| The
Second Pan-Pacific Nursing Conference
Advancing Nursing Science in the Pan-Pacific Region
Source: Dean Afaf Meleis
During my recent trip to Hong Kong, it was apparent that
nursing is on a fast forward movement. The diploma/hospital
program has been discontinued and all such programs have been
cloned OR CLOSED. The three BS degree programs at the University
of Hong Kong, the Chinese University of Hong Kong, and Poly
Technical University are admitting more students to make up
for the decrease in graduates due to the closures of hospital
programs. There is a real effort and a plan to facilitate
educational mobility for nurses.
I was told that most, if not all, of the 30,000 nurses in
Hong Kong are active in nursing and that being able to have
live-in help is the reason for such work force commitment.
While only 10% of nurses are men, I was intrigued with the
visibility and presence of males at the conference.
The conference, where I presented my keynote, is only the
2nd Pacific Nursing Conference. It has about 250 participants
from about 8 countries. The superb quality of presentations
and dialogues indicate this should grow to be a significant
media for Asian and international nurses. The conference was
conducted in English, participants used state-of-the-art media
for presentations, and the organization’s management
and technical support were exemplary.
The conference had many memorable moments. The opening was
beautifully staged and choreographed with orchid corsages,
reserved named seats for dignitaries and keynote speakers,
and official escorts from our seats to the stage for speeches
and salutations to university and governmental officials.
The highlight of the opening ceremony was a two- man tiger
dance that began with the highest ranking governmental/university
official “dotting” the eye of the tiger with a
brush. By dotting the eye of the tiger, the dance could then
begin. The dance was a festive, celebratory event, and my
overwhelming feelings was, what a happy beginning! Other rituals
that marked beginnings and endings were for each keynote speaker
to be escorted onto the stage and thanked with a special gift
and a series of photographs. Rituals are fun!
We learnt that globalization will have an impact on our curricula,
practice, and research; that we can and must be proactive
in policies; that while there is no shortage in nursing in
Hong Kong at the present time, it is anticipated that this
global crises will soon hit Hong Kong, and that institutional
support is imperative to developing programs of research.
My interest was peaked with several trends. Two of the schools
are active in developing nurse-run academic clinics. The University
of Hong Kong has almost a whole floor in a new building with
a state-of-the-art clinical facility. They are planning the
type of services they will offer. Poly Tech already launched
its primary health care clinic.
The telehealth program developed by Poly Tech University
was made possible by the leadership of Thomas Wong, who received
an award from Sigma Theta Tau and has been featured in other
countries. Telehealth offers computer-based health assessment
by consumers that is monitored by nurses who then refer or
treat the patients. They hope to make it accessible to a wider
group of consumers with every community having a nurse to
monitor and triage the results for appropriate referral. Dr.
Thomas’ vision is to have telehealth terminals in every
constellation of an apartment building (An apartment building
would have 20-30 floors with 4-5 apartments per floor. Each
terminal would have a nurse.) I told him his idea reminds
me of the concept of barefoot doctoring or community doctoring
in neighborhoods in Mainland China. The difference is the
provider (an educated nurse) and the tools (a computer with
telehealth software).
One of the most memorable presentations at the conference
was given by faculty members from the University of U.K. This
group of innovative educators developed a problem-based learning
module on community assessment using virtual programs. The
students enter and drive through a virtual community without
ever leaving their classroom. During this journey they enter
homes, stores, institutions for the elderly, etc. They learn
how to assess health care needs and how to intervene. They
practice many of the skills and competencies required by primary
health care nurses. Imagine having virtual communities for
our students to learn about the hill tribes in Thailand, the
aborigines in Australia, or the bush people in South Africa
without ever leaving Penn School of Nursing. What an exciting
way to learn about global health issues!
On my last evening in Hong Kong, I had a free 30 minutes
to wander around before going to dinner with members of the
UPENN alumni club. In the center of the city around the famous
Mandarin Hotel, I saw hundreds and hundreds of (mostly) women
congregating/squatting on sidewalks. They were exchanging
photos, playing cards, sharing a peek on their purchases,
and mostly having a great time right there on the sidewalks
and streets. Who were they, why were they there? The answer
was given to me by one of them, it is Sunday and we are the
Philipino housekeepers/maids! What a sight of powerful solidarity
of hard-working women.
This is just a glimpse of my three days in Hong Kong, which
included a keynote address, a panel discussion, a meeting
with three deans discussing their challenges and our potential
for collaboration, meeting with PENN parents, a visit to a
distinguished sanitarium owned by a PENN parent, and meeting
with PENN alums and PENN alumni clubs.
I am inspired and invigorated! |
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