Reflections on the 25th Anniversary Commemorative Events of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care | Satoko Nagata, Dean of the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care
On June 14, the commemorative ceremony and events for the 25th anniversary of the establishment of the Keio University Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care were held. While a major event related to Keio nursing was held in 2018 to commemorate 100 years of Keio nursing, that event took place at the Shinanomachi Campus. Therefore, this was the first large-scale event centered on graduates to be held at the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care on the Shonan Fujisawa Campus (SFC) since its establishment. On the day, many graduates nostalgic for the faculty, former faculty and staff members, and their associates attended. With over 440 attendees, the school building was filled with smiles and conversations as people reconnected with old friends.
The ceremony was attended by the President, trustees and officers within Keio, former deans, and representatives of the Kobaikai (the alumni association for Keio nursing), from whom we received many heartwarming congratulatory messages. Additionally, two fourth-year students delivered a "Declaration for the Future," passionately describing the depth and difficulty of nursing based on their experiences in clinical practice, as well as their determination to take on those challenges. Following the ceremony, commemorative events such as a symposium, a business contest titled "Nursing Tigers," and various exhibitions were held. Due to space limitations, I cannot describe them all here; please refer to the reports scheduled to be posted on the 25th-anniversary website and the August issue of Mita-hyoron (official monthly journal published by Keio University Press) for details.
Later, I had the opportunity to receive further congratulatory words from officers within Keio. Many of them expressed how moved they were by the faculty's enthusiasm for the commemorative events and the underlying sense of "warmth" that permeated the entire occasion. Furthermore, several individuals, including the President, mentioned they were impressed by the global activities in nursing and medical care, particularly those in developing countries and conflict zones. I would like to note that this is a result of the caliber and dedicated efforts of our faculty members in the global field.
One of the main headquarters' projects was an exhibition of the results of a graduate survey conducted for the 25th anniversary. A dean from another faculty commented that the tracking of career paths after graduation was fascinating and expressed a desire to implement something similar in their own faculty. In the Faculty of Nursing and Medical Care, while the majority of students find employment as clinical nurses at medical institutions immediately after graduation, many graduates change their workplace or job type within several years, utilizing their nursing experience and licenses to excel in diverse fields. This was an opportunity to reaffirm that demonstrating these facts is important for promoting the appeal of our faculty.
Finally, I would like to conclude this piece by sharing the words of an undergraduate student who, after seeing the diverse achievements of the graduates, said, "After I graduate, I want to work hard so that I can shine like them and be someone my juniors look up to." In closing, I would like to express my heartfelt gratitude to the many people both inside and outside the faculty who were involved in this event. Please also look forward to the 25th-anniversary commemorative book scheduled for publication in September.
The photo shows the dorayaki from Bunsendo that was distributed as a souvenir. The sweetness permeated through my pleasant fatigue.