On the morning of Thursday 13 November 2025, Sulaiman Alrajhi University organised a panel discussion in the conference hall entitled “Academic Excellence and Professional Capacity Development in Nursing: Towards the Kingdom's Vision 2030”, held on the sidelines of the 30th meeting of the deans of nursing colleges at Saudi universities.
The session was moderated by Dr. Talal Ali F. AlBeshri, Dean College of Nursing at Sulaiman Alrajhi University, with the participation of His Excellency Prof. Dr. Abdullah M. Al-Rubaish, Chief Executive Officer of the University Hospitals Programme at the Universities Affairs Council; Prof. Dr. Adel S. Bashatah, Advisor to the General Secretariat of the Universities Affairs Council; and Dr. Hamoud A. Al-Harbi, Chairman of the Committee of Deans of Nursing Colleges at Saudi universities.
The session opened with a contribution on the academic and humanitarian dimension of the nursing profession and its central role in the healthcare system in the Kingdom, with the speakers affirming that nursing is not merely a technical profession but also carries lofty human values that have contributed to shaping the components of healthcare and supporting national health security.
The contributions focused on the need to link virtual experiences and simulation technologies to real clinical practice, stressing that the simulation of medical reality represents an important step but does not replace organised field training, which should progress through the university stages to ensure that students move from theoretical knowledge to practical competence.
The participants pointed to a number of challenges, foremost among them the shortage of simulation laboratories and the need for regulation and unified standards for student admission and programme outcomes, which requires effective coordination between the universities, the Ministry of Education and the health authorities in order to close the gap and raise the efficiency of nursing colleges.
Those present presented field data indicating that the number of nursing students in higher education institutions in the Kingdom has reached approximately 60,000 male and female students, affirming that increasing numbers must be accompanied by assurance of the quality of outcomes and the efficiency of practical training, as this is the main driver for raising the standard of care and achieving patient safety.
The session highlighted the vital role of university hospitals and teaching hospitals as essential components of the health training system, calling for stronger partnerships between colleges and hospitals to enable students to gain varied practical experience that raises graduates' readiness for the labour market and improves the quality of academic outcomes.
The discussants addressed the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic, which clearly revealed the importance of national readiness in the nursing sector, affirming that the development of continuing education programmes and training in responding to crises and disasters must be a priority in national development plans in order to ensure the sustainability of competence and readiness.
Also discussed were indicators for measuring sustainable national readiness in nursing, including the availability of sufficient numbers of personnel, competitiveness in clinical skills and soft skills, retention rates and the reduction of drop-out during study and after graduation, in addition to professional empowerment programmes that strengthen professional continuity and adherence to professional standards.
The session concluded by affirming the need for society to take pride in the nursing profession and to honour the role of nurses, and to build a flexible nursing system capable of growth, of facing crises and of keeping pace with knowledge and technical developments, in a way that contributes to achieving the objectives of the Kingdom's Vision 2030 relating to community health and the quality of health services.
The session saw interaction from the audience through contributions and the presentation of practical recommendations, including: strengthening cooperation between universities, government bodies and the health sector; expanding and updating simulation laboratories and linking them to actual clinical experiences; establishing objective mechanisms for measuring national readiness in nursing; and focusing on continuing education programmes and incentive policies to reduce drop-out and increase professional retention.
