Since its establishment, Tung Wah College (TWC) has been receiving solid support from the Tung Wah Group of Hospitals (TWGHs) in various aspects for the enhancement of teaching quality. The TWGHs Board of Directors 2022/2023 has recently donated HK$1.09 million to TWC for the purchase of an Advanced Pediatric Tetherless Patient Simulator (Pediatric Patient Simulator) and a video recording system to be installed at the Childcare Simulation Laboratory for nursing students’ learning of pediatric patient care. The donation has further enhanced the College’s teaching facilities and improved students’ learning effectiveness.

The Equipment Unveiling Ceremony was held on 15 December 2022 at the Health Care Laboratory at Ma Kam Chan Memorial Building in recognition of the generous donation made by the TWGHs Board of Directors 2022/2023. The momentous ceremony was attended by honourable guests, namely Mr. Philip Ma, Chairman of TWGHs Board of Directors 2022/2023 cum Board of Governors of TWC; Mrs. Viola Chan Man Yee-wai, BBS, Chairman of College Council of TWC; Members of TWGHs Board of Directors 2022/2023; Mr. Albert Su Yau On, Chief Executive of TWGHs; Professor Sally Chan, President of TWC, and the management team, etc. Briefing session and demonstration for the use and purpose of the aforesaid devices were conducted by academic staff of the School of Nursing at the Ceremony.

Professor Chan expressed heartfelt gratitude to the firm support of the TWGHs to the College, she said, “In recent years, TWC has proactively introduced various advanced teaching facilities and increased the application of technology in our nursing programmes. We aim at developing student’s profressional knowledge and skills by strengthening clinical simulation training. Students will have the confidence and competency to manage the increasing complexity in real life clinical care. The Childcare Simulation Laboratory is set up on the 15th Floor of Ma Kam Chan Memorial Building at our King’s Park campus with the newly purchased teaching facilities and the video recording system donated by the TWGHs Board of Directors 2022/2023. Students will be able to practise their clinical skills in teams using up-to-date pediatric medical equipment. The video recording system will be used to record the simulation activities in the Childcare Simulation Laboratory for teaching, learning and research purposes. The unwithering support from the TWGHs Board of Directors 2022/2023 will promote more effective learning outcomes for our students. Our nursing graduates will serve the community with professional knowledge and skills. They will bring substantial benefits to the healtcare system in Hong Kong as a whole.”

Unlike adults, children are less capable of effective communication, they may not be able to express their physical conditions by speech. It is always a challenge for nurses working in pediatric specialty. Leveraged on the use of the advanced Pediatric Patient Simulator, students will be able to receive training under safe conditions and gain clinical experiences in pediatric care. The Pediatric Patient Simulator is the world’s most advanced pediatric patient simulator which is the first simulator capable of simulating lifelike emotions through dynamic facial expressions, movement, and speech. It can also simulate responses such as crying, bleeding and painful feeling. The simulator is designed to replicate a variety of clinical features of pediatric patients, including shortness of breath, anoxic condition, convulsion, shock, incontinence, as well as other presettings, such as rare and sudden onset symptoms, giving students the opportunities to learn ways to manage different lifelike situations in hospitals, and to develop their skills in managing emergency scenarios.

Physiological conditions of pediatric patients, such as pulse rate, breathing pattern, blood pressure, change of pupil size, are monitored by devices. Students can learn to make timely clinical judements for appropriate healthcare procedures and become more confident in preparing for their future clinical practicum in hospitals. Moreover, the simulation activities will be recorded, studied, replayed and logged, creating the opportunity to evaluate students’ learning experience comprehensively and effectively by peers and teachers during debriefing. The data collected via the system can also be analysed for education research purpose.

In the last 12 years, TWC has nurtured more than 2,500 nurses, making it a self-financing tertiary institution with an acknowledged strength in healthcare education. In order to keep in pace with the technological advacement in medical sector, TWC has been striving to enhance student’s mastery of novel technology, aiming to train up more quality healthcare talents for addressing challenges ahead.