Kobe City College of Nursing is a single-department school of nursing that opened in April 1996 with the wish to contribute to the recovery from the Great Hanshin-Awaji Earthquake of the previous year, and to foster nursing professionals who can contribute to the health, medical care, and welfare of the local community. Although the Graduate School of Nursing is now open, it remains a single-department school. Unlike universities with multiple faculties, the school is small, but because it is a single-department school, it has an at-home atmosphere that allows students and faculty to be in close contact with each other in a detailed manner. In addition, as a community-based university, we have incorporated the concept of “local developmental nursing” proposed by the Science Council of Japan into our curriculum, and we also focus on student support such as a homeroom teacher system, study support, and employment and career support.

One of the educational philosophies of the university is the development of “creative imagination.” Creative imagination refers to the ability to gain insight into the meaning of human existence and experience, which is essential for nursing practice. Specifically, it is the ability to interact with people who are the object of nursing care with a rich sensitivity and respect for human dignity, and to empathically sense what they are feeling, thinking, and experiencing. This is important for nursing, which requires thinking from the other person’s perspective, and we always strive to educate our students to acquire this ability.

In recent years, the rapid progress of artificial intelligence technology, known as interactive AI or generative AI, has become a daily topic of conversation. This is expected to bring about major changes in society in the future, and the healthcare system is also expected to change dramatically and become more convenient due to these technological breakthroughs. As nursing professionals, we are expected to adapt to these changes and strive for higher quality nursing care. However, even if we incorporate AI technology into nursing, if we forget the essence of caring, which is a function unique to nursing, the specialty of nursing, which is to be close to the sick, to talk to them, and to heal them, will be threatened. I strongly feel that we are in an era in which these dramatic advances in AI are making us think again about what the essence of nursing is.

It is precisely because we live in such an era that we value creative imagination. I hope that you will learn what the identity of nursing is and feel its charm, fascination, and depth at our university, which values creative imagination. Our faculty and staff will work together to support your growth and create an attractive university, and we look forward to welcoming many people who aspire to study nursing.