Chairman's Message

Mr. CHENG Bing-shu

What is next when basic nursing education in Hong Kong has moved into universities?

With the Hospital Authority's recent announcement that all nurse training schools in the public hospitals will be permanently closed, it seems the transition of nursing education in Hong Kong, that is, from the hospital-based apprenticeship training to the tertiary based baccalaureate programmes has been accomplished. Whether the supply of nurses from universities could meet the local demand or not is a matter of careful planning and effective communication between employers of nurses and the Government. One of the current key issues of pre-registration nursing education is how to assure the professional competence of graduates from various nursing degree programmes. The Universal Licensing Examination (ULE) held by the Nursing Council of Hong Kong is supposed to ensure a satisfactory level of nursing knowledge of these university graduates. However, clinical competence of these graduates has always been a concern of clinical colleagues. Currently, all pre-registration nursing degree programmes offered by local universities are preparing graduates eligible to sit for the ULE for Part I registration, that is, 'General' nursing. All these programmes include clinical experiences in areas and duration according to the Nursing Council's requirement. Different universities are adopting different approaches of assessing the learning outcomes of students' clinical placements. The Nursing Council requires that all graduates must pass the stipulated 4 parts of clinical assessment conducted by qualified Clinical Assessors. It is questionable whether such clinical assessment system originally designed for the hospital-based nurse training is completely applicable to nursing degree programmes. While the Nursing Council is reviewing the syllabi of nursing education programmes leading to both Part I and II registration, we are sure that the above issues will be explored carefully. There are certainly many other issues related to the current transition of nursing education, for example, the training of enrolled nurses, the requirement for a nursing degree for clinical practice, etc. Our Society will keep an eye on such development, and make whatever necessary contributions to it. All nursing colleagues are welcome to express your views by writing to us.

Continuing nursing education (CNE)

The Nursing Council is still working on establishing the mandatory CNE system for promoting professional competence of nurses in Hong Kong. Our Society is concerned whether the objectives of the CNE system could be attained, that is, there is evidence of practitioners' continuing participation in professional development activities, and hopefully, the general standard of professional practice is promoted. We are also concerned whether such objectives could be attained realistically, that is, there are adequate CNE opportunities and sufficient management support given to nurses for pursuing CNE activities. It is important that the CNE system will allow reasonable flexibility and be reviewed regularly. Also, views of nursing colleagues need to be considered carefully in regard to issues of implementing this system.

Regulation of specialty nursing practice

Another concern of our Society is about the practice of specialty nursing. The College of Nursing, Hong Kong has been running a nurse specialist accreditation system for a number of years, and more and more nurse specialists are appointed in Hospital Authority hospitals. Also, there has been an increasing number of nurse specialists groups being formed. However, our Society considers that it is important to establish a formal system with statutory power for accrediting and regulating the practice of specialised nurses. Such a system may be a part of the current Nursing Council, or an independent body similar to the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine (HKAM).

Our Society considers that an independent body, given its rather unique functions, seems to be able to perform more efficiently the work of regulating the practice of specialised nurses. We are now working on a proposal of establishing a 'Hong Kong Academy of Nursing'. Following the HKAM model, individual nurse specialist groups would go under the umbrella of the Academy of Nursing. Each group would be operating an individual system for accrediting their members. The proposed Academy should not only ensure the professional standard of the specialised nurses, but it should also enhance the professional development of them. Moreover, with the formal recognition of these nurses' contribution, we expect that specialised nurses would be encouraged to stay in the clinical area, instead of moving into management areas where their clinical expertise is wasted. It is anticipated that the establishment of the Hong Kong Academy of Nursing, or any similar body, would be a long and difficult process. It would also take quite some time for individual nurse specialist groups to become mature enough to participate in the accreditation process. Members' views in this regard are welcome.

Invitation to participate in the Society's work

The Society has been established for 15 years with the mission of promoting quality of nursing education in Hong Kong. We are glad to see more and more clinical colleagues joining the Society. All these members' interest and contribution to the Society's work is much appreciated. With the closure of nursing schools, many nurse educators have moved into clinical areas taking up significant roles of practitioners and managers, while some have taken up teaching positions in universities. Their expertise and valuable experience in educating nurses actually enable them to contribute effectively to promoting the quality of nursing care, and certainly, the clinical learning of nursing students. So, their participation in our Society's work is important.

We would like to invite all nursing colleagues to participate actively in the Society's work. When you join the Society, you are eligible to be elected as a member of the Executive Committee of the Society and contribute directly to our work. The coming election will take place soon. So, please contact the Key-Member in your institute or any member of the Executive Member for the membership subscription form.

Be a member of the Society, and take part in the coming election!