Suzuka University of Medical Science was established in 1991 as the first four-year university of medical science. It has since accumulated traditions and achievements in medical fields. SUMS which started with just 2 faculties with 4 departments has developed into a major medical science university with 15 courses in 11 departments of 4 faculties.
Japan is currently an aging society and its aged population projects to increase more and more in spite of its decreasing population. This situation causes demands for medical and welfare specialists. The education of medical and welfare specialists and the promotion of life innovation are strongly required by the community at large. To meet this social need, we advocate, “To make the most of technological development to contribute genuinely to the promotion of human welfare and health” as stated by our Spirit of Foundation and hold up the Educational Ideal of “Nurturing medical and welfare specialists with knowledge and humanity.” We cultivate truly competent medical and welfare specialists for the society. To be concrete, our Educational Objectives are these five items:
? To learn high-level medical knowledge and technology
? To acquire a broad liberal education
? To nurture sympathetic consideration for others
? To have high ethical standards
? To contribute to a medical team
To contribute to society as a “medical or welfare specialist” it is necessary to attain more knowledge and technology than is currently imagined. However, this is not enough. It is required for medical and welfare specialists to have a mature compassionate heart in order to empathize with patients and to behave with firm ethical standards for specialists as well as to acquire high culture. Moreover, it is becoming clear that there is a limit in providing entirely appropriate medical/welfare services with only one specialty. Therefore, a variety of specialists are required to cooperate for their contribution as an interdisciplinary medical team. We are operating perpetually to realize the spirit of our foundation, education ideal and educational objectives.
Since 2014, all freshmen have been required to take a class consisting of students from distinct departments, which in the curriculum is called Iryojin Sokojikara Education (ISD), in order to learn the indispensable knowledge, technology and attitude commonly required for each medical and welfare specialist The curriculum Iryojin Sokojikara Practice contained in (ISD), is a student-centered learning course of small groups, in which students actively acquire common essential skills and information necessary for all medical specialists. These skills include caregiving, emergency care, communication, and interpersonal skills such as honorifics and manners, dealing with drug addiction, smoking and mental health as well as debating, team activities, volunteering and others.
In addition to the curriculum, we are developing distinctive operations to cope with the incredible improvements in medical and welfare field. One example is the cutting-edge education of rehabilitation involving HAL (the Hybrid Assistive Limb), a powered exoskeleton suit, by inviting facilities relevant to the HAL developing company Cyberdyne to our campus.
“The Japanese Society of Medicinal Dietetics” was also established by teachers of SUMS as the central component. Professors research traditional food scientifically, in order to propose a new style of “Medicinal Dietetics” by merging the good points of eastern and western diets in addition to their educational duties.
Students of each department have practices at the assisted living nursing welfare home “Sakuranomori Shiroko Home,” built next to the Shiroko Campus in 2015.
Furthermore, subjects concerning studies of genetic screening and regenerative medical technology are included in our university. Students can acquire the basic knowledge and skills for the medical specialists who support genetic or regenerative medicine.
In addition, a “Certified Public Psychologist” was promulgated in cooperation with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science with Technology and the Ministry of Health Labour and Welfare as a national qualification in September 2015. We revised the curriculum to correspond to educate certified public psychologist and established the Center for Counseling and Psychological Services and Center for Psychiatry (department of psychiatry/ psychosomatic medicine) in April, 2017.
Recently, we have been collaborating with the Faculty of Medicine of Mie University to practice an interdisciplinary medical team approach. Sakuranomori Hopital affiliated with SUMS which is opening in 2021, is expected to be not only the facility for the best palliative care but also clinical education for an interdisciplinary medical team. Along with such an advanced curriculum, the entire faculty staff are supporting students preparing counseling rooms for students with worries and arranging programs so that students with learning anxieties can enjoy their college life free from uneasiness.
Wouldn’t anyone who hopes to work in the health, medicine, and welfare field want to join us to study in this great circumstance? We also focus on cooperating local community and hold many open lectures. We are always ready to welcome people in the community to our campuses.
