Welcome to Okayama University Medical School

Welcome to the homepage of the Okayama University Medical School.
Okayama University Medical School has two departments: the Faculty of Medicine, which trains doctors and medical researchers, and the Faculty of Health Sciences, which trains nurses, public health nurses, radiological technologists, clinical laboratory technicians, etc. Through the three policies (degree policy, curriculum policy, admission policy) of the Faculty of Medicine and the Faculty of Health Sciences, we are committed to nurturing “medical professionals” who will lead the medical profession and medical and health science researchers in the future.

In April 1870, the Okayama Domain opened a medical school and a major hospital, and this is the biggening of the history of Okayama University Medical School. Dutch doctor “Franciscus Johannes Antonius de Ruijter” was invited and he gave a lecture of Human Anatomy. Through various transitions, Third Higher Junior High School of Medicine, Government Okayama Medical University and Okayama University Medical School, April 2025 marks the 155th anniversary of our founding. Since the lecture of Ruijter, the place has continued to serve as a place for learning medicine.

In the revised 2022 Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education, interprofessional collaboration is listed as a basic quality for doctors. Specifically, the goal is set as “the ability to understand the roles of all people involved with patients and their families, including those in medical care, health, welfare, and nursing care, to share the issues of patients, families, and communities while building good relationships with them, and to work together with all involved people.” As a trial, a multi-professional collaborative class was conducted, in which students from the Faculty of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, Faculty of Dentistry, and Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences participated, and divided into 46 teams from different faculties and departments, and carried out group work on the theme of case studies. Taking advantage of the depth of the medical faculties at Okayama University, we aim to horizontally integrate medical education, cultivate a multi-professional perspective on diseases, and share values ​​with multiple professions.

In addition, the Faculty of Medicine is connected to the Okayama University Graduate School of Medicine, Dentistry and Pharmaceutical Sciences, and the Faculty of Health Sciences is connected to the Okayama University Graduate School of Health Sciences, providing seamless education and research opportunities that allow students to aim for career advancement.

Finally, to all the applicants: The distinctive features and strengths of Okayama University Medical School are our many highly specialized and enthusiastic faculty and staff, and the diverse medical and health sciences education programs that are unique to the Okayama region. Please take a look at the admissions policy of Okayama University School of Medicine and come knock on the door of our university. We look forward to welcoming you to support the future of medical care, medicine, and health sciences.

Jun Wada, MD, PhD
Dean, Okayama University Medical School

Features of Education at the Faculty of Medicine

We have an advanced and systematic educational program. Right after enrollment, there are tutorials where students explore problems through discussion and thinking in groups of 5-6 people. There is also an introduction to clinical medicine that introduces the essence of clinical medicine, and practical experience at a medical care facility. In medical English, students improve their practical English skills in their specialized field. After that, students systematically learn the cutting edge of life science in basic medicine and develop an independent learning attitude in basic pathobiology exercises. In the third year, there is a “medical research internship”. This is a program aimed at fostering a research mindset by fully engaging in research for three months at universities both on and off campus and overseas, and usually about 20 students study abroad each year. After that, clinical and social medicine lectures begin in the fourth year, and clinical training begins in the fifth year. Clinical training consists of basic clinical training and optional clinical training, and the training hours are among the longest in universities nationwide. After the graduation exam in the second half of the sixth year, the national exam will be held.

In addition, we have introduced the “Advanced Medical Training Course (ART Program)”. This is a program that allows students to take graduate school lectures while still an undergraduate student, and allows them to complete graduate school early after graduation. After graduation, in addition to the training program at Okayama University Hospital, a hospital group consisting of the university hospital and related training designated hospitals is formed, providing a wider variety of programs.

Furthermore, we are striving to enrich our graduate school, and in addition to the general course, the doctoral course offers a clinical specialist training course, a cancer professional course, a molecular imaging education course, an academic GP (General Practitioner) course, and a medical AI application course, allowing each student to freely design their own medical acquisition and assemble their learning based on their own career design. In addition, in the master’s course, in addition to the regular courses, we also offer a public health (MPH) course, which trains health and medical professionals with a public health research mind.

Features of Education at the Faculty of Health Sciences

The Faulty of Health Sciences trains talented individuals who have a reverence for life and a spirit of inquiry, who constantly improve themselves through medical health activities and education and research, and who contribute to human health and happiness (well-being). In undergraduate education, we offer team medical exercises, which are a practical example of multi-professional collaboration, and team medical theory courses to deepen mutual understanding with students who will become doctors, dentists, and pharmacists. Health science departments that incorporate anatomical training are rare nationwide. As a result of this educational system, students develop basic abilities that contribute to improving their sensitivity as medical professionals, broad perspectives and originality, scientific thinking, and problem-solving skills.

In the nursing department, we make use of the spirit of respect for people and health promotion, and put a lot of effort into organizing and implementing the curriculum for lectures, exercises, and practical training. We also incorporate students’ opinions and strive to create a better learning environment. In the radiological technology department, our educational philosophy is to acquire the basic academic knowledge of medicine, science, and engineering, acquire a wide range of practical skills and applied skills, including the operation of the latest radiological equipment, and improve the morals of medical professionals.In the Department of Medical Laboratory Science, we aim to develop a wide range of basic knowledge and applied skills, an inquisitive mind, and the humanity appropriate for medical professionals, so that scientific results can be applied to medical care as quickly as possible.

If your academic pursuits grow stronger, we also have the Graduate School of Health Sciences, where you can choose to earn a master’s degree and even a doctorate under enthusiastic research guidance.