In order to create an academic ambience for the nursing team and promote extensive exchanges and cooperation between nursing education and nursing practice, Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) and the Nursing Department of Kiang Wu Hospital (KWH) jointly organized the “Kiang Wu Nursing Academic Symposium 2013” on 1 June. This was the fourth time that KWNC and KWH cooperated to organize this academic event and the theme of this year’s Symposium was “Care-oriented Nursing and Nursing Education”. The whole-day conference was divided into keynote speeches and presentation of papers, and there were about 200 people present. Keynote speakers and invited guests included Professor Chao Co-Shi of the Department of Nursing of Taiwan National Cheng Kung University, Professor Wong Kam Yuet of the School of Nursing of the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Chief Supervisor of Nurses of Macao Health Bureau Ms. Choi Mio Iong, Director of the School of Health Sciences of Macao Polytechnic Institute (MPI) Professor Liu Ming, Assistant to KWH Director and Chief of the Nursing Department Ms. Fok Wai Lan, Deputy Chief of the Nursing Department Ms. Ung Vai Ha, KWNC President Van Iat Kio and Professor Zhu Mingxia.

In the Opening Ceremony, Chief Fok Wai Lan expresses that the Symposium serves as a platform to bring forth the academic ambience of the nursing team. The enhanced standards of papers demonstrate nursing colleagues’ continuous efforts in striving forward, improving themselves and pursuing brilliance from excellence at work. “Care” is the core of nursing practice. Nursing services are care-oriented and people-oriented. They can be known as high quality only when nurses genuinely consider patients’ feelings and communicate with them sincerely. Nowadays, the growing number of roles that nurses play and the development of specialist nursing fully exhibit the important position of nurses. In recent years, KWNC has been offering increasingly high-standard academic nursing trainings, enabling students to build up intensive theoretical knowledge, learning capabilities and intellectual horizons necessary for their future career. Chief Fok believes that, with the concerted efforts, innovative thinking and the best of each nursing team member’s abilities, the nursing profession will for sure continue to scale new heights.

Following the Opening Ceremony, Professor Chao Co-Shi, Professor Wong Kam Yuet, President Van Iat Kio and Chief Fok Wai Lan delivered the keynote speeches respectively. They explored the nature of nursing care and shared views on incorporating care into nursing education and nursing practice. Student representatives of KWNC and the School of Health Sciences of MPI also shared, from the perspective of students, their understanding and practical experience in nursing care. In the paper presentation session, KWH nurses, KWNC teachers and students shared their research findings on a number of topics, including clinical practice, health education and management of patients, nursing education and clinical teaching. A total of 11 papers and 15 posters were presented.

In the Closing Ceremony, President Van indicates that the Symposium enables us to realize the devotion of nurses and their touching stories. To offer care, nurses not only satisfy the needs of patients, but also recognize their own value and make the nursing work extraordinary. In the face of a host of difficulties such as the increasing and ageing population, change of disease spectrum, public’s growing demand on nursing quality, shortage of frontline manpower and increasing work pressure, nursing peers and students are encouraged to be proactive, learn and innovate persistently, keep the attitude of care in their heart and put it into practice.

Nursing education, scientific researches and clinical practice are closely connected and they promote each other. In addition to bringing together these three elements, by placing emphasis on the core values of “care”, the Symposium motivates nursing personnel, educators and students to fulfil nursing care and provide Macao citizens with nursing services of higher quality.