PA Nurses "We Want to Do Our Original Nursing Work... Serious Action if False Information About the Nursing Act Is Spread"

Physician Assistants (PAs) working in large hospitals have directly refuted the claim by the Resident Doctors Association that "the Nursing Act will legalize proxy surgeries and proxy prescriptions," arguing that to allow nurses to perform their original duties, the number of residents must be increased.

Physician Assistants (PAs) are holding a press conference at the National Assembly on the morning of the 10th. [Image source=Yonhap News]

Seven PA nurses working in hospitals held a "Press Conference for the Enactment of the Nursing Act for Physician Assistants" at the National Assembly on the 10th, appealing, "Nurses want to perform their duties fairly within the scope of their licenses, and we clearly state that we do not want to perform tasks substituting for residents."

The attendees held placards reading "If necessary, PAs are needed; if not, they are illegal," "Who filled the gap during the doctors' strike?" and "We want to perform the original duties of nurses." They said, "The government has maintained a policy of freezing medical personnel quotas for 18 years, and hospitals have made nurses act as substitutes for the insufficient number of residents as a self-help measure," criticizing, "How can the Resident Doctors Association link this to the Nursing Act and falsely frame that the enactment of the Nursing Act will legalize proxy prescriptions and proxy surgeries?"

They continued, "The medical community refused to provide care, risking the lives and safety of the public, in response to the government's policy to increase medical school quotas, and under the pretext of medical assistance, made PAs fill the vacancies left by residents," questioning, "Is it normal to use PAs as substitutes for residents when necessary and then accuse them of illegality such as reporting when they are no longer needed?"

They warned that if false information about the Nursing Act continues to spread, they will take a "serious decision." They added, "Upon the promulgation of the Nursing Act, we will launch a campaign to eradicate reports and accusations related to proxy prescriptions and proxy surgeries," and pointed out, "The Resident Doctors Association must immediately stop their arrogant behavior distorting the Nursing Act and their illegal actions (strikes) that jeopardize public life and safety."

PA nurses are not officially recognized as a professional category under the Medical Service Act in Korea. However, in reality, many PA nurses already perform various auxiliary tasks and substitute for some doctors' duties. As a result, PA nurses are placed on the borderline of illegality, making it difficult for them to work stably. Recently, the Ministry of Health and Welfare announced a "Comprehensive Plan to Support Nursing Personnel," which includes plans to listen to the difficulties of PA nurses and others and to prepare improvement measures through social discussions.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.