Historical Review of Lee Keumjeon, a Pioneer in Community Health Nursing in Korea

ABSTRACT

PURPOSE: The purpose of this study is to show the development of community health nursing in Korea in light of the life of Lee Keumjeon (1900~1990), who devoted her life to community health nursing. METHODS: Primary and secondary sources were collected and analyzed. RESULTS: Lee could get high level education up to college courses, which was very exceptional at that time in Korea. She got nursing and midwifery education in Severance Hospital (1929) and majored in public health nursing at Toronto University (1930). Then, she worked in mother-and-child health practice for more than 10 years. She helped the Korean Nurses' Association to publish Public Health Nursing (1933) and other nursing books. After the liberation of Korea, she became a governmental official in the public health nursing field and tried to establish the national public health nursing system. During the Korean War, she devoted herself to nursing education and practice at nursing schools and hospitals. After the war, she worked as president of the Korean Nurses' Association. In 1959, Lee was given the Nightingale award. Although she retired in 1960, she continued to devote herself to the development of nursing, and published her book Public Health Nursing (1967). CONCLUSION: Lee worked from 1920s to 1960s for the development of nursing in Korea and during the period Korean nursing showed great development to national system and professional status.