Jean Chang

When University of Arizona sophomore Jean Chang discovered there was no definitive book out there to help South Korean nurses who want to get their registered nursing license in the United States, she decided to do something about it.

That’s despite full-time studies in public health and physiology and working part-time as a research technician for the UA College of Medicine in the pharmacology department.

Born in Pusan, South Korea’s second-largest city, Chang moved to the U.S. when she was 14.  “I actually had a hard time learning the language because I had no previous exposure to English prior to my immigration,” said Chang.

The English translation of the book she has co-authored is Korean Nursing to American Nursing: A Guide for Korean Nurses.

“The book serves as an introduction to the differences and similarities between health care systems in the U.S. and Korea,” said Chang.

Chang entered the medical field as an ER Patient Care Technician and cardiac monitor technician at Carondelet St. Mary's Hospital in Tucson where she worked for four years.

Book Cover:  The English translation is Korean Nursing to American Nursing: A Guide for Korean Nurses by Han Chae and Jean Chang.

“I learned that a vast majority of Korean nurses in South Korea wanted to get their RN license in the United States,” she said. “RN roles in the U.S. are mostly independent and vary depending on health care settings such as acute, sub-acute and long term care.  The Nurse Practitioner practice in the U.S. is significantly advanced compared to other leading countries.  While the U.S. provides a career leap for most foreign nurses, the major obstacles for Korean nurses is the language barrier and systemic differences.”

No stranger to hard work, Chang held three jobs during her freshman year while attending college full-time to help support an ailing father.  Along with working as surgical technician at LifeLegacy and ER technician at St. Mary’s, she was a court interpreter for the city of Tucson, Pima County and the state for hearings, trials, non-jury trials, and other proceedings.

While working at St. Mary’s, Chang met Han Chae, a registered nurse from Pusan, who co-authored the book with her.

“Together we wrote a total of 500 pages with detailed descriptions of each unit within a hospital, terminology that is often used in the U.S., unit-specific protocols and procedures, such as ER triage system using Emergency Severity Index, and patient assessment technique,” Chang said. “The publisher accepted the manuscript saying that the book will introduce the differences and similarities of health care systems and provide a detailed nursing practice guide that is unprecedented.”   

The book will be available in May 2011.  In June, Chang heads back to Korea where she will be a guest speaker at several University hospitals and nursing schools.

Chang’s long term goals include medical school in the U.S. where she hopes to one day practice medicine.

Book Cover:  The English translation is Korean Nursing to American Nursing: A Guide for Korean Nurses by Han Chae and Jean Chang.