Effects of Health Perception, Generativity, and Wisdom on Job  Competency of Korean Care Workers

Authors

Health perception, Generativity, Wisdom, Job competency, Care workers

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to produce fundamental materials for nursing intervention development

for care workers’ job competency enhancement by analyzing impact of care workers’ health perception,

generativity and wisdom on job competency.

Methods: Data was collected by means of self-report questionnaire with ethical considerations from 116

care workers at two nursing homes and one care worker center in D Borough in D City, two nursing homes

in J Borough, and one nursing home in S Borough. The collected data was then analyzed by frequency

scale, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlational coefficients, and stepwise multiple

regression.

Results: The care workers’ health perception scored 3.86 points out of 5 points, generativity scored 2.75

points out of 4 points, and wisdom scored 3.49 points out of 5 points, and job competency scored 3.79

points out of 5 points. The job competency of care workers was a moderate positive correlation with health

perception (r=.49, p<.001), generativity (r=.34, p<.001), wisdom (r=.47, p<.001). The health perception

(?=.346, p<.001) of care workers had a significant influence on job competency. Health perception, wisdom

and work experience of care workers explained 39.6% of job competency.

Conclusion: Care workers should be provided with environmental and institutional strategies for constant

service provision without career disruption. Job competency affected by care workers’ health, wisdom

and work experience, therefore, regular check-up and spur for maintenance of good health are required, in

addition to constant refresher and capability enhancement education for extended wisdom on caring and life

in daily lives. On top of that, a capability management program should be developed in consideration of the

said factors. Job competency increased in proportion to work years in elder caring, therefore, institutional

management of manpower is needed in policy-level.