Professionalism

The medical field is a profession in which certain rights and privileges are conferred to practitioners by special qualifications and licenses, and whose duties and responsibilities are not easily understood by those without specialized training. Therefore, medical professionals must adhere to the highest level of professional ethics.

In accordance with this spirit, we have made recent efforts to instill professional values in our students through the special programs described below.

Early Exposure Program (EEP)

Under the 'Early Exposure Program (EEP)' during the first year, students visit various health care facilities and experience actual health care settings. There, they directly experience the challenges that medical staff face in caring for the needs of patients. This enables students to adopt a mindset focused on medical care at an early stage, and prepares students for their medical studies. The Keio University School of Medicine pioneered this program in Japan.



Laboratory and Field Studies

The Keio University School of Medicine introduced the Laboratory and Field Studies program in 1989 to nurture students’ scientific thinking and presentation skills through research, and was the first medical school in Japan to do so.

Students conduct research on a topic of their choosing in an actual research group while receiving close guidance and instruction from faculty. This program stresses not only the importance of achieving results from research, but also the importance of ethical conduct and behavior while conducting research.

In autumn, students present their research achievements in a presentation session, and awards are given to those students who have demonstrated exceptional research ability. Successful research projects have been presented in prestigious international scientific publications such as Nature, and at conferences in Japan and abroad.



Medical Professionalism Coursework

In 2014, the School of Medicine began a new approach to medical professionalism training. Throughout their time in the School of Medicine, students are required to take courses (Medical Professionalism I to VI) which focus on a variety of subjects and themes related to medical professionalism.



Inter-Professional Education Program (IPE)

The Keio University School of Medicine recognizes that in the current medical climate, it is becoming increasingly important for doctors, nurses, and pharmacists to cooperate when providing medical care. In light of this, we developed our own unique Inter-Professional Education (IPE) Program in 2011. This program aims to improve cooperation and communication between students in the School of Medicine, Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, and the Faculty of Pharmacy, so that they will develop into health care professionals who utilize a group approach to patient-centered care.

The IPE Program at Keio brings together over 350 students from these three faculties to work together on group projects and presentations. It also features several elective programs, such as the opportunity to conduct medical fieldwork in Laos as part of the Laos Primary Health Care Team Activity Program.