CDU developing exchange program with Hong Kong uni
Charles Darwin University (CDU) is working with the Hong Kong Polytechnic University (HKPU) to develop educational exchange opportunities.
CDU’s Dean of the College of Nursing and Midwifery Professor Catherine Turner AM and HKPU Head of the School of Nursing Professor Alex Molasiotis have signed a Memorandum of Understanding and agreed to work together towards a student exchange program.
The HKPU School of Nursing is one of the world’s leading nursing institutions, placed in the top 50 QS World University Rankings. HKPU offers a five-year Bachelor of Nursing degree, a range of post-graduate studies and a competitive PhD program based on extensive research centres within the school.
In collaboration with the CDU clinical placements team, Assistant Dean International Dr Ben Tan will develop student exchange opportunities including a Summer School Exchange Program for CDU students in Hong Kong and for HKPU students at CDU.
The partnership with HKPU was based on existing research collaborations between Dr Tan and Professor Molasiotis that have already led to successful grant applications and publications.
Professor Turner said she saw great benefit in the new partnership.
“Our students will receive a unique experience if they connect with the HKPU student exchange program, discover Hong Kong and grow as future global leaders in their profession. It’s a great opportunity for us to be able to offer,” Professor Turner said.
With the exchange program in early planning stages, the two universities envisage that their students will gain a unique experience and a global outlook on nursing and midwifery.
Professor Turner said HKPU students would experience the challenges of delivering health care in a country like Australia with small populations living in regional and remote areas.
“CDU students will gain a very different experience in the thriving metropolis of Hong Kong with 7.5 million people on a small island in one of the most densely populated places in the world,” she said.
An additional and unique experience for CDU students will be the exposure to Chinese medicine, which is a core part of theoretical and clinical practice for HKPU students.
“With Australians spending $4.5 billion a year on alternative health therapies, having direct access to experts in Chinese medicine, which forms a big component of these therapies, can open up an array of non-traditional career options for our graduates,” Professor Turner said.