[Our practical training program in laboratory medicine for medical students--Yamagata University]

At the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Yamagata University, our medical students are trained to have practical knowledge and the ability to plan laboratory examinations for the clinical diagnosis of patients. For 4th-year medical students, 31 clinical lectures are scheduled on a variety of subjects concerning laboratory findings. The 2-week practical training of 5th-year students includes an educational curriculum that allows them to master the various aspects of laboratory examinations, such as collecting blood samples, determining flow-volume curves, and conducting abdominal echograms. Finally, 6th-year medical students undergo a 5-week training period during which they learn the essentials of laboratory examinations. We are proud of our present clinical curriculum for medical students. However, within a couple of years, the clinical educational program for medical students will be changed for the purpose of better preparing medical doctors in Japan. The advisory organ of the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare has recommended the induction of a newly developed model core curriculum that will be nationally standardized and will focus on problem-based learning for medical students. Therefore, the present educational system, even in the field of laboratory medicine, will have to be changed.