As medical practices and procedures become more specialized and information technology develops in clinical settings, health organizations need medical personnel with special skills, knowledge and competency. But the lack of practical experience in clinical settings may impair competency in basic nursing skills among nursing students. This study used a cross-sectional survey to analyze factors related to nursing competency among nursing students in order to establish effective teaching methods to increase the clinical competency of nursing students. The data were collected from a questionnaire distributed in several universities among 106 nursing students who expressed a willingness to participate in the study during December 2011 in order to measure self-directedness, professional self-concepts, communication ability, learning satisfaction. The data were analyzed using the SPSS window program. There were differences regarding competency in basic nursing skills according to interpersonal relationships, grades, existence of an open lab. The level of learning satisfaction, communication skills and self-directedness were deemed influencing factors regarding competency in basic nursing skills. These 3 elements account for 49.9% of competency with regard to basic nursing skills. According to existing research, blended learning methods which consist of problem based learning, cyber education or case centered education should be considered as effective teaching methods for developing clinical nursing skills.

The purpose of this study was to analyze the prevalence of allergic disease among elementary school students in rural and urban areas. Methods: In this study, 1,513 elementary students (1,163 in urban areas, 350 in rural areas) were surveyed. Data were analyzed using frequency, percentage of allergic symptoms and χ 2 test was used to identify differences in the prevalence of allergic symptoms between urban and rural area students. The SAS program was used in the data analysis. Results: There were significant differences in the prevalence of allergic disease according to whether there was a family member with a prior history of allergy symptoms. 48.7% of surveyed students (49.4% in urban, 46.3% in rural) had allergic symptoms. Allergic rhinitis was the most frequent allergic symptom in both urban and rural students. Conclusion: These results suggest that there is a need to prevent and manage allergies among elementary students. The family history should be considered an important factor when a program for allergy prevention and management is developed. Interventions are needed in both areas, especially for students with allergic rhinitis.

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