Diagnosis and treatment involving radiation are advanced and specialized, and the application range of radiation use is expanding year by year. Under these circumstances, nurses are engaged in caring for patients undergoing radiation for diagnosis and treatment in various clinical settings. Meanwhile, in response to the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant accident, the importance of radiation education for basic nursing and continuing education was recognized. Therefore, Hirosaki University Graduate School of Health Sciences has been holding “radiological nursing seminars” aimed at improving nurses’ knowledge of and practical ability in radiation. In addition to reporting on this activity, we examined the interests and needs related to radiological nursing based on the results of questionnaire surveys conducted on the participants of the seminars. The results of the surveys suggest that nurses have a high degree of interest in radiation and motivation for learning and that radiological nursing seminars are effective for helping nurses obtain a better understanding of radiological nursing.

A new nursing curriculum will be introduced from 2019, and it will include modules on radiation. Since 2005, Nagasaki University has launched lectures on radiological nursing for senior nursing students to better understand the impact of radiation in the atomic-bombed areas. Therefore, in this study, we reported on radiation component of nursing curriculum at Nagasaki University and obtained suggestions regarding the content after introducing the new curriculum. When launched in 2005, radiation lectures were allocated 15 hours within the program. However, we revised the lecture time to 30 hours after the accident at Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station. The lecturers were various medical personnel such as medical doctors, registered nurses, public health nurses, dentists, and so on. The contents of this curriculum were basic radiation medical sciences, radiation health effects, nursing for the patients receiving radiation therapy, and nursing after nuclear accidents. Student responses on the original questionnaire before and after the lectures indicated increased total and content score. Through the 30 hours of lectures, students gained the knowledge of radiation. Nevertheless, we experienced several difficulties in setting the lecture time due to an overcrowded nursing curriculum and the lack of faculty experts on radiation. In the future, it will be necessary to organize classes at each university. For this reason, we hope this report will beneficial as a reference.

人類史上最悪の原子爆弾が、広島、長崎にそれぞれ投下されてから73年が経過し、生存している原爆被爆者の高齢化とその減少に伴い、当時の貴重な経験や教訓が風化の危機に晒されています。そこで、本年は、本学会が長崎で開催されることから、原爆被災直後の救護活動に携わった代表的な医師の一人である永井隆博士生誕110周年を記念し、永井隆博士の人間性に学ぶと同時に、博士を敬慕し続けナイチンゲール賞を受賞された久松シソノ氏の「凛として看護」を学び直す貴重な機会であると言えます。すなわち、原爆被災からの再起と復興を糧に、長崎の地に学んだ私たちがいかにその経験と教訓を生かし、現代リスク社会の中で新たな役割を果たす使命と責務があることを共に考えたいと思います。

その上で、東日本大震災、そして東京電力（株）福島第一原子力発電所事故から7年半を経過しようとしていますが、今なお避難を余儀なくされている方々や、震災関連での多くの障壁のために、生活の困難や不便さを甘受されている被災者に心からお見舞い申し上げます。震災、そして原発事故後の混乱と混迷の中で、放射線影響研究や被ばく医療を専門とする医療人が、いかなる信念と行動規範に基づき、日本の禍機とも言える困難の中で東奔西走し、危機的状況を乗り越えたのかその活動精神の一端を紹介します。

本依頼原稿の本文は、日本語ではなく英語で紹介しますが、理由は同じテーマですでに本年6月の原子爆弾後障害研究会で先に書かせていただき、重複を避けると同時に、放射線看護領域でもグローバル化対応に少なからずお役に立てるからだと思うからです。ご理解頂ければ幸甚です。