PURPOSE
The purpose of the study was to describe nonverbal behaviors of nurses in communication with patients with dementia in an elderly care institution in Korea.
METHODS
Conversation analysis was utilized to analyze the data which were collected using video camera to capture non-verbal as well as verbal behaviors. A total of 66 episodes of everyday conversations were analyzed using seven nonverbal categories: affirmative head nodding; illustrative gestures; patient-directed eye gaze; smiling and/or laughing; forward leaning; affective touch; and instrumental touch.
RESULTS
Among seven categories, patient-directed eye gaze(94%) was the most frequently utilized among nurses followed by affirmative head nodding(67%) and forward leaning(67%), while smiling was the least used(32%). Affective touch was identified in 39 episodes(59%). Among them, the most frequently touched area was hand or handshaking(59%) followed by shoulder or back, arm, and face. There were wide differences among nurses in terms of using affective touch, ranging from 0% to 98%. Nonverbal behaviors were more frequently identified in effective episodes than in ineffective episodes.
CONCLUSION
Actively utilizing effective nonverbal behaviors may help geriatric nurses in promoting communication and in establishing rapport with patients with dementia.

PURPOSE
The purposes of this article were to analyze curricula of gerontological nurse practitioner(GNP) programs in the United States, to compare the curricula with Korean GNP programs, and to provide suggestions for better GNP programs in Korea.
METHODS
Top GNP programs in the United States were identified from the US NEWS and 12 universities were included in the analyses. Class distribution, credit hours, and clinical hours were analyzed and suggestions for Korean GNP programs were made.
RESULTS
Average credit hours for class lectures in the US GNP programs were 47 and emphases on physiology, pharmacology, physical assessment, and disease management were identified. Most US GNP programs(75%) provided health concerns for both middle aged and older adults. Not all US GNP programs included 'theory' or 'the introduction to GNP' classes, while these are required classes in the Korean GNP program. The mean clinical hours in the US GNP Programs were 537 which are much higher than those in the Korean GNP program.
CONCLUSION
Based on the analyses, we can conclude that Korean GNP programs are lacking in many ways. Further evaluation and curricula modifications are required to settle down the program better and to have the graduates prepared more as internationally competent nurse practitioners.