On September 19, Okayama University held an interprofessional education class titled Team-Based Medical Practice (Behavioral Science IV), jointly conducted by the Medical School, Dental School, and School of Pharmaceutical Sciences.

The intensive course was offered to upper-year students (third- to sixth-year students). A total of 286 students participated: 113 from the Medical School (Faculty of Medicine); 108 from the Faculty of Health Sciences (65 from the Department of Nursing, 8 from the Department of Radiological Technology, and 35 from the Department of Medical Laboratory Science); 48 from the Dental School; and 17 from the School of Pharmaceutical Sciences (Department of Pharmacy).

This year’s program focused on a case study following a lung cancer patient from the initial consultation through hospitalization, chemotherapy, surgery, and post-operative discharge support. Forty-nine teams, comprising students from different faculties and departments, engaged in group work to examine how each profession would respond at each stage of care. Based on the provided scenario, each team identified key issues and held in-depth discussions from the perspectives of physicians, dentists, nurses, medical technologists, and pharmacists. Lively exchanges took place as students shared opinions grounded in their respective areas of expertise.

Participants shared feedback such as, “By considering treatment plans together with students from other faculties, I was able to gain a deeper understanding from multiple perspectives, including aspects of patient care that are easy to overlook and the importance of medical examinations,” and “This experience was a valuable opportunity to truly appreciate the significance and importance of team-based medical care, in which multiple professions work collaboratively, and to raise our awareness of interprofessional cooperation.”

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