Activities in Education
Summary
Understanding the structure of human body is essential to study medicine. We are teaching the first grade of medical students about hierarchical structure of human body from the microscopic to macroscopic level. We teach Introductory level course "Structure and Function of the Human Body 1" to the first graders in a year. We start an introductory class "Introduction to Human Anatomy; Biological Structure of Human" in the first semester. Then, we teach higher level of classes on individual organs with practices in osteology, gross anatomy lab., histology and neuroscience, correlated with physiology in the following second and the third semesters in the current academic curriculum that began in 2019. Besides, we teach an anatomy practice course “Clinical Anatomy” to the fifth grade of students. The practice itself has been going on since 2014 as a part of the "Fundamentals of Clinical Practice", but since 2018 It has been named " Clinical Anatomy ".
Structure and Function of the Human Body 1 : First-grade students
We are teaching the first-grade students using integrative textbooks common to anatomy, physiology, and clinical sciences. We will start an introductory class "Introduction to Human Anatomy" in the first semester. Then, we teach introductory classes on individual organs such as "Digestive and Respiratory System", "Urinary and Reproductive System", "Skin and Motor System (Musculo-skeletal System)", "Circulatory and Endocrine System", and "Nervous and Sensory System”, in the second and third semesters. In accordance with the topics of classes, we conduct practice courses “Gross Anatomy Laboratory” in the second semester and “Neuroscience Practice” in the third semester. Besides, we conduct “Histology Practice” to give a chance to the students to observe various kinds of tissue specimens under microscopes.
First-grade students usually take 843 classes (60 minutes each class) including lectures and practices each year. We teach 106 lectures and 196 practices in a year.
In addition to the anatomy-related courses, Department Chair, Professor Toida is in charge of a Liberal Arts course named " Sophies Verden: Philosophy Course for Medical Students" with 12-15 classes.
We also teach the second-grade students in our laboratories in the "Door to Medical Research" course. In this class, we help students’ experiences in individual research assignment, such as "applied anatomical training" and other anatomy-, cell biology-, and neuroscience-related topics, for 5 weeks. We accept about 10 students every year.
We start anatomy education in the first grade of our school. Our aim is to help students understand the importance of the dignity of life and establish a learning attitude at their time with high motivation right after entrance to medical school. We believe that this is the practice of medical education based on the founding philosophy of Kawasaki Medical School, “Liberal humanity, Sound body, and Profound knowledge”.
The purpose of "Introduction to Human Anatomy" course is to get students to acquired basic knowledge of the human body and to give them a systematic understanding of the knowledge they gained. In the organ-based classes, we are sharing the progress of the class to know what have been taught and how much students are taught and thus to teach effectively and sufficiently. All organ-based classes are given lectures not only by anatomist of our department but also by clinical professors and doctors (physicians and surgeons) in other department. Thus, in total, more than 20 clinical professors and doctors have given lectures with the content of the class so far. We all are teaching the importance of anatomy and physiology, structure and function, also from the clinical point of view.
We think our school residence system is an advantage of the first-grade students. It is mandatory for them to live in an on-campus student dormitory. If something happens, we can easily reach out to offer aid. Faculty members, small groups organizers, university affairs officers, dormitories managers, and health support center stuffs are ready to work together.
Clinical Anatomical course: Fifth-grade students
For the fifth grade students, we organize “Clinical anatomical” course, in cooperation with 12 surgical departments. In this practice course, we provide the students with opportunities to learn the anatomical basic knowledge for symptoms, medical examinations, laboratory tests, diagnosis, and medical treatment, which helps them integrate as student doctors their own medical knowledge, experience, and ethics they have learnt after the human anatomy course in the first year.
Enlightenment Activities to respect “Tokushi Kentai; Donation of Dead Body”, Memorial Ceremony, Medical Ethics
The gratitude and awe for the donated bodies cultivated in students’ minds through human anatomy practice has an irreplaceable significance as a fundamental medical ethics for practice of medicine and science.
The memorial ceremony “IREI-SAI” is held in May every year. The second-grade and sixth-grade students who experienced anatomical practice courses in the previous year attend “IREI-SAI”. The second-grade students do receptionists and ushers. They treat bereaved families and Kusunoki-kai (Association of donors of Kawasaki Medical University) members to have lunch together with conversations. They guide them to the cenotaph. Students deepen their understanding of the offering body through those experiences. All department members participate in the ceremony “IREI-SAI” with students.
In addition to the memorial and annual meetings, Professor Toida conducts individual interviews with prospective members at the Kusunoki-Kai. (Associate professors, lecturers, and technical staff attend interviews, too.) If it is difficult for them to visit medical school, Professor Toida and his staff will go outside the school to meet with them.
There are 1-2 inquiries a day about the Kusunoki-kai and “Tkushi Kentai”. From July 2014, it became necessary to have an interview with Professor Toida prior to the enrollment procedure. For seven years, he met with 188 people on the university and 102 people outside the university (August 31, 2021).
Through these interviews, our faculty and staffs feel Kusunoki-kai people’s thoughtfulness to medical students as well as to the next generation. I think we should always go back to the origins of anatomists. Through medical education and research, we should take on the important responsibility of faculty activities.
With the consent of the Interviewees, we have talked to the students about what we heard and should/could learn during the interview. Professor Toida are teaching philosophy course for medical students entitled "Sophies Verden" as part of the liberal arts to the first graders in the same second semester as we teach “Human Anatomy” practice. He introduces philosophers, medical scientists, literary figures, novelists, and various books from all over the world, thinking about man and woman and life, and exploring with the students how to now ignorance and to live in life. (See syllabus for details; (Professor Toida)
Professor Toida is willing to give a lecture about the ethical education from a point of medical view outside the university if requested. To give past examples, he has given special lectures at the National Federation of Tokushi-Kentai, at teacher training sessions for primary and secondary education at the Kurashiki City Board of Education and the Kurashiki City Education Center, at adult guardian training sessions for "Legal Support Okayama", at various vocational schools and universities inside and outside the prefecture. He gave a public lecture at local governments outside the prefecture. He goes to municipal offices in the prefecture and request cooperation in welfare-related awareness activities. (Professor Toida)
"The Door to Medical Research": The second-grade students
Second-year students are assigned to each department to engage in research. Professor Toida, who was in charge of the education for the second-grade students, started this subject, "The Door to Medical Research", in 2015. Research assistant Ms. Oomori worked with him in cooperation with the Academic Affairs Division and the Information Systems Office. In close cooperation with the Central Research Center, the Central Research Department, the Research Support Section, the Education Division, the Education Committee, and the Ethics Committee, we were able to implement this subject that requires cross-departmental collaboration in the university. (Professor Toida was in charge of this subject from 2015 to 2019)
Medical Student Education (off-university) and Human Resource development
Anatomy is essential for medical and paramedical educations, but there is a nationwide shortage of teachers who can practice the education. In such a situation, we have been working on anatomical physiology education for paramedical students inside and outside the university since 2012. In addition to those at Kawasaki Medical School, we had had 60 classes per year for first-year students at Kawasaki University of Health and Welfare until 2014, 75 classes per year for first-year students in the Nursing Department of Kurashiki College of Nursing, 15 classes per year, and 15 classes of Kawasaki University of Health and Welfare's Faculty of Health and Welfare Management until 2016. All members of the department had engaged in those classes. Textbooks and teaching materials were shared, and curriculums were prepared so that effective results could be obtained within a limited time.
We have produced four educators, who are now working at other universities. Assistant Professor Ichiro Kumano became an associate professor at Kawasaki Medical Junior College in 2015. Lecturer Dr. Emi Kiyokage became a professor in the Department of Clinical Laboratory at Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare in 2017. And Lecturer Dr. Yuji Sonoda became a professor in the Department of Health Care at Kawasaki University of Medical Welfare in 2018. Professor Yuichi Shima moved to Kurume University as a Chief Professor of Microscopic and Developmental Anatomy Division, Department of Anatomy in Octber 2021. These four are in charge of anatomy education at those schools.
Self-evaluation and reflection on education and student guidance
It is an important task of basic medical education to make students learn the structure and function of the human body in a limited time. We contribute to more than half of the lectures and practices in the first graders’ education. We teach both macroscopic and microscopic anatomy in cooperation with departments of physiology and relevant clinical departments, which have greatly improved student’s learning. We have generally obtained high evaluations from students for their overall subjects, individual teachers, and handouts. The reason is that we listen to and quickly reflect the voices on student evaluations and attendance cards. Since we have many opportunities to communicate with students through many classes, the majority of department staff are involved in various activities such as being in charge of supporting the students at each grade, small group support, study help, student consultation, etc., and are engaged in teaching activities in a variety of ways related to education and student guidance. We are responsible for large part of the educational programs for students at the first grade, who have just started learning medicine. With this in mind, we always remember the starting point of education, which is the founding philosophy of the University, and pledge once again that all members of the department will devote themselves every day.
International Exchange
Professor Toida visited Oxford University for three months in 2017 as a Visiting Academic Fellow of GTC and for three weeks in February 2018. He stayed at Oxford University in June 2018 as a Visiting Professor at the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG). Meanwhile, He learned "Anatomy Education" in Oxford (Clinical Anatomy, Human Anatomy, Brain Anatomy with Professor John Morris and Professor Zoltán Molnár) at DPAG. And he did "Medical History" (with Professor Mark Harrison, GTC Fellow & Director of the Wellcome Unit for the History of Medicine, who studies historical facts and historical materials at the GTC-owned William Osler-McGovern Centre, the former home of Sir William Osler) He also studied "Medical Ethics" (with Emeritus Professor Tony Hope, Dr. Michael Dunn, and Dr. Charles Foster) at the Ethox Centre.
As a result of Professor Toida’s enthusiastic activities, Professor Mark Harrison came to our university to give a lecture in December 2018 and Prof. Zoltán Molnár in February 2019. Professor Zoltán Molnár taught mock tutorials as an on-site open class (see news together).
In collaboration with Professor Mark Harrison on "The Door to Medical Research" course, we teach the second graders, "The Practice of Medicine; How did Sir William Osler keep his composure in difficult circumstances? " every year on a consistent research theme and learn about professor William Osler, who is well-known in medical history.
We would like to reflect these valuable experiences in both education and research, and further develop international collaboration with department staff and researchers inside and outside the university.