeutic, educational, supportive, and management activities aimed at promoting health in relation to the recipient.
- The purpose of nursing is to achieve the optimal state of well-being through care, which enables individuals, families, groups, and communities to recover, maintain, and enhance their health.
- Professional nurses, grounded in values of altruism, autonomy, and social justice, engage in creative thinking and self-development in response to social changes.
Educational Objectives
- Develop competency as a nurse who provides therapeutic care.
- Cultivate the ability as a creative and convergent health professional.
- Cultivate capacity as a global leader leading change.
Program Outcomes
- PO 1. Integrate knowledge and skills from diverse academic disciplines and apply them effectively.
- PO 2. Demonstrate nursing practices that prioritize patient safety and enhance quality of care.
- PO 3. Implement evidence-based nursing practices.
- PO 4. Display excellent communication skills.
- PO 5. Collaborate proficiently with healthcare professionals in multidisciplinary settings.
- PO 6. Utilize information and technology efficiently.
- PO 7. Perform nursing practices in alignment with professional standards, ethical principles, and legal guidelines.
- PO 8. Foster leadership skills in nursing.
- PO 9. Provide culturally sensitive nursing care to individuals from diverse backgrounds.
- PO 10. Uphold Christian values in practice.