From the Origins of Nursing to the Future:Celebrating 25 Years of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care

The origins of nursing education at Keio University date back to 1918 with the establishment of the Department of Medicine Nurse Training Center. The Nurse Training Center was founded by Shibasaburo Kitasato, the first dean of the School of Medicine, who famously observed, “One of the factors that determines the quality of a hospital is its nurses.” Recognizing the importance of nursing as a pillar of quality healthcare, he personally led the creation of an institution dedicated to nursing education. Since then, through periods of profound social transformation during and after World War II, the institution underwent changes to its name and organization, becoming first the Women’s School of Welfare and later the Keio Junior College of Nursing. Yet throughout these transitions, its foundational educational ethos remains unchanged.

Looking back over more than a century of history, one finds a consistent educational philosophy being forged: encouraging students to grasp problems through the interplay of knowledge and practice and to think and act independently. Equally enduring has been a commitment to sincerely engage with each and every individual to whom nursing care directs its attention. These principles represent not only the origins of nursing at Keio but also the cornerstone of contemporary nursing education.

In 2001, Keio University established the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care as its ninth undergraduate faculty, launching a four-year degree program at Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC).*

Nursing is the science of practice that deals with people’s lives in every sense of the word: life itself, everyday life, and one’s life course. Its aim is to support individuals in living in a way that is true to themselves. Nursing extends beyond understanding disease and promoting recovery; it places equal emphasis on practical knowledge that alleviates physical and emotional suffering and improves quality of life. The discipline also looks beyond the individual to the social systems that support health and well-being, connecting personal health with the welfare of society as a whole. This broad scope of nursing forms the foundation of both education and research within the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care.

Building on this perspective, the faculty has spent the past quarter century developing an educational framework that responds to the needs of each era. One of its defining characteristics is an approach that explores nursing practices that support people's quality of life through both theory and practice, integrating academic inquiry with real-world application.

Since its founding, the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care has continued to evolve in response to the changing needs of society. One key development has been its promotion of interdisciplinary education that takes a broad view of healthcare as a whole. A prime example is the Inter-Professional Education Program, through which students from the School of Medicine, the Faculty of Pharmacy, and the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care learn together. By experiencing what it’s like to collaborate across different professional fields firsthand as students, participants build a foundation for becoming healthcare workers capable of delivering patient-centered care in the collaborative environments essential to modern healthcare.

In addition, a five-year integrated educational program linking the undergraduate faculty with the Graduate School of Health Management enables students to pursue deeper learning that encompasses both practice and research. These educational initiatives are designed to cultivate professionals who possess both advanced clinical competence and strong research capabilities. By supporting a wide range of career pathways tailored to students' individual interests and goals, the program helps foster the diverse forms that nursing can take in the future.

The year 2026 marks the 25th anniversary of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care. Over the years, its graduates have gone on to successful careers not only in clinical settings but also in government, education, research, private enterprise, and global health initiatives, including work with international organizations. Their achievements reflect the faculty's longstanding commitment to cultivating broad perspectives and adaptable skills that extend far beyond the acquisition of professional licensure.

We live in an era in which issues surrounding health and healthcare are becoming increasingly complex, shaped by factors such as declining birth rates, population aging, climate change, advances in artificial intelligence (AI), and the development of genomic medicine. In this environment, nursing is becoming ever more important as a discipline that engages closely with both individuals and society, seeks to understand the fundamental nature of problems, and works toward the most appropriate solutions. Looking ahead, the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care will continue to build upon its traditional strengths in both practice and theory while embracing dialogue, collaboration, and a global perspective. By doing so, it will persist in exploring new directions for nursing and nursing education in a rapidly changing world.

The vision and conviction of Shibasaburo Kitasato, whose founding of the Department of Medicine Nurse Training Center arose from a belief in the potential of nursing within healthcare, remain at the heart of nursing education at Keio University more than a century later. Guided also by Yukichi Fukuzawa’s ideal of kyūkō jissen (“showing through one’s actions to be a leader of society”), the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care will continue its commitment to developing the nursing and healthcare professionals needed by society in the years to come.

*This article originally appeared in Stained Glass in the 2026 spring edition (No. 330) of Juku.