The Malaysian Vision 2020 that was embarked in 1991

8/7/2019 The Malaysian Vision 2020 that was embarked in 1991

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The Malaysian Vision 2020 that was embarked in 1991emphasises the creation of a strong human resource base to

support the development of a knowledge-based economy aswell as to enhance productivity and competitiveness. Effort will

be undertaken to develop an efficient and responsive education

and training system to meet the demand for a labour force that isknowledgeable, highly skilled and equipped with positivevalues. With regards to nursing education, despite having more

than 39,000 trained nurses, the number is still not adequate forus to meet the needs for quality nursing care of our people.

With a population of 25.3 million, the ratio of nurse:populationin Malaysia is 1:645. In comparison, the ratio for developed

countries is around 1:200 or better. Indeed, according to WHO1:134, in Britain 1:201, inSingapore 1:203, and in Korea 1:343.

Obviously, Malaysia needs many more nurses than it has now inorder to be at par with the developed countries [1]. It is the

governments intention to increase the number of nurses andimprove the ratio to around that of developed countries by 2020.

In the year 2020, the population should be around 34 million. Ifwe use a ratio of one nurse to 200 people, this means that by the

year 2020 the country will need to have about 170,000 nurses.This is a big challenge for Malaysia, as we will have to train at

least 130,000 nurses over the next 16 years. To do this, we willneed to increase our student intake in the future. Currently, the

18 nursing colleges under the Ministry of Health (MOH) take inabout 2,000 students a year. Sixteen private colleges and six

public universities take another 1000 students per year. Thesetranslate into an annual output of about 3000 nurses a year at

present. In this respect, more efforts of private colleges andpublic universities, is required to help MOH train more nurses

for the country. We believe that the high proportion of graduate nurses in thedeveloped countries is attributable to the availability of online

nursing degrees. Being the first university that offers a four-yearnursing degree since the year 2000, the School of Health

Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia (SHS) is planning toexpand its contribution to produce more graduate nurses by

offering a nursing degree through online education. At present,none of the colleges or universities in Malaysia offers online

nursing education. The next following sections will discuss ourplan to embark on what we called Electronic Nursing (enursing)

and the case study based on our experience inintegrating the e-learning approach in some of the nursing

courses.

Better late than never30th Anniversary Invited Editorial reflecting on

Smith J.P. (1978) Higher education and nursing.


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Journal of Advanced Nursing 3(3), 219220Although, as James P. Smith pointed out, some of the so-calleddeveloping countries did stake an early claim for higher education

for nurses, this development occurred most rapidly in the developedcountries of the Western world. As a result, nursing has

changed from a profession recognized essentially as an appendageto the medical profession to a full-fledged profession in its own

right. That journey is now being embarked upon by nurses inMalaysia, one of the worlds most rapidly developing countries.

The nursing profession in Malaysia is facing many newchallenges as a result of rapid socio-economic change as well

as changes that are taking place the countrys healthcare system,now in the throes of radical reform. The nursing profession needs

to be proactive to meet these new and exciting challenges andnurses must make the necessary changes in their practice to

ensure the professions contributions to healthcare are both

appropriate and proactive.Todays nurses are expected to provide nursing care across thetraditional boundaries between nursing and medicine, and

between hospital and community care. The future of nursing inMalaysia rests in the hands of nurses to make the transition from

doctor-dependent healthcare to client-centred practice. Nurses ofthe future are expected to know more, and to do more, and to it

better than ever before. They need to be equipped with a broadspectrum of knowledge, skills and attitudes that will assist them

in fulfilling their roles as effective healthcare providers. AsFreeman et al. (2002) advocate, indeed we do need a newcurriculum for a new century.We need to prepare nurses and nurse leaders who are able to

meet these new challenges effectively, at the same time maintainingand sustaining the essential nursing contribution to high

quality healthcare. In most parts of the world, nursing educationhas progressed to higher education and it was inevitable that

JAN 30th ANNIVERSARY EDITORIAL

30th anniversary editorial262 _2006 The Author. Journal compilation _2006 Blackwell Publishing Ltdnursing education in Malaysia would head in the same direction

in order to ensure that nurse graduates are prepared to work inthe fast-changing healthcare system where expectations in terms

of quality and productivity are ever higher. Malaysia needsnurses with critical thinking ability (Le Storti et al. 1999) and themotivation for life-long learning, and with skills in technology,

communication, management, collaboration and leadership.Nurses in Malaysia were educated to certificate level in

hospital-based programmes until 1990 when the qualificationwas upgraded to diploma level. At the same time, one of the


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countrys leading public universities introduced an undergraduateprogramme for nurses. This was a conversion programme to

upgrade the diploma to a degree. At present, five public and twoprivate universities are offering undergraduate programmes for

nurses, either conversion and/or generic programmes.

Our progress from hospital-based training to higher educationhas been rather slow and late in Malaysia compared with othercountries but it is better late than never! Higher education for

nurses is not a luxury nowadays, but a necessity. Nurses need tobe educated at a higher level in order to equip themselves withthe knowledge and skills that will

empower them to practiceinnovatively, creatively and autonomously. James P. Smith, in his

1978 Editorial, expressed confidence that higher educationwould enhance ...both the quality of nursing care and the

standing of the nursing profession... (p. 220). Those dualaspirations reflect exactly our motivation for higher education

now for nurses in Malaysia.Nafsiah Shamsudin PhD, RN

Professor and Head of the School of Nursing, University CollegeSedaya International (UCSI), Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.E-mail: [email protected]

Freeman L.H., Voignier R.R. & Scott D.L. (2002). New curriculumfor a new century: beyond repackaging. Journal of NursingEducation 41(1), 3840.Le Storti A.J., Cullen P.A., Hanzlik E.M., Michiels J.M., Piano L.A.,Ryan P.L. & Johnson W. (1999) Creative thinking in nursing

education: preparing for tomorrows challenges. Nursing Outlook,47(2), 6266.

30th anniversary editorial_2006

n the new millennium, the Australian Council of Deans of Nursing expects these activities to intensify. As

nursing becomes more complex and advanced, so will the initial professional preparation of nurses.

Specialisms will increase in sophistication and in number, leading to greater demands for postgraduate

courses. As communication technology develops further, the opportunities for provision of courses

away from campuses and into remote areas will increase and become more effective. Research into

nursing issues will grow in quantity and depth; every expansion of knowledge enlarges the perimeter of

the known, the extent of the unknown, and the need for further insight.

In Malaysia, nurses represent the largest workforce in the health care sector. 1 They are the main

providers of health care, particularly in rural and remote areas. The nursing workforce has now

increased to around 60,000, or approximately 2.25 nurses per 1,000 population. 2 There are 18 nursing

colleges under the Malaysian Ministry of Health, 6 university programs, and 32 private sector diploma


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programs. Graduates of Nursing and Midwifery programs, assistant nurses, and rural nurses must

succeed in the respective registration examinations set by the Nursing Board and the Midwifery Board

of Malaysia to qualify for registration and practice. 3 The requirements are stipulated under the Nurses

Act 1950 [Act 14] and the Midwives Act 1966 [Act 436].

Evolving

CONCLUSION

In Malaysia and globally, the nursing profession has developed through various phases in its role

as a profession of primary caregivers in health care settings. The evolution of the nurses' roles inupholding legal and ethical standards clearly reflects society's changing perceptions about what

is considered acceptable behavior in a caregiving profession. Changes in the legal and ethicalframeworks have undoubtedly impacted the nursing profession as nurses are encouraged to take

on more responsibility for decision making in the patient care process. It is simply imperativethat nurses prepare themselves with the required knowledge so necessary to address the complex

legal and ethical issues that have challenged today's professional nurses in Malaysia. Educationof nurses about the demands of law and ethics is crucial to nursing practice in order to foster

greater accountability, disseminate knowledge, and promote personal commitment in providinghealth care to individuals across their lifespan. Required course offerings in both university and

private sector nursing curricula that specifically focus on the appreciation of evolving legal andethical standards are essential for the maturation and sophistication of nursing as a profession in

Malaysia.

4. Nursing and Midwifery services of Malaysia are legislated to ensure public safety under theNurses Act 1950 [Act 14] and Midwives Act 1966 [Act 436]. The Nurses Act 1950 [Act 14] was

established to control the practice of nursing that provided for the creation of the Nursing Board

for regulating the training and registration as regards the practice of nursing. The Midwives Act1966 [Act 436] establishes a Midwife Board for the registration of nurse-midwives and regulatesthe practice of midwifery in the country.

Documents

The Malaysian Vision 2020 that was embarked in 1991