Student Testimonials 2017

• I listened with great interest until the end. Since I have some cataracts (currently seeing an ophthalmologist), I want to incorporate coffee and live a long, healthy life from now on. (70s, Unemployed)

• Some parts were a bit difficult, but I learned that coffee has positive effects on various diseases. I usually can't drink it without sugar and milk, so I'll try to rethink that. Thank you very much. (20s, Teacher)

• My husband has hepatitis B and has attended liver disease classes several times, where coffee was always mentioned, so I was interested. This was very helpful. Thank you very much. (70s, Unemployed)

• I learned that coffee (roasted), a familiar beverage, has a significant disease prevention effect. I hadn't drunk it much until now, so I decided to start drinking it for disease prevention. I was able to attend the lecture with interest. (60s, Unemployed)

• I was surprised that things I didn't know or had heard as legends are being scientifically proven. It was very helpful. (50s, Office Worker)

• It was very meaningful to learn in detail about coffee and health. I would like to use this in my nutritional guidance. (30s, Registered Dietitian)

Prof. Kikuko Ota

• I want to interact with elderly people while respecting their feelings. (20s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• Since I was taught an overview of geriatrics, I was able to reaffirm many things. Hearing about the thoughts of people with dementia was an eye-opening experience for the first time. (50s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• These were stories I want to use as a reference for how to interact with my own parents and how to interact with elderly people when dispensing medication at work. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I often interact with the elderly at the pharmacy. I used to only see the person in front of me as they are now, but I feel that my way of interacting will change by trying to understand the life that person has led. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• It seemed difficult with some philosophical parts... however, the communication and way of interacting with elderly people with dementia seem like they will be very useful from now on. I would like to make use of it while adding and arranging it in my own way. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

Prof. Tomoko Nagata

• At the hospital where I work, pharmacists are not deeply involved in discharge support, so I was able to understand the roles of other professions. I want to continue thinking about what I can do as a pharmacist. (20s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• I was impressed by how easy it was to understand when the talk about discharge coordination was explained chronologically. Although it's content I'm involved with in my daily work, there were things I was able to recognize anew. (50s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• Support at the time of discharge is truly important, and follow-up after that is a challenge for community cooperation. I also understood the importance of communication. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• Lectures from a nursing perspective offer new discoveries. For home care support, I was able to well understand the flow of how discharge support is conducted during hospitalization leading up to discharge, with easy-to-understand concrete examples. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I am not involved in home care at all at the moment, but there may be an opportunity to make it useful in the near future. It reminded me of 20 years ago during my time as a hospital pharmacist, when I was involved until the end with patients transitioning from discharge to home care. It has become even more pressing in modern times. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• It was very easy to understand, and starting tomorrow, I want to look at test values in electronic medical records to see if there is a cause due to drugs or other causes. I wanted to hear more. (40s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• It was good because it was a lecture that explained the factors that cause test values to fluctuate in detail (in the case of lectures on test values, factors and numbers are often just displayed, making them hard to remember). It was good that there was an explanation of pharmaceutical management intervention using specific cases. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• All the lecture content was in the materials, so I was able to understand while following along with my eyes. I was able to well understand the pathology when test values are high or low. I want to apply this to my daily work while considering the situation so as not to be swayed only by test values. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• The materials were easy to read, and while organizing my state of having halfway knowledge, I understood everything well from the basics to clinical practice and points of caution. At the same time, just imagining that instantaneous and comprehensive judgments are being made in clinical practice at a speed faster than this made me feel the hardness of the work. In my 5 minutes of dispensing, I hope to improve myself so that I can support the patient's own life at home and their anxiety until their next visit by first grasping the situation/information, making a judgment, and giving advice. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• In Yamagata Prefecture where I live, hospitals in certain areas are starting to issue prescriptions with test values. Since there are patients who submit test value data themselves at the pharmacy counter and ask for opinions or information, I was able to attend with interest. Regarding the evaluation of renal and liver function values, it was good to know that logical evaluations can be made, such as those using ALT/ALP ratios and severity according to CTCAE v4.0. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• Recently, I've been asked many questions by patients at the pharmacy, so it was very helpful. In particular, the explanation of CLcr was easy to understand, and I feel like I finally understand it clearly. Also, I think I can make use of the interactions with doctors from now on. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I want to do my best so that I can put even one thing into practice starting tomorrow. By having discussions, I was able to hear various opinions, which was very helpful.

• It was my first time having a discussion about a case (with a pharmacy teacher), and it was good to be able to do something I can't experience in my daily work.

• I was able to notice many things that I wouldn't have noticed studying on my own. Thank you very much.

• It was my first time experiencing the World Café style. It was very interesting to hear diverse opinions frankly. Through the SGD, my motivation increased, with thoughts like "Let's try this in Phase II" and "Points I haven't been conscious of until now." (Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I feel like I was able to learn even more deeply than at the WS sponsored by the local pharmaceutical association. Among the teachers in the same group, some were already conducting training (hospital referral methods, rubric evaluation) with the revised core curriculum in mind, which was very helpful. (Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I was able to learn about the situations and concerns at other facilities. I thought it was a good opportunity to learn about things that are easy to do and problems in each other's training for hospital and pharmacy pharmacists when considering future training. (Hospital Pharmacist)

• It was good to know how far the revised core curriculum has progressed at this point. I want to look after students for 22 weeks while collaborating with teachers at dispensing pharmacies. I would also like the evaluations at the pharmacy to be shared so they can be seen at the hospital as well. I learned a lot from hearing the opinions of teachers from many facilities. Thank you very much. (Hospital Pharmacist)

• I understood that the supervising pharmacists are working seriously on the practical training and that there are many points of concern and things they want to talk about. Knowing about the training for the new core curriculum will be useful when visiting facilities. Some of the problems raised in the World Café were solved in the next lecture section, so I think if the lecture had come first, more time could have been secured for discussing other things. The report on the trial was interesting. (University Faculty)

• In my daily work, I was very troubled when patients complained of "tinnitus, dizziness, or hearing loss" because my response was abstract, but in this lecture, I understood the basic pathology and anatomical views, which will be of great help in future guidance and response. I also learned about upcoming hot topics. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I learned a lot. In particular, it was very good because I usually can't see videos of surgery or nystagmus. The content was easy to understand and interesting. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• My father's hearing loss was exactly the situation explained as a clinical case. With my grandfather and father, and actually myself after sudden deafness, I have been mindful of caring for my tinnitus and hearing, and living every day with anxiety about the future. By having things clarified, I was able to prepare myself for aging, and I thought once again that I want to work until I can no longer hear. The structure was also wonderful, and I enjoyed learning and listening. Thank you. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I also have sudden deafness. Thanks to Prof. Ogawa, I gained courage. Thank you very much. Tinnitus is painful! (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• This was my first lecture on hearing loss and tinnitus, but he explained everything from structure to treatment methods, treatment results, percentages, voices from the field, and perspectives from literature, making it a very easy-to-understand and practical lecture. (30s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• My perception of omega-3 fatty acids has changed. I would like to recommend them to my family and patients, but I wonder about the smell and taste of perilla oil and the like. I felt that I need to try them myself. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I was able to hear about the current status and potential of fatty acid balance across a wide range, from research to the possibility of drug discovery, and I listened with great interest. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I was surprised that changing the type of oil can suppress allergies in mice. I now clearly understand why flaxseed oil is a hot topic in the world. I understood well how lipids have been involved in inflammation. Moreover, I also understood that the balance is important. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• The importance of lipid balance was explained clearly. It was a wonderful lecture. (60s, Clinical Laboratory Company Employee)

• It was a very easy-to-understand lecture. Although I vaguely knew that omega-3 fatty acids are "good for the body," I feel like I now understand much better specifically how they are good and how they act. The talk about Lipoxin A4 and Leukotriene B4 was particularly interesting and intriguing. I am looking forward to seeing what kind of drugs will emerge from future "drug discovery." (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• The content seemed difficult, but it was explained in simple terms that I could understand, so it was extremely interesting and educational. I had forgotten most of what I learned in my student days, but I felt that things are being proven more minutely and clearly with the passage of time. Understanding the details was an "eye-opening" experience. (50s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• It was good to understand the importance of doing rehabilitation thoroughly from an early stage. I learned that rehabilitation is necessary at various stages even for cancer. I have had acquaintances who were stroke or cancer patients, so I wish I had heard this sooner. I have seen a patient whose leg was swollen like an elephant's leg. There were things that should have been done before it reached that point, weren't there? (Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I was able to understand well what kind of process the patients I interact with daily in home care go through to head toward rehabilitation and continue treatment. I felt the importance of moving the body daily at the prevention stage, as functional decline is unavoidable due to aging, and the importance of rehabilitation in the acute phase. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• Content on rehabilitation is not common elsewhere, so I am glad I participated. I would like to request this again next year. (50s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• It was very stimulating to hear about the new field of "Rehabilitation Medicine." As Japan continues to age, I thought this is a very important field. I always feel that there are many things that cannot be solved by medical sciences—drugs or surgery—alone, so I want to continue studying this in the future. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I understood that rehabilitation approaches lead not only to the treatment of diseases and disabilities but also to psychological improvement, reduction of the burden on caregivers, improvement of prognosis, and reduction in mortality. If I can better understand the activities of PTs, OTs, and STs in the future, patient satisfaction will increase, and pharmacists will be able to be involved as members of the medical team. It made me want to learn more about rehabilitation. (30s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• (First half) I want to be careful in my future work about the fact that many athletes take supplements and that many take them without doubting that they might contain doping-related substances. (Second half) It was good to hear about the approach including new content from JADA. (50s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• (First half) I was surprised that the source of drugs etc. was unknown for 26 out of 61 cases. It was an opportunity to rethink the concept of contamination. I felt that third-party certification for doping-free status is necessary. (Second half) It was good to be able to talk and exchange opinions with actual athletes. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• (First half) I was surprised that there were more supplement users than expected. I felt that further awareness of "anti-doping" is necessary. I want to strive for information gathering and self-improvement toward becoming a Real Sports Pharmacist. (Second half) By examining actual cases, I understood various points to be careful about, and it was a very good study. (50s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• (First half) Regarding supplement use, I take the position of not recommending them, but I felt it is difficult to answer when actually consulted. However, many athletes take them, and I think awareness activities will continue to be necessary. (Second half) The content was practical and very educational. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• (First half) I think the reason for high supplement dependency is that there are still many competitors who only do self-care without intervention from medical professionals, and I thought it might be more effective for teams to spend more on personnel costs for nutritional management. (Second half) The talk from the student as a competitor was fresh. They underwent surgery for an injury during a training camp, did rehab, and took painkillers. I want to be a sports pharmacist who can provide support so that they can continue their life as an athlete. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• (First half) Since I hope to support junior athletes, the talk about caffeine was helpful. (Second half) It was a good opportunity to talk with SPs and athletes. (30s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• It is painful to see patients undergoing cancer treatment, but I understood that by not running away and communicating side effects in advance, the patients also feel relieved. I want to become this kind of pharmacist, and I also thought that if I were to get sick, I would want to be treated at this kind of facility. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• Various guidelines are now issued for chemotherapy, which leads to efficiency in work, but I realized once again that this is the result of the efforts of the early pioneers. Also, in searching for treatments that deviate from guidelines, the cases were helpful in understanding what to be careful about. It was very helpful to see actual examples of effective pharmacist involvement in drug therapy, not only for anticancer drugs but also for molecular targeted drugs, in outpatient and inpatient settings. (40s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• The polite lecture helped me understand tasks that had many unknowns. Working at a dispensing pharmacy, I only know about hospital work to the extent of my internship or a little interaction, but with the increase in outpatient treatment patients, I felt that knowing hospital work was an urgent matter as well as the necessity of interaction, so this was helpful. I am working hard with the belief that by re-interviewing at the dispensing pharmacy about things already interviewed in the hospital, side effects can be dealt with earlier and patients can be saved without interrupting treatment, and that it is my role to bridge information to helpers and families. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• Since it was a fellow pharmacist, the talk was very easy to understand as it was based on the actual field. I think I was able to understand a bit about solving problems and worries unique to pharmacists. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• There are people taking anticancer drugs at the pharmacy too, and I want to do my best to provide appropriate guidance with key points even within a short medication instruction time, using this lecture as a reference. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

Mr. Hisamine Kobayashi

• In my daily contact with patients at the dispensing pharmacy, I was concerned about many elderly people becoming weak because they eat too little or avoid meat entirely due to worrying too much about cholesterol levels. I had been talking to them about taking protein, but today's lecture made me understand well the importance of animal protein and amino acid intake. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I thought I understood it intuitively, but I understood well that it is based on data from solid basic research and has been analyzed. I think I can add persuasiveness to my daily medication instructions. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I was able to understand based on data that intake of high-quality protein and exercise training are effective for preventing and improving sarcopenia. (Pharmaceutical Company Employee)

• Even though I knew the word sarcopenia, I didn't know what to actually do to prevent it. I learned a lot from today's lecture. I think I can give advice to patients who come to the pharmacy. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• As my patients age, this was a field where I felt measures were truly necessary, so I learned with great interest. It is a pathological condition, but it is also about life and diet, and I felt it is a field where women of our generation (over 50) should demonstrate the underlying strength we have developed by balancing work and life. There were many things to do, such as arranging and easily introducing things according to the patient based on principles and theories, and I felt excited. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

Mr. Katsuya Iijima

• I understood well that not only exercise but also oral function and social participation are important for preventing frailty. The talk that oral frailty in particular leads to sarcopenia was impressive. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I deepened my understanding that frailty is not only physical but also social and psychological. As a pharmacy pharmacist, I want to know what specific information I can provide and what I should remind them of. I understood very well that suggestions and awareness-building tailored to individual lives and situations are important, and that it is important to have them continue. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• It's obvious that exercise, nutrition, and social participation are good, but I understood well that it is difficult to self-manage an environment where these can be done continuously. I thought the system where healthy seniors raise healthy seniors is a very good activity from the perspective of effective use of resources. (40s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• This was very interesting content. I hope "frailty" will be promoted as a national project. Now that there are many people living as elderly couples, I think the current situation is that individuals can no longer do anything about it. But I want to emphasize the importance of each individual continuing what they can do within their own range!! (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• Since elderly facilities have started incorporating dental checkups, I heard the term oral frailty for the first time, and it was very educational. I thought that early detection and early intervention are indeed important for preventing sarcopenia and frailty. (40s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• I felt this is the current trend of the world. The seniors, patients, family, and staff around me are desperately doing their best every day. People have hearts, and I hope the world becomes one where the heart is saved along with the body, but research is ultimately summarized and expressed in numbers, isn't it? I hope the world will soon be expressed in words. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I felt that I had been forcing patients, thinking it was natural to get sleepy from medication. I thought I should listen more to the reasons why they cannot take it and provide feedback to the doctor. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I look forward to the easy-to-understand lectures every time. The field of psychiatry was a field I was very weak in, but after listening to the professor's lectures, it has become a very interesting field. I always struggled with communication when interacting with patients, but I have gradually become able to communicate well. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• Thank you for the well-balanced lecture with the talk on antipsychotics in general in the first half and actual examples in the second half. It is difficult to deal with mental health patients, and I want to work while understanding even a little about the medicine and the disease. Today's talk is very helpful. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• It was easy to understand and very helpful. In dispensing pharmacies, there are many prescriptions from mental clinics, and it is difficult to know whether they are taking ECGs. I wondered whether it is properly practiced in clinics and what the doctors' awareness is. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• In the case of patients with schizophrenia, they have to continue taking medication for a long time, so I was always only concerned about whether they were following the medication schedule properly. I wanted to be able to listen more about whether the side effects I learned about today are appearing. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• The detailed explanation of the side effects of antipsychotics and the reasons for their occurrence with specific cases and data was easy to understand. There are some private practitioners (not psychiatrists) who like to (?) prescribe antipsychotics, and it is fine if they are effective, but I felt the fear of using them easily. I had never thought about the relationship between continuous medication and the sensation of taking the medicine before, so I realized how significant it is. As with any disease, I think the combination of lifestyle habits and training, not just drug therapy, is important. Since many people in psychiatry are delicate, the talk that we must also think from the perspective of the sensation of taking the medicine when changing to generic drugs was impressive. (Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I learned the basic concepts from the lecturer, and it was very educational. Also, the idea that our work might resolve the concerns of doctors is encouraging for the future. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I will be giving a talk about medicine to the local community next month, and I felt that I want to strongly convey the importance of carrying a medication notebook for things like selecting neutralizing agents in emergencies. Also, many hospitalized patients are taking anticoagulants. I want to re-inform the nurses on the ward about risks such as falls. (40s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• I heard for the first time that there are many cases where patients stop taking their medication. I feel that patients are relatively willing to take it when I explain that it "thins the blood." I also ask about bleeding tendencies at the counter, but it's only rare with Warfarin. After hearing today's talk, I want to check and make sure not to miss hidden discontinuations. (60s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• In daily medication guidance, the question "Do you have a tendency to bleed?" has become commonplace, and I became worried that this might be leading to unnecessary discontinuation of medication. Regarding DOACs, which do not have indicators like PT-INR, I was curious if there are persuasive explanations for care managers at community care meetings. (50s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• Regarding DOACs, patients have asked me, "How do I know if it's working?" I realized that, as expected, it cannot be judged like Warfarin. If subcutaneous bleeding is not a guide for major bleeding, then what should I do and what should I check...? (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

Dr. Naoki Uemura

• I have worked at a dispensing pharmacy for 10 years. I have studied daily to improve my pharmaceutical knowledge, but I felt a vague sense of dissatisfaction. Hearing the talk on hospitality today brought me back to my roots, and I want to incorporate hospitality into my work starting tomorrow. (30s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I clearly understood that hospitality is important for future pharmacies. The example thinking about the difference between service and hospitality was interesting. I want to work while thinking about hospitality starting Monday. (20s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• It was helpful, but I think hospitality is impossible if you don't have leeway yourself. The reality is that if there is no time, I only explain with documents and cannot confirm how much the patient understands. To put it bluntly, I only look at the immediate sales. The issue of how to introduce mechanization to eliminate dispensing errors also results in labor costs being cheaper if you only think about immediate profits. Also, if each pharmacist does not work with a sense of ethics, even if a mistake is made, the responsibility may end up being pushed onto the managing pharmacist alone. (60s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I feel that as a pharmacist in a pharmacy until now, there have been many aspects of service to the patient. I want to think about providing support tailored to each individual patient. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

Dr. Shinichi Yamamura

• By understanding family pharmacies and family pharmacists, I hope that pharmacists, who are often behind the scenes, can play a leading role in the medical world, lower medical costs, and become a popular profession. (As a pioneer for the world) (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• It became easier to imagine the future that family pharmacists and health support pharmacies should aim for, which not only contribute to the maintenance and promotion of health but also bear the purpose of lowering medical costs. To support community medicine from the patient's perspective, I also felt the importance of cooperation between pharmacies and the need for unity in the pharmacy as a whole. (30s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• I only had a vague understanding of what is important for creating a pharmacy that can appeal to the outside. I want to take action and practice starting tomorrow so that I can intervene even in small things, achieve results, and communicate them externally. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I have been thinking about the social status and positioning of pharmacists for some time. I think many pharmacists have conservative ideas. I always think we need to win our own status and positioning ourselves. It was a course that made me think about what should be done. (30s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I think I was able to fully understand the importance of handling tools well when assessing general condition, and that consciousness and breathing significantly change appearance. Also, if I receive a consultation from a patient about a doctor's explanation, I want to skillfully convey the meaning of self-medication. (30s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• In my previous work centered on dispensing, I hadn't really looked closely at the general condition, but I thought this is a very important perspective in home care and health support pharmacy work in the future. I want to spend more time learning about the identification of red flag signs through many specific cases. In cases where a medical consultation is recommended, I will be providing something equivalent to a referral letter in writing to the doctor, so I would like to know what kind of information is required. (40s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• "Avoid life-threatening crises with a combination of vital signs!" These words really hit home. Until now, my version of vital signs was only measurement, and I had never considered or responded to things like breathing or consciousness. Appearance is the most important sign. This is a big takeaway from today. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• Especially in home care, I sometimes contact doctors based on intuitive judgments regarding triage, but this time, having been taught from the basics, I want to put it into practice so that I can master the art of discerning. The "efficient triage: discerning between 'general condition' and 'mild symptoms'" was very helpful. (50s, Pharmacy Pharmacist)

• I used to be in OTC sales, and if I had known the content of today's lecture, my advice to patients would have been different. It was very helpful. (40s, Hospital Pharmacist)

• It was very educational. I felt that vital signs and physical assessment had a bit of a high hurdle, but the fact that visual inspection is basically important was something I hadn't been aware of before. It was very practical, easy to understand, and truly meaningful. (It also made sense that intuition is important in a doctor's diagnosis, and that it is backed by experience.)