1. To always place the student in the centre of the learning process: (Student focused learning)

This is an active teaching method which places the student at the forefront of the instructional process of teaching. The student is responsible for their own learning, and the teacher guides them in this process. This method will increase their independence and autonomy.

The staff in the Nursing Faculty here at Dong A University have been actively applying and developing this student-focused method to enhance quality education, and to ensure positive outcomes. One such area of student-focused learning which the department has adopted is Evidence Based Practice. This theory uses the best available research as to why a particular method of treatment works. It also takes into account the individual patient’s wishes and beliefs.

The Nursing Department also makes use of sessional lecturers which visit the university, they include Associate Professors, Professors as well as Medical Doctors. These professionals have many years of practical and teaching experience behind them. They have worked at various hospitals and Universities across Vietnam. The faculty’s junior lecturers often attend classes run by these sessional teachers to gain experience and insight.

2. A Nursing curriculum which focuses on clinical placement

Nothing prepares students more for their future careers as nurses than practical experience with real patients. This exposure enables students to develop confidence, as well as develop sound communication and clinical skills. It is also a time where they can start to create good relationships with hospital staff.

The Nursing Faculty at Dong A understands the benefits of clinical placement. It is for this reason that

*70% of the subjects which Nursing students study throughout their degree are related to clinical placement in the hospital.

*Of those above stated subjects, 60% of the time allocated to each subject is spent in the hospital.

Our nursing students throughout their degree will be placed at a number of hospitals in order to gain much needed acute practical skills. There are a number of local Acute and Rehabilitation, as well as Healthcare centres that are used by the university.

The department has a clinical guidelines team responsible for assessing student performance. This team has over twenty members, including nursing faculty lecturers, as well as staff from various hospitals.

3. The benefits of soft skills development in students

Soft skills refers to one’s ability to act in interpersonal situations, communication and leadership skills, as well as management of situations. Generally speaking, it is how one acts around others.

Many experts believe that to be successful at work, one needs to have well-developed soft skills. Some would rate such skills as being more important than academic intelligence in certain situations.

It is particularly important for nurses to have sound emotional intelligence, given the difficult positions that they are placed under in their day to day work. They often deal with unwell and unstable patients. Having excellent communication skills is vital to being a successful nurse.

The Nursing Faculty focuses on training and developing such skills in its students. They undertake subjects such as Communication Skills and Teamwork. They are also encouraged to participate in extracurricular activities such as youth volunteer activity groups and blood donation drives. The students are also encouraged to take part in English Club activities.