Specially Appointed Professor Ichiro Kamoshita Gives a Lecture to Students Aiming to Become Medical and Welfare Workers

Specially Appointed Professor Ichiro Kamoshita cheering for a student aiming to become a medical worker

During the question and answer session, students raised their hands one after another and asked questions.

Specially Appointed Professor Ichiro Kamoshita, a former member of the House of Representatives and a psychosomatic physician, gave a class at Interprofessional Education (IPE) at Chiba Togane Campus on July 21st. Based on his experience as the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare, he conveyed a wide range of knowledge to students studying medicine and welfare in the Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Faculty of Social Work Studies Department of Social Work Studies and Department of Physical Therapy, and Department of Nursing Faculty of Nursing of Nursing.

The theme of the lecture this time was "Thinking about medicine from a bio, psycho, socio-ethical perspective." It is necessary to think about the

“Physically,” how do you deal with problems such as lookism and eating disorders? From the podium, Project Professor Kamoshita asked which of the following three types he belonged to: , the blame type (thinking it was someone else's fault), and the irresponsible type (thinking it was no one's fault). Furthermore, he emphasized the importance of setting a direction by thinking carefully about what kind of person you are and what kind of person you want to be, saying that "you should establish your own identity when you are a student."

Next, he presented a graph of changes in social security benefits in Japan, and mentioned the rapid increase in medical and nursing care benefits. "From now on, you will be working in a workplace that is managed by this 40 trillion yen benefit. How you use this limited financial resource will greatly affect your future." He explained the social situation surrounding the medical and welfare workers that the students are aiming for. In addition, efforts such as "self-medication", in which minor illnesses are treated by oneself, and "task-shifting," in which a part of a doctor's work is transferred to other medical professionals, and the spread of digital health and online medical consultations, He touched on how the field is changing and gave hints for students to broaden their horizons.

In addition, we have expanded our discussion to the creation of communities where the elderly can maintain their health and live in good spirits, as well as to “living wills,” which indicate in advance how we would like to face the end of our lives. I want them to become medical professionals who think not only of themselves but also of society,” he encouraged the students.

The students asked questions such as, ``What made you glad to be involved in medical care?'' I was able to put in place a system that allowed patients to continue their treatment at home, and I was able to do everything possible so that they could reach their end at home." is what makes my life worth living.”