How information technology is improving nursing education in Vietnam Vietnamese nursing students are learning on mobile phones. Photo: Lê Minh Sang/World Bank While studying medicine, I made friends with many nursing students. They had excellent clinical skills and great passion for being becoming nurses. Unfortunately, I did not have the opportunity to work with any of these friends upon graduation and I know many must have faced challenges finding a position in my country’s competitive health care system. Addressing competency gaps among nursing students These personal concerns have since been reinforced by a number of surveys and other initiatives designed to identify gaps among nursing students and develop ways to bridge them. In 2012, health professional educators started examining the nursing education in Vietnam. An employer survey revealed that newly graduated nurses lacked soft skills and competencies, especially in “critical thinking and problem solving” and “leadership and teamwork.” A survey among nursing students in their final year also confirmed that many were less confident in “problem solving” and “management of healthcare,” as well as in the “application of information technology (IT) and computer” skills. Furthermore, three out of every four nursing students in their final year complained that online learning resources were either unavailable or insufficient.