UTAR MK FMHS Educates Qualified Nurses

UTAR is committed to educational excellence with transformative societal impact. It maintains strong undergraduate programmes which encourage the intellectual and personal development of students.

One of the university’s strategies is to always provide a supportive and challenging environment for faculty staff and students to realise their full potential and develop the skills and flexibility needed in a rapidly changing world. UTAR M. Kandiah Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences (MK FMHS) was established in 2009 and aspires to be the preferred centre of education and research on medical and health science.

With Malaysia’s rising demand for healthcare, there is a great need for an adequate supply of ethical, qualified, competent nursing graduates to fulfil the existing acute shortage of nurses, not only locally but also abroad. UTAR’s Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) programme is designed to prepare students for their roles as registered nurses in increasingly multifaceted healthcare scenarios locally and internationally. The students are exposed to not only foundations in basic medical and nursing sciences, but also legal, ethical and professional issues. This is in line with the programme’s aim to equip students with a strong foundation in the principles, theories and practices of modern nursing.

The learning process in UTAR is conducted using the latest innovations in nursing education with emphasis on evidence-based practices. Extensive multimedia, skills laboratories and library resources are made available to support students in independent study. Apart from physical face-to-face lecture sessions and tutorials, the students are given assignments and opportunities to participate in presentations and group discussions to keep them up-to-date with developments and advancements in nursing and the medical profession.

Department of Nursing Head Liew Siew Fun said, “Nurses are the pillar of the healthcare system, providing care that enables us to live healthy, long lives. The knowledge and power to help heal others is what keeps them going in challenging times.” She added that the hallmarks of UTAR nursing graduates is quality, competence, compassion, and the ability to adapt and respond to the changing needs of individuals and society.

In making sure that future graduates are well prepared, the programme is also facilitated by a team of academic staff who are highly experienced in their respective fields. The programme’s industry advisors and external examiners, experts possessing years of experience, hail from both local and countries abroad. They are invited to constantly review UTAR’s nursing syllabus and examination papers to ensure compliance to educational and professional quality standards required and endorsed by the Professional, Educational and Qualifying Agencies of the country. Furthermore, students gain their hands-on experience of nursing care delivery in both the public and private hospitals, as well as the Ministry of Health community health clinics. They are supervised by clinical academicians to facilitate and monitor learning. 

All this thorough planning allows the students to acquire the knowledge and skills to be competent registered nurses who can provide care across age groups in various healthcare settings, thus meeting manpower shortage encountered by the current acute shortage of nurses, locally and abroad.

The university currently also offers nursing scholarship to suitably qualified candidate interested in the programme. Selected candidates will study the programme full-time at the Sungai Long Campus. Terms and conditions apply. 

Other undergraduate programmes offered by UTAR MK FMHS include Bachelor of Chinese Medicine (Honours), Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS), and Bachelor of Physiotherapy (Honours); while postgraduate programmes available are Master of Medical Science, Master of Medical Science (Chinese Medicine), Doctor of Philosophy (Medical Science) and Doctor of Philosophy (Chinese Medicine). 

UTAR offers undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in areas including Accountancy, Actuarial Science, Applied Mathematics, Arts, Chinese Studies, Business and Economics, Biotechnology, Engineering and Build Environment, Information and Communication Technology, Life and Physical Sciences, Medicine and Health Sciences, Media and Journalism, Education and General Studies, and Agriculture and Food Science. The university also engages in the provision and conduct of research, consultation, management and leadership training, and other related educational services at its Sungai Long and Kampar campuses in Malaysia. 


UTAR‘s innovative nursing education
focuses on evidence-based practices.

The Bachelor of Nursing (Honours) programme prepares students for multifaceted scenarios.