The standard local training for prospective nurses involves a four-year university degree, followed by a recommendation to the Nursing Council before joining a hospital as a registered nurse.
But when Daniel Cheung Chiu-lee started out, hospitals had their own nursing schools and students lived in for three years while completing their training.
Mr Cheung gained his registered nursing qualification in 1986. That entailed passing both written and practical exams, and he still remembers that he and his classmates had to study intensively to be sure of passing.
In 1990, after four years as a registered nurse at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Kowloon, Mr Cheung went to Melbourne to take a nursing degree and get specialised training in renal medicine.
After returning to Hong Kong in 1992, he continued to pick up further professional qualifications, completing certificate courses in handling emergencies, renal cases and basic life support.
He also qualified as an instructor in advanced cardio life support, took a degree in paramedics, a paediatric advanced life care course, a certificate in trauma nursing, and a master's in health management.