Proper

Abstract

This paper aims to investigate the factors affecting professionalism of caregivers who are constituting a pillar of long term care insurance system for the elderly, and to verify the causal relationship of their educational factors and job factors on their professionalism. This paper tested research hypotheses that independent variables, educational and job factors of caregivers, would have statistically significant positive effects on their professionalism. The results of this data analysis are as follows: First, the current job of caregivers is in the field where it is relatively easy for the old aged women with low educational level to be employed. Second, the results of the data analysis of how the job and educational factors of the surveyed caregivers affected their professionalism show the professionalism of caregivers is affected by various job and educational factors. It is also verified that five sub-variables of professionalism such as using the professional organization as a major referent, belief of public service, belief in self-regulation, sense of calling to the field, and autonomy have been influenced selectively by job factors such as workload, job evaluation, working hours, salary, and reward as well as by educational factors such as educational contents, educational environment, and training time. This paper suggests social welfare policies to improve the professionalism of caregivers working in the field of long term care insurance system for the elderly. First, it is necessary to allocate the appropriate working time suitable for caregivers’ workloads and to establish a fair and reasonable job evaluation system, in order to improve the professionalism of caregivers. Second, it is necessary to establish salary and reward systems which are based on job evaluation of caregivers. Third, salary and promotion systems that reflect their careers must be introduced into caregivers’ job field, so that young and male persons can get into this job field for working as caregivers by raising job status of caregivers.