NURSING PROGRAM INFORMATION & CAREER GUIDE

According to the healthcare sector development strategy in our country, at the current time, with a population of 100 million, we need to have 260,000 nurses at medical facilities. However, in reality, Vietnam only has 140,000 nurses. In the context of a developing society accompanied by a rapid population aging rate, the demand for healthcare services for the sick and the elderly is increasingly high. Countries like Japan and Germany are in great need of nursing practitioners. Therefore, the Nursing industry currently requires a massive amount of human resources.

Diverse Career Opportunities

After graduating with a degree in Nursing, you can work at hospitals, medical centers, and healthcare facilities from central to local levels, in both public and private sectors. Your roles can include examination, treatment support, and clinical care according to nursing specialties, as well as labor export opportunities.

For highly skilled nurses, it is quite easy to advance to Chief Nurse positions, taking on management roles in care delivery and participating in building policies related to patient nursing care. Additionally, nursing practitioners can establish their own healthcare services and health counseling centers to serve the community. Alternatively, you can participate in teaching and conducting research at medical units or educational institutions focusing on health sciences and nursing.

Thus, it is clear that jobs in the Nursing industry are highly diverse and attractive. However, to confidently capture and pursue this profession, besides specialized expertise, factors like soft skills, foreign language proficiency, and organizational skills are also crucial.

Training Program Structure

Tay Do University trains Bachelors of Nursing in 3.5 years with a total of 141 credits (3 semesters per academic year), which includes:

• General Education Knowledge Block: 39 credits
• Fundamental Medical Knowledge Block: 35 credits
• Specialized, Advanced, and Graduation Knowledge Block: 67 credits

Students are fully equipped with knowledge and clinical practice skills according to professional nursing competency standards. Studying the Nursing curriculum at Tay Do University, students will be trained in specialized knowledge from basic to advanced levels.

The clinical internship program is effectively structured, offering opportunities to practice at reputable medical institutions, such as:

• Can Tho Central General Hospital (BVĐK Trung ương Cần Thơ)
• Can Tho City General Hospital (BVĐK TP Cần Thơ)
• Can Tho OBGYN Hospital (BV Phụ sản Cần Thơ)
• ... and many other hospitals and community health stations within Can Tho City.Image 1: Student activities at the clinical internship facility - Can Tho Central General Hospital.Image 2: Student activities at the clinical internship facility - Can Tho OBGYN Hospital.

  Image 3: Fundamental internship at a local Medical Station.

  PART I: PROGRAM OVERVIEW & ENROLLMENT INFORMATION

  1. Quality Accreditation

• 2022: The Nursing program at Tay Do University achieved the Quality Accreditation Certificate from the Center for Education Quality Accreditation – Vietnam National University, Hanoi.
• 2026-2027: The Nursing program at Tay Do University will participate in the AUN-QA (ASEAN University Network-Quality Assurance) accreditation, which is the higher education quality assurance network of Southeast Asian universities.

• 2. Program Duration & Structure

  • Training duration: 3.5 years (comprising 11 semesters, 3 semesters/year). Each semester consists of 12 weeks of classes, 1 reserve week, and 3 exam weeks.

  • Total program workload: 130 - 141 credits. (Note: 130 credits exclude conditional modules such as Intensive English, Physical Education, National Defense and Security Education, Introduction to Entrepreneurship and Innovation, Soft Skills, and Professional Skills. The full comprehensive workload spans up to 141 credits).

  3. Curriculum Structure Breakdown

  No.	Training Workload Component	Total Credits	Theory	Practice
  1	General Education Knowledge	31 / 39*	29	2
  2	Professional Education Knowledge
  	• Fundamental Medical Knowledge	32 / 35*	22	10
  	• Specialized Knowledge	47	30	17
  	• Advanced Elective Knowledge	8	4	4
  3	Graduation Internship & Graduation Thesis	12	0	12
  	Total Compulsory Program Workload	130 / 141*	85	45

  *Note: Credit ranges vary slightly between general enrollment pathways and specific structural tracks (130 to 141 credits total).

  PART II: CAREER PROSPECTS, INTERNSHIPS & THE INDUSTRY CONTEXT

  1. Healthcare Sector & Industry Context

  According to the national healthcare development strategy, Vietnam currently possesses a population of 100 million, demanding at least 260,000 active nurses across healthcare facilities. However, the current reality presents a stark deficit, with only about 140,000 practicing nurses nationwide. In a rapidly developing society facing an aging population trend, the necessity for comprehensive clinical care for the sick and elderly has surged exponentially. Furthermore, international labor markets such as Japan and Germany are opening wide boundaries with massive demands for well-trained nursing personnel. Consequently, the Nursing industry offers immense job security and widespread career expansion opportunities.

  2. Career Orientation & Professional Job Roles

• Clinical Nursing Practice: Work at hospitals, medical centers, community health stations, clinics, cosmetic/aesthetic institutes, and nursing homes from local to central levels across both public and private sectors.
• Global Labor Export & Mobility: Work abroad as professional nursing practitioners in highly developed healthcare systems (e.g., Japan, Germany) after fulfilling specific regional criteria.
• Healthcare Leadership & Management: Advance smoothly into Chief Nurse or Clinical Management roles, supervising care delivery operations and collaborating on institutional patient-care policy frameworks.
• Entrepreneurship: Establish independent, private community healthcare services, home-care nursing networks, or localized health counseling centers.
• Academia & Research: Engage in teaching, practical instruction, and medical/scientific research at health science departments, vocational units, or nursing institutes.

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  3. Clinical Internship at Elite Healthcare Facilities

  Tay Do University focuses strictly on practical competencies. Students begin intensive clinical clerkships immediately after mastering core medical theory and passing rigorous simulations at the university's state-of-the-art pre-clinical laboratories. The university has established strategic training networks with top-tier healthcare institutions, allowing students to intern at:

• Can Tho Central General Hospital (Bệnh viện Đa khoa Trung ương Cần Thơ)
• Can Tho City General Hospital (Bệnh viện Đa khoa Thành phố Cần Thơ)
• Can Tho OBGYN Hospital (Bệnh viện Phụ sản Cần Thơ)
• Can Tho Cardiology Hospital (Bệnh viện Tim mạch Cần Thơ)
• Can Tho Dermatology Hospital (Bệnh viện Da liễu Cần Thơ)
• Local medical stations, specialized healthcare clinics, and community healthcare networks.

• 4. Postgraduate Progression & Lifelong Learning

• Continuous Professional Development: Deepen specialized knowledge, maintain critical soft skills, and meet nursing practice standards efficiently.
• Academic Advancement: Eligible to pursue secondary degrees or advance straight to Master's and Doctorate degrees in Nursing and Health Sciences.

•              FACULTY OF PHARMACY AND NURSING – TAY DO UNIVERSITY