Chinese health treatment was traditionally provided by medical personnel and the profession of nursing did not really exist. Modern nursing evolved following the arrival of Western missionaries in the late 19th century. Throughout the 20th century, nursing development was significantly influenced by the political climate, particularly during the Cultural Revolution of 1966 - 1976, when most nursing schools were closed. There are now over 1.2 million Chinese nurses, with around 98.6 nurses per 100,000 population. Education and training is heavily influenced by the medical model, with the majority of Chinese nurses educated in secondary programs of 2 to 4 years duration. An important aspect of nursing practice is reflected in the Chinese cultural understanding of health. For Chinese people, illness occurs when there is disharmony between the patient and their environment. As such, a large component of traditional Chinese medicine focuses on restoring this overall balance, rather than simply treating the symptoms. Future issues for Chinese nursing include upgrading all nurse education programs to a bachelor degree level, expanding the scientific research base and increasing the international focus.

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Practical training through the community health nursing course at Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences aims to enhance the perspective of students for caring for individuals, groups, and the community. Students are required to train at visiting nursing stations, health organizations in municipalities, and public health centers, in this order. Students who are taking the community health nursing course are assigned to practical training at the same time, in facilities located all over the prefecture. Students are assigned to training at facilities governed by one public-health center in small groups of 2-4 students, in order to increase efficacy of training over a short period of time. The nursing school collaborates with the Medical and Pharmaceutical Affairs Division of Oita prefecture and public health centers to obtain approval for practical training from the facilities. The school asks public health nurses to supervise the practical training in clinical settings. We also provide supervision for students through collaboration with all faculty members teaching nursing except for those teaching public health nursing. Overall evaluations of students after the end of practical training demonstrate significant improvements in their understanding of the function and role of each facility and the roles and attitudes of nursing personnel. The training is effective in promoting initiative in students. Further evaluation is needed for arrangements with facilities and the duration of practical training, uniformity of content in practical training, and new methods of practical training through consolidation of municipalities.

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This paper describes the introduction of an "Integrated Nursing Study" course in Oita University of Nursing and Health Sciences. This course aims at integrating organically basic education and technical education of nursing. It is also intended that the skills required for nursing practice will be improved. The goal of this subject is to master the nursing skills necessary to provide appropriate assessment and proper nursing care, according to more theoretical, technical and practical knowledge, in the ordinary situations of medical and public health services, which nurses are likely to encounter. The course is set in the second semester of the senior-year curriculum. This period seems the most effective for fourth year students to take the course because they can make integrated judgments about nursing care after studying for over three years at the university. It is also expected that the nursing students can concentrate on the subject autonomously before the busy period of obtaining employment and of preparation for the national examination for a nursing license. The course is conducted in group work. Practices and roll-playing activities are made based on case studies of medical/nursing services. It is assumed that the course takers have had pseudo-clinical experiences by performing the highly specialized tasks which are close to real situations in medical/nursing places. It is also believed that the students have not only acquired knowledge of practical cases of medical/nursing services, but also realized the importance of the nursing attitudes required to pursue things profoundly on the basis of clinical evidence.

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