Boosting quality of healthcare workforce training through hospital-university cooperation

Collaboration between training institutions and healthcare facilities is particularly significant for the health sciences sector. This field places a strong emphasis on hands-on practice, requiring learners not only to master theoretical knowledge but also to develop professional skills that meet future job requirements.

Nurses at Thong Nhat General Hospital guide students from Dong Nai Medical College in measuring a pregnant woman's fetal heart rate. Photo: Hanh Dung

In practice, this cooperation has proven to deliver clear and tangible benefits for both training activities and the professional operations of healthcare facilities.

Students receive structured, practice-oriented training

Dong Nai Medical College is currently providing training in seven disciplines, including nursing, pharmacy, midwifery, rehabilitation techniques, medical laboratory techniques, general practitioner assistant, and traditional medicine. To improve the quality of medical human resource training, the college has established cooperation with 15 healthcare facilities and pharmaceutical companies both inside and outside the province, such as Dong Nai General Hospital, Thong Nhat General Hospital, Dong Nai Children’s Hospital, Dong Nai Traditional Medicine Hospital, Central Psychiatric Hospital No. 2, Ba Ria General Hospital; and companies including Dong Nai Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, Pharmacity Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company, and FPT Long Chau Pharmaceutical Joint Stock Company.

According to Dr. Nguyen Hong Quang, Principal of Dong Nai Medical College, in the 2024–2025 academic year, the college organized 55 internship programs, resulting in more than 4,000 student placements at healthcare facilities both within and outside the province. Internship time accounts for nearly 50 percent of the total training curriculum. Therefore, close collaboration with healthcare facilities ensures that graduates are professionally competent upon completion, eliminating the need for retraining by hospitals. In addition, all training programs developed and issued by the college are reviewed in consultation with experts and healthcare managers to ensure alignment with practical requirements.

MSc., Doctor Ly Ngoc Tai, lecturer at the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy, Binh Phuoc College, stated that the college has been collaborating with Hoan My Binh Phuoc Hospital to provide practical training for its students. This partnership enables students to undertake internships and clinical practice in a hospital environment, exposing them to diverse disease models, care procedures, and modern professional techniques. The college and the hospital have coordinated on several activities, including developing internship plans, assigning lecturers for clinical teaching, appointing hospital nurses and medical staff to guide students, and jointly supervising and evaluating internship outcomes.

Nguyen Thi Minh Thu, a second-year midwifery student at Dong Nai Medical College, shared that during internships at hospitals, she and her classmates were guided by practicing midwives in listening to and measuring fetal heart rate, monitoring uterine contractions, observing fetal movements, practicing blood collection for laboratory tests, collecting patient information, dispensing medications, accompanying doctors during medical examinations to learn from practice, preparing medications, and administering intravenous infusions under the supervision of department midwives.

“Internship time at hospitals has helped me become more confident in performing technical procedures, develop professional working habits, improve communication skills, and strengthen my sense of responsibility in patient care,” Thu said.

Survey results assessing the quality of medical services at departments hosting interns show that patient satisfaction levels are higher than in departments without student support. The presence of students has significantly improved response times to patients’ requests, enhanced attentiveness, empathy, and direct assistance at patient rooms, thereby improving the overall patient experience and sense of reassurance throughout the course of treatment.

CAO THI HAI YEN, Head of the Nursing Department, Dong Nai General Hospital

Providing high-quality medical human resources

MSc. Cao Thi Hai Yen, Head of the Nursing Department at Dong Nai General Hospital, said that in recent years, particularly in 2025, the hospital has faced significant pressure due to a high volume of patients. However, the cooperation model between the hospital and colleges and universities training nursing majors has proven highly effective, delivering tangible benefits for both medical human resource training and the quality of patient care and services.

At clinical and paraclinical departments, nursing students are given opportunities to hone practical skills in a real-world environment. Conversely, the hospital’s nursing staff also receives support from students, helping share the workload of patient care, especially during peak periods of overcrowding. Interns actively participate in comprehensive patient care support activities, ranging from guiding patients, assisting with hygiene and mobility, to monitoring conditions and promptly reporting emerging needs to medical staff.

MSc., Level II Specialist Doctor Nguyen Trong Nghia, Deputy Director of Dong Nai Children’s Hospital, assessed that most students in the health sciences sector demonstrate serious attitudes and solid knowledge during hospital internships. Hospital leadership highly values the quality of students from Dong Nai Medical College, noting that they adapt quickly to work and show strong motivation for professional growth. As a result, the hospital consistently prioritizes recruiting graduates from Dong Nai Medical College, hiring between 20 and 30 newly graduated nurses each year.

Meanwhile, Thong Nhat General Hospital is not only a trusted internship destination for students within the province but also an ideal environment for future doctors currently studying at Hong Bang International University (Ho Chi Minh City) to enhance their professional competence and skills.

According to Nguyen Tuong Quang, Director of Thong Nhat General Hospital, the hospital consistently creates the best possible conditions for medical students to undertake internships, thereby contributing to the training of high-quality medical human resources to serve hospitals both within and outside the province.

By Hanh Dung – Translated by Quynh Giao, Minho