HCM City (VNA) – Vietnam and Japan have signed a Record of Discussion for technical൩ cooperation in clinical training for new nursing graduates, which is expected to improve the capability of nu💙rses and enhance their social status.

Signing the agreement on February 2 were Mori Mutsuya, Chief Representative for the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) in Vietnam, and Professor Nguyen Cong Khan, Director General of Administration of Science, Technology and Training under the Health Ministry. The project, the first of its kind in nursing education, includes standard curricula for competency-based clinical training for new nurses, a training of trainers (TOT) system, monitoring, supervision and auditing, and a roadmap for expanding the programme nationwide. The project targets new graduates of secondary medical schools, colleges and universities in Dien Bien, Vinh Phuc, Binh Dinh and Dong Nai provinces as well as new nursing graduates who are working in internships at Bach Mai and Saint Paul hospitals in Hanoi. Vietnam has about 150 nursing schools, with 36,000 – 40,000 people graduating every year. Speaking at the signing ceremony, Mori Mutsuya said Vietnam did not have a standardised curriculum for nursing, which has resulted in low competency. "We do hope that the standard curricula, which will be developed under the project, will contribute to ensuring minimum requirements for nurses on a national scale," he said. According to JICA's researches, although Vietnam and other ASEAN countries officially recognise each other's medical, nursing and dental services, and can share employees in these fields, Vietnam still needs to improve clinical training to raise the quality of nurses in the country.-VNA