A collaborative endeavor to educate community nurses in Guangzhou, China

A collaborative endeavor was initiated between a Hong Kong school of nursing and a school of health in Guangzhou to develop a prevention-focused community nursing educational program. The collaboration aims were to increase the ability and confidence of Guangzhou nurses in performing their community healthcare roles and to train local community health nursing trainers in Guangzhou. The collaborating parties participated in a series of review for planning the teaching team, the taught subjects in the curriculum, the education approach, the student assessment and the train the trainer scheme for the program. The program was developed after the review, planning and implementation phases. This collaboration provided the groundwork for the education of community nurses in Guangzhou and developed local trainers in community health nursing; it enhanced understanding of the present status of community health nursing for both the school of health and the students; and it provided a reference for others that may collaborate with institutions in the People's Republic of China to initiate or strengthen educational programs to build up community health nursing.