On June 13, 2025, a career roundtable meeting for medical students entitled “Student-Doctor Meeting (Career -related Roundtable Discussions)” was held at the Kyoto University Medical Plaza on the campus of Kyoto University School of Medicine.
This event was organized by the Japan Medical Association to support medical students and residents in 2025, and was co-organized and planned by Kyoto Medical Association, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine WLB Promotion Center Miyako, and Kyoto University KUSNoKI Project.
On the day, 16 medical students (including 3 international students from the University of Alabama, 1 from Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, and the rest from Kyoto University), 10 physicians, and 3 faculty members and administrative staff participated in free discussions in groups while having lunch.
During the roundtable meeting, participating physicians politely answered questions submitted by students in advance (e.g., how to prepare for a matching interview, how to spend time during clinical practice, how to choose a department, work-life balance as a physician, and future career development), using their own experiences.
For example, regarding interviews, based on real experience as an interviewer, they advised that evaluation points include “whether or not you can have a natural conversation” and “how to respond to mean-spirited questions. In choosing a department, it is important to “visit many departments and explore your aptitudes and interests,” he advised. He also introduced four types of career paths for doctors (Expert, Linear, Spiral, and Transitory), and one of the participating students commented, “I gained a new perspective in thinking about my career.
It was a very meaningful time with active exchanges of opinions among students and doctors with diverse backgrounds, including some international exchanges.
Finally, a warm message from Dr. Chie Sotozono, Director of WLB Promotion Center Miyako, Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine, who was unable to attend the meeting, was introduced, and the meeting ended in a friendly and relaxed mood.
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to all participants and all those involved for their cooperation.
We will continue to provide a place where medical students and residents can freely discuss their future while continuing to collaborate with the Kyoto Medical Association and the Kyoto Prefectural University of Medicine WLB Promotion Center Miyako.
