The establishment of an integrated skills training centre for undergraduate nursing education

LEE L.Y.K., LEE J.K.L., WONG K.F., TSANG A.Y.K. & LI M.K. (2010) The establishment of an integrated skills training centre for undergraduate nursing education. International Nursing Review 57 , 359–364 Aim: This paper details the experience of establishing an integrated skills training centre for use in undergraduate nursing education in The Open University of Hong Kong. Background: Skills training is an essential element in undergraduate nursing education. Owing to the increasing complexity of the health‐care system and patient health needs, undergraduate nursing students should be well prepared for integrated skills competency, critical thinking and rapid decision‐making. To achieve this goal, the use of simulation as a skills training tool is being recommended. Conclusion: The Clinical Nursing Education Centre is established. It adopts simulation as a teaching and learning tool. It has four specific education units, namely: (1) clinical simulation education unit, (2) virtual reality education unit, (3) nursing skills education unit, and (4) Chinese medicinal education unit. These units are specifically designed for the teaching and learning of nursing skills related to general, mental and Chinese medicinal nursing from elementary to advanced level. Experiences pertaining to the conceptualization, exploration and actualization phases of the establishment are presented. Details of the structure and specific functions of the centre are also illustrated. Finally, there is discussion on the challenges encountered during the establishment process and how they were overcome.