Identity as a Physician

It started with a class I took in my first year called "EEP1 (Early Exposure Program 1)." The content involved experiencing home medical care through VR goggles, but what left an impression on me was that healthcare is delivered through a combination of various elements—not just medical knowledge, but also the way one speaks to patients, the tone of voice, and eye contact. To become a physician, I wanted to learn not only medical knowledge but also a perspective that captures human health and medical care from multiple angles. With that in mind, I joined the General Medicine Seminar and began receiving guidance from Dr. Haruta. 

Outside of the university, I am involved in activities such as introducing children's cafeterias and learning support, as well as engaging with the lives of people in the community. Since her first year, Ms. Nagata has also participated in various activities while expanding her interests. Health is not comprised of medical sciences issues alone. I value opportunities to look at things that are difficult to see in medical settings alone—such as the connections between people in the community and their daily lives—and to think about what I feel there.

Dr. Haruta is someone I can talk to openly about anything. I consult him not only about medical sciences questions but also about things I struggle with during my clinical clerkships and feelings I can't quite organize within myself. When I talk to him, I am able to re-examine things and myself from a step back. Rather than just giving me answers, I see him as someone who gives me the opportunity to think for myself and gain insights through his questioning.

Ms. Nagata has a calm and gentle demeanor, but she is also remarkably proactive. It is not easy to find your own interests and things you want to work on during university life, but she reaches out to various people on her own and gives shape to the things she decides to do. I think her ability to take action is amazing.

I am interested in my own values and identity that are formed in the process of becoming a physician. Currently, I am reflecting on and analyzing my experiences through writing. in the fieldwork I have done so far, what I felt there, and how I was influenced. Since clinical clerkships are about to begin, I want to record how my feelings and ways of thinking change as I begin participating in clinical settings. Regarding health, I want to think about it from various aspects, not just curing diseases, but also community connections and one's purpose in life. 

Ms. Nagata is interested in the theme of "professional identity," which refers to how individuals understand themselves as members of a profession. In the process of aiming to be a physician, one's values and understanding of what it means to be a physician may evolve through various experiences. Ms. Nagata is trying to tackle research using those personal experiences and questions as a starting point. I only introduced the concept, but I find her attitude of finding her own questions from there and exploring them very interesting.

To me, "learning while teaching, teaching while learning" means that faculty members do not just teach knowledge to students, but continue to think and learn together with them. Students verbalize what they have experienced, find new questions from there, and connect them to their next challenge. Supporting that process is also an important role of education. For example, seeing Ms. Nagata carefully putting her experiences and thoughts into writing made me realize once again that learning deepens and new insights are born not only through dialogue and discussion but also through the act of writing. I also learn a great deal from my students, and I believe this reciprocal process of learning is essential to education.

Dr. Haruta always supports me as we think and learn together. It feels more like I realized I had learned something while we were talking about various things. There are not many teachers to whom you can speak frankly about your inner self or things that have no answers. As I become a physician, I hope to grow through continued dialogue with him and eventually give something back.