Kiang Wu Nursing College of Macau (KWNC) held a heartfelt dialogue session titled “The Evolution of Nursing Models and Their Relationship with Nursing Roles” at the College on the morning of 9 October. The College invited Alumna Lo Siu Ha, Macao’s first recipient of the Florence Nightingale Medal, and Alumna Leong Iok Wa, Vice President of the Nurses Association of Macau, to join President of KWNC, Van Iat Kio in meeting first-year students face to face. They shared valuable experiences and life reflections from decades of nursing practice, creating a warm and lively atmosphere.

The session was hosted by Assistant Professor U Wai Ang. It aimed to help freshmen gain a deeper understanding of the development and current landscape of the nursing profession in Macao, while inspiring them to establish sound professional values and a spirit of humanistic care.The speakers noted that in 2024, the Macao SAR Government launched the “Healthy Macao Blueprint”, setting out three major policy directions: “moving the gateway forward, sinking resources to the grassroots, and changing mindsets”. These initiatives aim to shift the healthcare system from being “treatment-centred” to “prevention-centred”.

The Blueprint places great emphasis on the key role of the nursing profession in health promotion. This closely aligns with Alumna Lo Siu Ha’s advocacy of “person-centred holistic care” and Alumna Leong Iok Wa’s view that “nurses should become drivers of health promotion”. Under the framework of the Blueprint, the demand for nursing talent continues to grow. Macao has established a three-tier nursing talent cultivation system at bachelor’s, master’s, and doctoral levels, with the nurse-to-population ratio reaching 4.4 nurses per 1,000 population, laying a solid foundation for responding to a super-aged society.

Alumna Lo Siu Ha, a graduate of the College’s 35th cohort, is also Macao’s first recipient of the Florence Nightingale Medal. Reflecting on her decades-long professional journey, she remarked that the development of nursing in Macao has not been easy, and that today there is an even stronger emphasis on the concept of “person-centred” holistic care. She stated that amid informatisation

and increasing social diversity, nurses must possess clinical judgement, communication skills, and ethical reasoning. She encouraged students to continuously explore the future direction of nursing from four perspectives: professionalisation, standardisation, socialisation, and internationalisation. She emphasised, “Nursing is not only a technique, but also the art of attentive listening and companionship.”

Alumna Leong Iok Wa, a graduate of the College’s 37th cohort, previously served as a Macao deputy to the National People’s Congress and a member of the Legislative Assembly of the Macao SAR, and currently serves as Vice President of the Nurses Association of Macau. From the perspectives of nurses’ participation in policymaking, advocacy for nursing needs, and engagement in public health, she explained how the nursing profession can influence the formation of health policies.

President Van Iat Kio introduced the evolution of the College’s bachelor’s programmes to the freshmen and explained how contemporary nursing education continues to align with international standards. She noted that in the face of healthcare challenges in the new era, nursing students must develop an interdisciplinary perspective and an attitude of lifelong learning. She encouraged students to begin with humanistic care, integrate professional skills with compassion, and become modern nursing professionals capable of responding to societal needs.

Students said that through the sharing of their seniors, they were able to gain an early understanding of the realities of clinical work rather than remaining limited to textbooks.