By Ma Qiong

　　As a renowned institution in the field of Chinese medicine, GZUCM has always adhered to the philosophy of “emphasizing the classics and strengthening the clinical experience” since its foundation, and actively explored innovative paths for the construction of Chinese medicine disciplines. In the context of the rapid development of emerging technologies such as artificial intelligence and big data, the university is keeping pace with the times, integrating the classical theories of Chinese medicine with modern science and technology, innovating the path of discipline construction, promoting the leap-forward development of discipline construction, and committing itself to cultivating high-quality talents with solid theoretical foundations of Chinese medicine and adaptability to the demands of the development of modern medicine.

To Fuse with Multi Disciplines

　　“In today’s era, the development of disciplines is no longer an isolated and closed process, but shows an increasingly obvious trend of fusion of subjects. This trend is particularly significant in the field of medicine.” said Liu Zhongqiu, Vice President of GZUCM.

　　GZUCM insists on promoting the integration of disciplines and specialties, and has steadily ranked in the leading position in the field of Chinese medicine education in China and even internationally with its excellent discipline construction and multidisciplinary cross-fertilization development model. GZUCM’s Chinese medicine discipline is not only listed as one of the national “double first-class” disciplines, but also listed as one of the national first-level key disciplines. With its unique theoretical system, rich clinical experience and profound cultural heritage, the Chinese medicine discipline provides valuable reference for other disciplines.

　　With Chinese medicine as the leading discipline, GZUCM has actively promoted the fusion of multiple subjects, forming a comprehensive development pattern covering a wide range of fields such as Chinese medicine, integrated Chinese and Western medicine, traditional Chinese Pharmacology, clinical medicine, pharmacology, epidemic prevention and treatment, as well as emergency management, etc..

　　In particular, seven disciplines in the university, including clinical medicine, pharmacology and toxicology, chemistry, biology and biochemistry, agronomy, molecular biology and genetics, neuroscience and behavioral sciences, have entered the top 1% of ESI global rankings, of which the discipline of Pharmacology and Toxicology has even entered the top 1‰, approaching the advanced world level.

　　GZUCM actively promotes the construction of New Medical Science, relying on the strong scientific research platform and educational resources, and constantly explores the new path of the deep fusion of Chinese medicine and multidisciplinary disciplines, and is committed to cultivating interdisciplinary talents with solid theoretical foundations of Chinese medicine and adaptability to the needs of modern medical development. The university has set up special cross-innovation projects and “basic + clinical” projects in the training of postgraduates exempted from the National Admission Examinations and doctoral degree applicants under “Application-Assessment System” , with aims to exploring the cultivation mode of interdisciplinary and innovative talents in the fields of the fusion of medicine-engineering, medicine-science and medicine-agriculture.

　　The university makes full use of national and provincial scientific research platforms, such as National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Syndrome, National Key Laboratory of Chinese Medicine Dampness Syndrome Jointly Constructed by Provinces and Ministry of Education, and National Innovation Platform for the Integration of Industry and Education in Medical Research, to provide solid scientific research support for the in-depth integration of Chinese medicine and modern medicine. Through these platforms, the university not only promotes the cutting-edge research of Chinese medicine, but also promotes the fusion of subjects with biology, informatics, material science and other disciplines, laying a solid foundation for the construction of modern knowledge system of Chinese medicine.

　　According to Liu, the university pays great attention to the optimization of teaching resources and the innovation of curriculum building. For example, it actively explores the reform of the curriculum system of “First Chinese and then Western”, so that students can learn the basic courses of Western medicine such as physiology and pathology after mastering the basic courses of Chinese medicine such as Inner Canon of Huang Emperor and Basic Theory of Chinese Medicine. This arrangement not only consolidates the students’ theoretical foundation of Chinese medicine, but also provides them with an opportunity to learn Western medicine afterward. At the same time, the university focuses on the practice of master and apprentice system, and strengthens the cultivation of “double-thinking” of Chinese medicine thinking and scientific thinking, so that students can deepen their understanding and improve their comprehensive quality in practice.

Emerging Technology Empowers Education of Chinese Medicine Classics

　　Adhering to the philosophy of “emphasizing the classics and strengthening the clinical experience”, GZUCM keeps pace with the times, grasps the strategic opportunity for the development of information technology education, uses information technology as a support, promotes the comprehensive informationization of the education space and concept, teaching methods and talent cultivation, and fully enhances the role of information technology in the education and teaching reform of classical Chinese medicine theory.

　　In order to create a more efficient and interactive teaching environment, GZUCM has comprehensively built a smart teaching space and upgraded and remodeled the traditional classrooms. A total of 88 presentation-type classrooms, 32 board-synchronized classrooms, 12 remote interactive classrooms, 31 seminar-type intelligent classrooms and 5 functional rooms have been built on the two campuses, and 184 cloud desktops have been put into use for students. These new classrooms not only realize seamless cross-campus teaching, but also greatly enrich a variety of teaching modes, such as teacher-student interaction, intra-group seminars, inter-group comparisons and result sharing.

　　On the basis of the intelligent teaching space, the university has also introduced a variety of flexible teaching modes such as flipped classroom and blended learning with the help of online teaching platform. These modes break the time and space constraints of traditional classroom teaching, enabling students to learn independently through pre-study materials before class, deepen their understanding through group discussions and case studies during class, and consolidate their knowledge through online tests and assignments after class.

　　While promoting changes in the teaching space and teaching methods, GZUCM pays great attention to the innovation of teaching concepts. It focuses on the teaching of classics, and the courses of classics highlight the characteristics of Five Combines, i.e., combining theory and clinic, combining classics and modernity, combining inheritance and innovation, combining teaching and service, and combining curriculum and system. In order to realize this goal, the university makes full use of the advantageous resources of information technology to build a “three-in-one”platform. The platform integrates the three modules of classical theory teaching, clinical practice teaching and scientific research & innovation service, and realizes the optimal allocation and efficient use of teaching resources through the combination of online and offline. Teachers can share their teaching experience and scientific research achievements on the platform, while students can access rich learning resources and clinical cases, realizing the close integration of teaching and clinical practice.

Specialized Classes lead Talent Cultivation Innovation

　　As the first batch of colleges and universities to implement the “Pilot Reform of Educational Training Program for Excellence in Doctors (Chinese Medicine)” and “Pilot Reform Project of Chinese Medicine Top Innovative Talents” by the Ministry of Education, GZUCM has formed a unique model of training top innovative talents in Chinese medicine through continuous exploration and practice in recent years, i.e. the specialized classes. The university has set up a number of specialized classes, such as Tietao Class, Shenzhen Innovation Class, Guangdong Class, Guowei Class and Daihan Class of Chinese medicine, providing students with rich and diverse learning paths and a broad development platform.

　　As one of the earliest specialized classes launched by the university, Tietao Class implements the tutorial system throughout the whole process, which organically combines comprehensive quality education, study of Chinese medicine classics and clinical practice training. This model is designed to strengthen students’ theoretical foundation of Chinese medicine, and at the same time cultivate students’ clinical thinking and manual ability, laying a foundation for cultivating top-notch innovative talents in Chinese medicine.

　　GZUCM also actively deepens the medical-educational integration by the synergy of local governments, medical institutions and enterprises. It has built multi-form mechanisms of collaborative medical education, i.e., university-(local) government collaborative mechanism, university-enterprise collaborative mechanism, as well as university-government-institution collaborative mechanism, and so on. By promoting the reform of the teaching mode and method of “early apprentice and early clinic”, the university has carried out the master and apprentice system throughout the whole process of clinical practice teaching, effectively improving the clinical ability and comprehensive quality of students.

　　The “2+3” model of the Shenzhen Innovation Class is a typical example of medical-educational integration. Students follow their masters in outpatient clinics or wards in the morning, and then engage in classroom theoretical learning in the afternoon. This model verifies the feasibility of integration of clinical course teaching and bedside practice, and provides students with a more intuitive and in-depth learning experience.

　　The university actively explores the innovative training of doctoral specialties, and establishes special programs for clinical and basic classics of Chinese medicine in the admission and cultivation of doctoral degree applicants under “Application-Assessment System” targeting those who are interested in the inheritance and innovative research in the field. The university also formulates the Special Cultivation Program for the Inheritance of Chinese Medicine Classics, which specifies the cultivation objectives and assists independent cultivation of talents with Chinese medicine inheritance and innovation characteristics through the method of “Learning classics, using classics, researching classics”.

　　In order to further improve the quality and effect of clinical teaching, GZUCM has continuously explored and carried out the reform of integrated clinical teaching. Through the launch of Guangdong Class and Guowei Class, the university has optimized the curriculum and teaching methods, and strengthened the cultivation of students’ clinical practice ability. At the same time, the university also actively carries out graduation internship and training rotation, the connection between undergraduate education and postgraduate education, so as to provide students with a more comprehensive and systematic learning experience.

To Build a Comprehensive Practice System

　　In order to enhance students’ professionalism and practical skills, the university has adopted a series of specific and effective practices and measures to ensure that students can fully exercise and grow into Chinese medicine talents with solid theoretical foundation and excellent clinical skills during their school years.

　　GZUCM has always adhered to the principle of “actively expanding, reasonably constructing and steadily advancing” in the construction of practice teaching bases. Up to now, the university has set up 261 practice teaching bases covering a variety of professional fields and a number of internship sites for various professions, forming a larger and more reasonably distributed teaching base network, which can meet the diverse needs of practice teaching for different professions and provide students with rich learning resources and practical platforms.

　　The university attaches great importance to the connotation construction of practice teaching bases, and constantly improves teaching quality by strengthening the cooperation and communication with the bases. At the same time, the school also actively explores new practice teaching bases to adapt to the new situation and requirements of the development of Chinese medicine, and to ensure that students can be exposed to the most cutting-edge technology and knowledge during their school years.

　　To ensure the quality and effectiveness of clinical practice teaching, GZUCM has adopted a series of strict management measures. Through centralized training, expert guidance, and quality inspection of graduation internship, the university carries out comprehensive inspection and guidance on teaching management, conditions, and implementation of clinical colleges and teaching bases. In addition, the university has established a mechanism for clinical colleges to contact teaching bases. It regularly holds annual meetings with clinical teaching bases, and organizes visits of leaders and symposiums to strengthen the communication and coordination between the university and clinical teaching bases.

　　Through the implementation of these measures, the university is able to command the actual situation of clinical practice teaching and the existing problems in a timely manner, and then take corresponding improvement measures to ensure the smooth implementation of teaching work and the continuous improvement of teaching quality.

　　In order to stimulate students’ interest and enthusiasm in learning and effectively promote students’ professional skills, GZUCM attaches great importance to and carefully organizes various kinds of competitions, such as Clinical Skills Competition for Students of Chinese Medicine, Acupuncture Skills Competition for Medical Students, “Challenge Cup” Extracurricular Academic and Technological Competition for National College Students, Entrepreneurship Plan Competition for College Students and Career Planning and Design Competition, etc. The university has also formulated the Management Measures for Undergraduate Discipline Competitions of GZUCM (Trial Version) to encourage students to actively participate in various discipline competitions at all levels.

To Develop a New Mode under the Concept of Macro-Discipline

　　In the trend of integrative development of higher education and medical care, GZUCM is exploring and implementing a brand new mode of management, i.e., Macro-discipline Management with a forward-looking vision. Under the concept, it can break the traditional college boundaries, actively explore the path of synergistic development of disciplines and colleges, strengthen the relationship between colleges and disciplines, and realize the reform of education, science & technology and talents as a whole, and collaborate to accomplish the fundamental task of establishing morality and educating people. This positive exploration breaks the traditional disciplinary boundaries, and unites the new synergy between colleges within the university, between the university and hospitals, and between the university and enterprises and institutions of Chinese medicine in the province. This not only marks the synergistic innovation of the relationship between the university and affiliated hospitals, but also heralds the change of the new form of deep integration of medical education and clinical practice.

　　Macro-discipline Management refers to a concept of fully integrating the discipline development of affiliated hospitals into the overall strategic planning and management system of the university. This is not a simple administrative belonging or resource allocation, but a deep business integration and synergistic development. The university no longer focuses only on the operation or staffing of the affiliated hospitals, but puts the focus on the core of discipline construction, i.e., talent training and business development, aiming to promote the organic integration of medical treatment with teaching and scientific research through the optimal allocation of educational resources.

　　In order to realize this goal, GZUCM has taken a series of measures. On the one hand, it has strengthened the education and training of doctors in affiliated hospitals to enhance their teaching ability and scientific research competence; on the other hand, the university has actively promoted the extension of undergraduate and postgraduate education to hospitals, so as to allow more students to learn in practice and grow in research. This change in teaching mode not only improves the quality and effect of medical education, but also provides more stages for hospital doctors to show themselves and realize their value.

　　The proposal and implementation of the concept of Macro-discipline Management is a bold attempt to carry out the reform of medical education in GZUCM. It breaks the boundaries between traditional education and medical services, and promotes the deep integration and synergistic development between the two. In the future, with the continuous improvement and promotion of this management model, GZUCM will continue to intensify its reform and innovation efforts, to take up the mission and strive for excellence in medical education, medical services and scientific research innovation, and to contribute more to the development of medical career in our country.