Educational Goals, Policy (3 Policies)
Our mission at Okayama University Medical School, Faculty of Medicine is to educate students in accordance with the highest ethical standards; to promote scientific thinking and advanced medical knowledge and techniques; and to train clinicians and researchers who build social trust and contribute to the health and wellbeing of society. Furthermore, our educational philosophy rests on the conviction to foster medical professionals who take the lead in healthcare.
We have outlined three educational policies related to course content and features: an admission policy, a curriculum policy and a diploma policy. Each policy is described in detail below, followed by a brief explanation of core competencies.
Find out more about our three educational policies and our core competencies below.
○Diploma Policy
A diploma policy prescribes the learning outcomes of a course as well as the basic requirements that must be met before a degree is conferred. Degrees are awarded to students who have been enrolled for a stipulated period of time, who have completed the course work prescribed by their department and earned sufficient credits, who have successfully passed the national qualifying examinations and graduation examinations, and who have acquired the necessary skills according to the categories listed below:
Knowledge Rich in Humanity【General education】
Students are expected to develop a high standard of ethics and a broad, international perspective as medical practitioners and medical researchers; and to learn how to listen to and empathize with patients regardless of their social status or profession.
Expertise in Line with Goals【Expertise】
Students are expected to acquire the necessary expertise and practical skills required of them as medical practitioners and medical researchers, and to develop global competence.
Effective Information Literacy Skills【Information literacy】
Students must be able to gather, accurately assess, and correctly utilize information on medicine and health to solve problems. Additionally, students must learn to communicate information appropriately and effectively to the international community.
Initiative to Lead in Modern Society【Initiative】
Students should demonstrate leadership skills supported by a high level of cooperation as a world-class professional, and act responsibly and flexibly as a member of a multi-professional healthcare team.
Lifelong Learning and Self-actualization【Self-actualization】
Students are encouraged to constantly strive for the advancement of healthcare, to pursue lifelong personal development, and to contribute towards the realization of sustainable healthcare that meets the needs of a global society.
Observable Learning Outcomes（Competencies）
○Curriculum Policy
（１）Curriculum Organization:
In order to foster medical practitioners and medical researchers who can tackle the world’s diverse challenges with the skills outlined in the Faculty of Medicine’s Diploma Policy (that is, knowledge rich in humanity, expertise in line with goals, effective information literacy skills, initiative to lead in modern society, and lifelong learning and self-actualization), we have developed an integrated six-year curriculum that adheres to the guidelines stipulated in the Model Core Curriculum for Medical Education.
（２）Teaching Method:
In addition to lecture-style classes, specialized education includes a variety of practical training courses that allow for more individualized skills training thanks to small class sizes. In their third year, medical students complete internships at research laboratories (domestic as well as international), where they learn to identify and solve problems. After passing the national Common Achievement Tests (CBT and OSCE) and becoming certified student doctors, fifth- and sixth-year students participate in clinical clerkship, where they learn the practical and professional skills required to provide medical treatment as a member of a clinical team.
（３）Learning Outcome Evaluation Policy:
Lecture learning outcomes are assessed using tests, reports, and class assignments according to the content of the class, while the learning outcomes of practical courses are assessed using practical tasks, reports, portfolio work, etc., in order to allow for a comprehensive evaluation. Medical research internships are evaluated according to a rubric by assessing the effort shown throughout the internship, as well as by assessing student presentations of research results. Clinical clerkships are evaluated using a rubric or similar assessment tool (for example, mini CEX) according to the standards set by each department.
Knowledge rich in humanity【General education】
The curriculum at Okayama University Medical School encourages the pursuit of knowledge rich in humanity by emphasizing a high standard of ethics and broad, international perspective. As such, students take discipline-specific courses in addition to liberal arts courses in their first and second years. First-year students study an overview of fundamental medical theory in courses such as Introduction to Medical Sciences and Primer for Clinical Medicine and learn the responsibilities of medical practitioners and medical researchers in courses such as Professionalism and Behavioral Science. In their second year, students learn about important historical figures in History of Medicine. Other courses, such as Regulatory Science (taken in the third year), Bioethics (taken in the fourth year) and Medical Law (taken in the fourth year), teach students practical knowledge and skills that will assist them in their future careers while foregrounding ethical and legal perspectives. Furthermore, students participate in clinical clerkship from the latter half of their fourth year, which teaches students to empathize with others.
Expertise in line with goals【Expertise】
Okayama University offers a curriculum design where key concepts are taught repeatedly in “Major Foundational” and “Major” courses, but with increasing complexity and in a variety of contexts to consolidate learning. In the medical school, students are taught basic biology in their first year before studying normal structure and function of the human body in anatomy and physiology from the latter half of their first year until third year. Students also acquire specialized knowledge necessary for medical practitioners and medical researchers during this time, by studying drug reactions and diseases and injuries caused by various pathogens. From their third year, students take part in internships at domestic and international laboratories, where they are exposed to global standards for scientific inquiry and the responsiveness of health systems. From the fourth year, there is an emphasis on clinical medicine and social sciences related to medical practice. Then, from the latter half of their fourth year until graduation, students participate in clinical clerkship to develop the word-class knowledge/thinking/skills/attitudes expected of medical professionals as they learn to work as a member of a multi-professional clinical team.
Effective Information Literacy Skills【Information literacy】
First year students take liberal arts courses that teach fundamental information literacy skills. In their second year, medical students learn basic data literacy in Data Science, then build on these skills by practicing to mathematically analyze specialized medical information in Biomedical Data Science in their third year. Students also learn how to effectively communicate information to the international community in courses such as Project-based Learning in Molecular Pathogenesis (taken in the latter half of the third year) and Clinical Reasoning (taken in the latter half of the fourth year). Furthermore, our holistic education approach encourages students to become medical practitioners and medical researchers that consider patients’ social and psychological background; from the middle of their fourth year until graduation, students learn the practical importance of information literacy during Clinical Clerkship, where they develop the ability to use information correctly as they learn to collect and analyze information to diagnose and treat diseases.
Initiative to lead in modern society【Initiative】
In their first year, students take Medical Tutorial, where they are encouraged to gather information independently and take initiative in problem-solving activities. In years one to three, students take Professionalism and Behavior Science and Introduction to Primary Care. These practical courses encourage students to foster sociability and high levels of cooperation through activities that require them to recognize contemporary social issues and communicate with local residents and various medical professionals. After qualifying as student doctors in their fourth year, students participate in clinical clerkships (from the middle of their fourth year until graduation), where they are expected act responsibly and flexibly as a member of a multi-professional clinical team while developing the knowledge and skills required of a medical professional.
Lifelong learning and self-actualization【Self-actualization】
The role of empathy in health and social care cannot be overstated and our students are exposed to practical situations where they interact with patients early on in their first year of study. Through courses such as Medical Tutorial (taken in the first year), Project-based Learning in Molecular Pathogenesis (taken in the third year) and Medical Research Internship (taken in the third year), students learn to think about and respond to diverse needs and social issues. In their sixth year, students learn comprehensive self-improvement techniques during elective clinical practice that will help them become medical professionals who pursue personal growth throughout their lives.
○Admissions Policy
Curriculum features
In order to become trained medical practitioners and medical researchers, it is not only necessary to learn the required knowledge and skills, but also to develop a deep sense of humanity. Our mission at Okayama University Medical School, Faculty of Medicine is to educate students in accordance with the highest ethical standards; to promote scientific thinking and advanced medical knowledge and techniques; and to train clinicians and researchers who build social trust and contribute to the health and wellbeing of society.
Throughout six years of specialized medical education, students are encouraged to become world-class medical professionals who contribute to society by dedicating themselves to advancing medical and social care and to improving the quality of medical care in response to the diverse needs of society.
Eligibility Requirements
The Faculty of Medicine is looking for students who have the potential to become leading medical professionals. We value applicants who possess the following qualities:
１．A sense of purpose and rich sense of humanity, high ethical standards, and good communication skills.
２．A wide range of academic abilities and language abilities as well as the necessary problem-solving skills to navigate advances in medicine and medical treatments.
３．Intellectual curiosity and a keen interest in biology. Prospective students are expected to have acquired a fundamental knowledge of natural science and scientific thinking at high school, as well as logical reasoning and articulate writing skills. Prospective students are recommended to take courses in Japanese, foreign languages, geography/history/civics, mathematics, and science at high school so that they will be better equipped to study medicine at university.
Basic requirements for admission
・General selection (First period)
The general selection process consists of both written tests and an interview. Applicants will be evaluated on their ability to demonstrate high-school-level knowledge of seven subjects from five categories in the Common Test for University Admissions.
In the Okayama University entrance examination, applicants should demonstrate academic ability in mathematics, two science subjects, and a foreign language (English), as these subjects will form the basis of their studies after admission to medical school. During the interview, applicants will be holistically evaluated on their potential to become leading medical professionals.
・Recommendation-based EnrollmentⅡ(Common Test for University Admissions Required)
Under this selection process, applicants are selected according to the quotas and eligibility requirements set by each region. Applicants must submit an application letter along with the necessary application documents and attend an interview. During the interview, applicants will be holistically evaluated on their potential to become leading medical professionals as well as their sincere interest in the medical needs of Okayama prefecture. In order to be well equipped to study medicine at university，applicants are expected to achieve a minimum overall score of 780 in seven subjects from five categories in the Common Test for University Admissions. Please note that applicants accepted via this selection process must be prepared to carry out certain responsibilities as scholarship recipients.
・Privately-financed International Student Selection
Applicants who meet the eligibility requirements set by the university will be screened by the admissions committee. Applicants must have taken the Examination for Japanese University Admission for International Students (EJU) in Japanese, Science (Biology and one other subject), and Mathematics Course 2 in order to demonstrate that they have academic ability equivalent to graduates from Japanese high schools. Furthermore, applicants must pass the Okayama Entrance examination, which will test academic ability in in mathematics, two science subjects, and a foreign language (English), which will form the basis of their studies after admission to medical school. Finally, applicants will be expected to attend an interview, where they will be holistically evaluated on their potential to become leading medical professionals.
・International Baccalaureate Selection
Applicants seeking admission on the basis of the International Baccalaureate (IB) selection process must obtain a minimum overall grade of 39 out of 45, with high scores in Japanese (minimum requirement: Language A Grade 4) and their second language (minimum requirement: Grade 6 in Higher Level) as well as a passing grade in two science subjects. After a thorough review of application materials, the admissions committee will determine whether or not the applicant demonstrates the necessary fundamental academic ability equivalent to graduates from Japanese high schools. Finally, applicants will be expected to attend an interview, where they will be evaluated on their potential to become leading medical professionals.
・Second year transfer (undergraduate admission)
Applicants who meet the transfer eligibility requirements set by the university will be screened by the admissions committee. In addition to submitting all application documents (including TOEFL-iBT test scores), applicants will be expected to demonstrate their logical reasoning and understanding of biology in a written essay. Additionally, the admissions committee will conduct a written test to evaluate academic ability in biology and knowledge of scientific English, which form the basis for medical study. Finally, applicants will be expected to attend an interview, where they will be holistically evaluated on their potential to become leading medical professionals.