This $200,000 project over three years will develop a new model with an evaluation system to strengthen core management competencies of rural nursing managers. Ningxia proposes a “double helix” teaching model that strengthens training of both professional nursing skills and four core competency modules - in organizational skills, professional skills, education, and self-improvement. The nurse manager course will be designed to encompass a variety of training methods such as group lecturing, autonomous study, PBL, case-based teaching and role playing. Ningxia faculty, teaching materials, and training bases will be strengthened and developed accordingly. A total of 160 nurses will be trained extensively in seven-week courses. Evaluation will be carried out prior to and after training, at mid-term, and after project completion. Successful completion of this project will furnish local township hospitals with better equipped nurse managers that can be a competency-based model for others into the future.