[Introduction] In accordance with the 2018 revision of the Medical Care Act, prefectures have established career development programs for regional quota physicians aimed at both securing physicians committed to regional medical care and fostering their career development. We have surveyed and reviewed these programs across each prefecture.

[Methods] The authors gathered information on the programs, which includes the acquisition of medical specialties, as well as the timing and duration of regional assignments, from the websites of each prefecture. The analysis of start timing and duration was limited to internal medicine.

[Results] All prefectures have formulated programs. In more than 30% of the prefectures, regional quota physicians can choose any specialty from all available specialties. The regional assignment typically begins three years post-graduation, with a duration of four years in most cases.

[Discussion] This nationwide trend provides a resource to evaluate the state of post-graduate education for regional quota physicians and to consider the future enhancement of these programs.

　The extent to which students’ experiences are enriched by incorporating anthropology into clinical education in undergraduate medical education has not been adequately examined. The authors have collaborated to integrate anthropological fieldwork with clinical education in a clinical clerkship course. Reflection on the course has highlighted that the principles of anthropological fieldwork have stimulated changes in the roles of both faculty and students, as well as their interpersonal dynamics. These changes have the potential to promote an ‘education emerged from serendipity in the field’ approach, which tends to be undervalued in the current clinical training driven by the prevailing outcome-based medical education paradigm.

　A live animal training program is offered to medical students seeking more advanced surgical education. This program requires active participation in all aspects, from planning to implementation.

　The program provides medical students with a valuable opportunity to develop their interest in surgical care and to acquire advanced surgical techniques through a step-by-step approach. Additionally, they have the chance to develop various types of non-technical skills by assuming different roles within a team. Instructors offer support for their learning.

　Peer learning allows medical students to learn from and discuss with each other, enabling them to acquire a broad range of knowledge and skills. Simultaneously, students are expected to understand the importance of a team approach by participating in this program from the perspectives of various medical professions. Moreover, the program contributes to the formation of their professional identity.

　Clinical clerkships in medical school requires an educational approach that integrates medical students into the medical team and progressively assigns medical tasks to them based on their competencies. However, it is challenging for supervisors to delegate tasks to medical students gradually while considering medical safety. This paper outlines the design of an emergency department clinical clerkship program based on the Four Component Instructional Design (4C/ID) model. This model enables students to learn complex task performance skills in stages while developing a schema, considering the cognitive load involved in learning complex tasks. The 4C/ID model is anticipated to be an effective instructional design for constructing clinical clerkship programs.

The Professionalism subcommittee of Japan Society for Medical Education has been examining a diverse range of issues related to medical professionalism education for approximately the past 20 years. In July 2015, the committee formulated and presented a draft on “ The Attributes and Competencies of Physicians: An Exploration of Professionalism” Based on this, we have been conducting educational activities on professionalism education, but we had not documented this draft. We are now re-presenting the draft here with minor lexical corrections and additional notes. The professionalism of physicians is delineated in seven attributes and competencies :

1. Sense of mission and responsibility towards society

2. Practice of patient-centered health care

3. Demonstration of integrity and justice

4. Acceptance of diverse values and sharing of fundamental values

5. Fulfilling roles as leaders/members in organizations and teams

6. Pursuit of excellence and lifelong learning

7. Self-management and career development

This document is presented with the expectation that it will contribute to future discussions on professionalism education.