What question did this study set out to answer?

To explore the impact of including nursing as a discipline in the Chinese Academy of Engineering on workforce development.

March 4, 2026Open Access

Engineering the nursing profession: China’s academician system reform and its implications for interdisciplinary health workforce development

WZWanqiong ZhouShanghai University of Traditional Chinese Medicine CZCheng-Rui ZhangShanghai Jiao Tong University YXYing XingShanghai University

Key Points

To explore the impact of including nursing as a discipline in the Chinese Academy of Engineering on workforce development.
Analysis of the 2025 reform and its historical context
Evaluation of nursing's discipline value within the Healthy China initiative
Assessment of the need for technological innovation in nursing
Integration of nursing into the engineering academy indicates elevated disciplinary importance.
Identified a need for nursing to embrace technological advancements for effective practice.
Emphasized the role of interdisciplinary collaboration to strengthen the health workforce.

Abstract

In 2025, the Chinese Academy of Engineering’s inclusion of “Nursing” as an independent academician-track discipline marks a historic milestone. While affirming nursing’s disciplinary value and strategic importance to the “Healthy China” initiative, this reform presents a “preparedness crisis.” To succeed, nursing must pivot from soft service models to hard technological innovation, leveraging medical-industrial integration and interdisciplinary talent to meet rigorous engineering criteria.

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