TRAINING WORLD-CLASS CLINICAL DOCTORS THROUGH SMALL CLASSES AND AN INTEGRATED CURRICULUM
Modern medical care and its utilization of high technology brings a number of benefits, but there is the danger of the technology eclipsing the most important factor -- the actual patient to whom care is being given. At this school, however, with its motto of "Harmonizing humanity and science," a major goal of the education is that the students acquire the ability to contribute to scientific development while remaining sensitive and aware of the needs of the patients. Specifically, even the early grades heavily feature group discussion classes that aim to cultivate the students' problem-solving abilities. There is also a "clinical internship system" where the students may, under the supervision/direction of the doctors in the team to which they belong, gain a wide range of experience such as asking a patient detailed questions, percussion/auscultation, medical examination/treatment using a wide range of medical equipment, operation support in the emergency lifesaving/anesthesia/surgery, etc. There is also a short-/medium-term clinical practice study-abroad program in the U.S., Australia, and other countries.
Faculty of Medicine
Students gain an overall understanding of medicine in small classes. English-language medical textbooks are used right from Grade I. Students experience real operations such as emergencies and night duty in the early stages of their hospital training. In Grade II/III, they take part in small-group discussions to acquire techniques of knowledge-application and self-learning. One of the notable features of this faculty is its use of small classes like this from the very early grades.
Another feature is the lectures given on specialty subjects. A special office called the "Education Planning Office" coordinates between lectures to eliminate the time that can be wasted securing more opportunities for clinical practice and efficient education. It is further working on the development/implementation of new medical education methods such as the analysis of the current state, feedback, etc.
In and after Grade V, clinical practices using the clinical internship system are fully introduced. This is based on the philosophy that we are bound to produce, with the system, clinical doctors who will be able to rise to the needs of society while maintaining consistency with postgraduate education.
