Former nurses are playing an increasingly important role at insurance companies. They are largely responsible for assessing payments for claims, and with their medical backgrounds they can more easily decipher the abbreviations and technical terms that litter hospital charts.

At Samsung Life Insurance, former nurses account for 10 percent of the 200-strong assessment staff, and Korea Life Insurance also has around 10 nurse-turned-assessors. "They are so good at understanding the tiny notations on hospital charts that they are applauded from both within and outside the company," a Samsung Life spokesman said.

Insurance firms prefer former nurses since employees without medical experience have a harder time catching up with all the new treatment technologies. Customers benefit as well since the ex-nurses can provide them with useful information on hospital systems so they can reduce their medical fees.

Their role even extends to handling complaints. "It's easier to explain things to customers when you have some knowledge of medicine," said an assessor who formerly worked for Kyunghee University Medical Center.