독일 사례를 통해 본 한국 장기요양보호인력 선진화 방안 : 독일 수발인력 직종체계와 양성교육의 제도변화를 중심으로

In Germany, each state has their own education and occupation systems, however, those wanting to work in geriatric care related professions have to be between the ages of 17 and 50 and meet the minimum education criteria. These occupations are divided into the followings: caregiver assistants, geriatric care assistants, geriatric caregivers and care specialists. Although each occupation has different minimum education level requirements and their corresponding wages vary, job promotions are guaranteed through more field experience and further education. In 2017, the “Act on Geriatric Care Profession” was enacted, and individual curricula for care nurses, health/patient care nurses and child patient care nurses were integrated into a single curriculum. As a result, a three-year integrated education program will begin in 2020, allowing those completing it in 2023 to use the title “Care Specialist.” In contrast to the situation in Germany, in Korea, anyone can become caregivers by obtaining a certificate and there are no restrictions or qualification requirements such as age or academic background. The only requirement is completing a designated training course at a chosen educational institution. Due to the lack of requirements and qualifications needed to be a caregiver in Korea and also because of wide gaps in wages and education levels, it is difficult for caregivers to have pride in their career. The study analyzes the development of Germany’s training system for prospect manpower for geriatric care and explores how their principles can be applied to the system in Korea. In addition, the study makes some suggestions for the caregiver training