University Accreditation Results(Results for Certified Evaluation and Accreditation for university)

Kanazawa Medical University

Basic Information of the Institution
Ownership: Private

Location: Ishikawa, Japan

Accreditation Status
Year of the Review: 2014
Accreditation Status: accredited（Accreditation Period: April.01.2015 – March.31.2022）

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Certified Evaluation and Accreditation Resultsfor Kanazawa Medical University
Overview
Kanazawa Medical University (hereafter, the University) was established in 1972 as the
only private medical university located in the coastal area facing the Sea of Japan withits campus located in Uchinada-machi, Kahoku-gun, Ishikawa Prefecture. Since then,the University has established the Graduate School of Medical Science in 1982 and theSchool of Nursing in 2007. It currently operates as a university with two undergraduate
programs, the School of Medicine and the School of Nursing, and one graduate program,the Graduate School of Medical Science. The University has developed its educational,research, and clinical activities based on its founding spirits of “educating good
physicians,” “mastering medical knowledge and skills,” and “making contributions tothe society.”
After its accreditation review by Japan University Accreditation Association(JUAA) in 2007, the University has developed special features such as education
through small class size and has made efforts for social cooperation and contribution byoffering medical care and social services that meet local community needs aroundnorthern Noto area. However, it also has issues to address, including those in the area ofcurriculum, educational methods, and outcomes, and in the area of student enrollment.
JUAA hopes that the University will make improvements.
Notable Strengths
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

It is commendable that at the University faculty members employ educational
methods to cultivate students’ problem-solving abilities and to improve leaningoutcomes. Specifically, the University actively utilizes methods of small grouplearning and attaches great importance to hands-on experiences. For example, theSchool of Medicine has made efforts to encourage students’ mutual learning
support outside of class by setting up a Student Doctor’s Office. The School ofNursing offers nursing practicums to value experiences at actual clinical sites forstudents from the first semester of their freshman year through the fourth year.

Social Cooperation and ContributionIt is commendable that the University has made efforts to contribute to localcommunities. For example, in Himi-City, Toyama Prefecture, the University runs
Himi Municipal Hospital. Collaborating with Ishikawa Prefecture, it has also
opened up the “Northern Noto Institute for Community Medicine” to provide
medical and social services that meet local residents’ needs. In addition, theUniversity has held events that give primary, junior high and senior high school
students opportunities to understand the University’s research findings, so that theymight become interested in pursuing future careers in the fields such as medicineand science.

Suggestions for Improvement
Faculty and Faculty OrganizationIn the School of Nursing, personnel decisions of faculty (e.g., hiring andpromotions) have been conducted by following “The Regulations for Selection of3

Faculty in the School of Medicine” because it does not have its own regulations.
This should be improved.
Educational Content, Methods, and Outcome

In its policy on degree award, the Graduate School of Medical Science has notclarified learning outcomes at the end of program completion. This should beimproved by stating learning outcomes consistently with the school educational
objectives and making them public for dissemination.

The Graduate School of Medical Science has not clearly stated the criteria for
examining doctoral dissertations. These criteria should be formulated and clearly
written in the student handbook such as “Guidelines for Graduate Education.”

Enrollment
In the Department of Medicine in the School of Medicine, the average ratios of thelast five years of enrolled freshmen to the freshman admission cap is high at 1.01.
The ratio of enrolled students to the student enrollment cap is high at 1.03. Thissituation should be improved.

In the Department of Nursing in the School of Nursing, the ratio of enrolled transfer
students to the transfer student enrollment cap is low at 0.15. This situation shouldbe improved.