To advance integrative nursing education, the College of Nursing at Tzu Chi University, the Taiwan Association of Nurse Practitioner Educators and the Ministry of Health and Welfare jointly organised a week-long visit by international experts in integrative nursing education. On March 26, accompanied by representatives of Tzu Chi University and the Ministry, Anita Lunde from Denmark, Þora Jenný Gunnarsdottir from Iceland and Martine Busch from the Netherlands visited Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital, sharing cross-border experience and practice to further improve the quality of care and the wellbeing of patients.
In her welcome remarks, Deputy Director Liao Ru-Wen of the Department of Nursing said: “As Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital approaches its 21st anniversary, we remain committed to our core values of gratitude, respect and love, and continue to promote holistic care. Today we will introduce our practices in patient care and staff wellbeing. We hope that exchanging ideas with international experts will bring diverse perspectives and valuable advice to guide our continued work in integrative nursing and quality of care.”
Lin Tzu-Yu, representing the Ministry of Health and Welfare, noted that since arriving in Taiwan the previous week, the three experts had held exchanges on integrative nursing in education, research and clinical practice, and learned how Taiwan applies integrative nursing to patient care and to the development of health professionals. Associate Professor Chun-Hou Huang of the Department of Nursing, Tzu Chi University, said: “With the support of the Ministry of Health and Welfare, Tzu Chi University is actively advancing integrative nursing and integrative care. By inviting international experts to Taiwan, we hope to bring in European models of integrative nursing education, gradually build them into our curriculum and strengthen the link between clinical practice and teaching, while drawing on Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital’s experience in hospice and supportive care to deepen integrative nursing in practice.”
The programme covered many aspects of care. Head Nurse Chen Yi-Lin and Deputy Head Nurse Liu You-Kuan of the Heart Lotus Palliative Care Ward explained how complementary therapies improve the physical and emotional care of patients at the end of life. Dr. Lin Ya-Hsuan of the Department of Chinese Medicine presented the hospital’s model of integrated Chinese and Western medicine, showing how interprofessional collaboration works in clinical settings. Deputy Director Teng An-Na of the Department of Nursing shared how singing bowls, yoga and mindfulness are used to support the physical and mental health of staff. The experts also toured the Heart Lotus Palliative Care Ward and the Department of Medical Education to see clinical care and education in action.
Danish scholar Anita Lunde observed that the holistic care she saw at Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital extends beyond nursing to the whole medical team, volunteers and interprofessional collaboration, forming a highly integrated model of care. The hospital’s shared values and vision allow people from different professions to work together with mutual respect, she said, offering an important lesson for nursing education in Europe.
The visit broadened perspectives on the development of integrative nursing education and encouraged international sharing and learning. Taipei Tzu Chi Hospital will continue to combine clinical practice with education, strengthening holistic care and interprofessional collaboration to build an integrative nursing model that unites compassion with professional quality, creating a better care environment for patients and care teams alike.
Text: Cheng Jan-Hsi · Photos: Fu Chang-Hsin · Originally published by TCnews (Tzu Chi News Network); English translation by the Center