[Education for medical teamwork in Shinshu University]

Both students of health sciences (medical technology, nursing science, physical therapy, and occupational therapy) and medical students learn medical teamwork in the primary stage by joint practice in Shinshu University. The aim of this class is for students that will become medical staff to increase their necessary communication skills for medical teamwork in addition to understanding the mutual medical professional fields in a medical institution. The 242 students of the medical department (147 students of health sciences and 95 students of medicine) take 15 classes during their first term as freshers. One teacher takes charge of a group consisting of 14 students for tutorials by mutually cooperation between teachers of medicine and health sciences. Positive relationships are expected to develop in the group, raising sociality and ethics so that both students of health science and medicine experience interdisciplinary discussion in small groups as an ideal method for continuing health care in times of poor knowledge of medicine and health care.