Early Exposure of Medical Students to Types of Patient Care Provided Across Life Cycle Stages

This article was migrated. The article was not marked as recommended. In Japan, most medical students enter medical school right after high school. Their medical school education will last 6 years, and during this time, students must acquire not only medical knowledge but also an ability to make ethical decisions. To succeed in these endeavors, students need to transition from passive learning, the educational method generally employed in primary and secondary schools in Japan, to self-initiative-based learning. Such transition requires support. Early clinical exposure has been introduced at medical schools in Japan, and we, at St. Marianna University Medical School, have introduced a unique early exposure program based on our school philosophy: respect for the dignity of life. The exposure is of two phases. In phase 1, students shadow clinicians working in the University hospital. In phase 2, students are placed in real-life settings, such as maternity clinics, nursery schools and kindergartens, general clinics, and welfare facilities. Upon completion of each exposure, students responded to a questionnaire. Our early exposure program is based on the premise that, in being exposed to medical facilities rather than simply learning medical technology, students with no specialized medical education will learn social organization, discipline, and interpersonal communication. Professionalism is indispensable in the world of medicine, and acquiring professional skills is of necessity for future doctors.