<p>We spoke to a South Korean nurse and TrueProfile.io Member, Aerim Kim. Aerim describes her role as a PACU nurse, her plans to move her nursing career to Saudi Arabia and some top tips for those who want to pursue their dream career. </p>
<h2>Please tell us about yourself:</h2>
<p>Hello, my name is Aerim Kim. I live and work in South Korea. I am a PACU nurse and have 8 years of experience working in a Post Anesthesia Care Unit description (PACU). My role involves nursing and caring for patients post-anesthetic, monitoring vital signs and neurological status and discharging them to the ward. </p>
<h2>You are a PACU nurse in South Korea. Would you like to move your career overseas?</h2>
<p>I have confidence in my nursing skills. But when I go overseas, one of the most important things to have is English proficiency. I studied English for Nursing for 4 months. I plan to move to Saudi Arabia.</p>
<p>But, by the end of the course I did, I was frustrated with my English levels, mainly because it’s important to have good English skills in many hospitals in Saudi Arabia. That’s why I decided to <a href="https://specialistlanguagecourses.com/trueprofileio-nursing/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">improve my English knowledge</a> and learn more basic grammar before applying for a role in Saudi Arabia.</p>
<h2>What changes would you like to see within the healthcare industry?</h2>
<p>The world has and is changing. I think that talent and ability are based on your personality, not your gender. Women’s strengths need to be celebrated. However, I think we still need to do our homework and continue to be motivated by the women who marched in New York City in 1908 for shorter working hours, better salaries, voting rights, and an end to child labor. This is what kickstarted the first International Women’s Day in 1909. </p>
<h2>What is the nursing landscape is South Korea like?</h2>
<p>Nowadays, male nurses in Korea are increasing, but the nursing gender ratio is still way off. Many people think that care is a woman’s role. When a child falls ill, the mother is usually contacted and called the “working mom”. I believe that we need to remove these words. We need to start to break this bias!</p>
<figure class="wp-block-image size-large"><img decoding="async" loading="lazy" width="820" height="312" src="https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/05/PACU-Nurse-Aerim-Kim.jpg" alt="PACU Nurse Aerim Kim" class="wp-image-15206" srcset="https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/05/PACU-Nurse-Aerim-Kim.jpg 820w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/05/PACU-Nurse-Aerim-Kim-300x114.jpg 300w, https://production-prod-trueprofile-blogassets-origin.s3.ap-southeast-1.amazonaws.com/uploads/2022/05/PACU-Nurse-Aerim-Kim-768x292.jpg 768w" sizes="(max-width: 820px) 100vw, 820px" /></figure>
<h2>Why did you choose to work in healthcare?</h2>
<p>My older sister was diagnosed with asthma as a baby. Because of that, we had to visit hospitals frequently. Naturally, I familiarised myself with healthcare settings. I always remember how kind the nurses were. </p>
<h2>What do you love most about being a PACU nurse?</h2>
<p>All of it. My job is good, especially when I talk with my patients. I feel glad when my patients have company, smile at me or when I know they are comfortable. My patients warm my heart. </p>
<h2>What is the best advice you were given to succeed in your career?</h2>
<p>The best things in nursing are your knowledge and skills. I handle life and emergencies, so there’s no room for mistakes. So, I use my experience and passion to carry out my role carefully. I handle emergencies inside and outside. I’m also the charge nurse, so I manage the nurses and the environment in my unit.</p>
<h2>What did you want to become when you were a child?</h2>
<p>I hoped to be a boss of a company. As a child, I had many ideas and liked receiving feedback on them. I watched my father work and saw how he guided his employees in managing tasks. He employed international workers and gave them great opportunities. I also wanted to donate to Unicef and make everyone happy.</p>
<h2>What are your top tips for pursuing your dream career?</h2>
<p>Just focus on yourself and your mind regardless of gender. Have a dream and act on it. It’s time to achieve your goals! I also think that more women need to bring their skills, empathy and expertise to a career in healthcare. Also, being a woman is something biological. Don’t let it limit you. If you want to be something, you can achieve it. </p>
<p>Sometimes a woman’s professional development can stop for marriage or children. Because of that, companies choose to hire people that benefit the company full-time. This needs to stop and we need to realize our value. </p>
<h2>Who is your biggest source of inspiration?</h2>
<p>When I was in high school, I read a book by Hillary Rodham Clinton, former US Secretary of State. </p>
<p>There was a section in her book when she and her husband drove away from a gas station and Bill turned to Hillary and said, “Just think — if you had married him, today you’d be a gas station attendant’s wife.” Hillary shook her head and said, “No, Bill, if I had married him, today he’d be president of the United States.”</p>
<p>And while I read this when I was very young, the meaning is powerful and has left a deep impression on me.</p>
<h2>What are your hopes for the future?</h2>
<p>I have a YouTube channel called nursinggrasshopper. The purpose of the channel is to give people insight into nursing and how nurses can enjoy their spare time. I want this channel to make nurses happy and throw away any frustrations!</p>
<h4>Hear from your fellow TrueProfile.io Members:</h4>
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