The educational goals of the School of Health Sciences are to foster highly professional practical skills that are required by nurses, public health nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists and to foster the basic research abilities that are needed in order for those professions to explore their respective academic fields based on the founding spirit and philosophy of the university. By achieving the above goals, the School meets the demands of modern society in cooperation and partnership with diverse parties, while fostering human resources who can contribute to improvements in health, medical and welfare services, and academic development in Hokkaido. 
To contribute to the regional medical care that Sapporo Medical University envisions, the School of Health Sciences supports individual students in their efforts to improve their abilities and become creative medical professionals with advanced knowledge, excellent skills and a rich sense of humanity.

With a vision to create a society where people live healthy lives, the School of Health Sciences develops nurses, public health nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists who will take the initiative to contribute to the enrichment and development of community health, medical care and welfare services in collaboration/cooperation with individuals/organizations from different backgrounds. To accomplish this, students with the following qualities are sought:
1. Students who wish to support people’s health and lifestyles as a nurse, public health nurse, physical therapist or occupational therapist
2. Students who are interested in local communities and motivated to contribute to health and medical services and welfare in Hokkaido
3. Students who can act with sound judgment according to their conscience and the norms of society
4. Students who value companionship and always treat others with consideration
5. Students who can consider society from various perspectives and look at things with intellectual curiosity and a flexible mindset
6. Students who wish to grow through interactions with other people and society and make steady efforts to achieve their goals

The School of Health Sciences confers a degree to students who have acquired the required credits as set by the respective departments based on the common policy of the school, are equipped with the professional and practical skills required for nurses, public health nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists who will play an active role in community healthcare, and have the following abilities:

1. Basic abilities to realize the university’s fundamental ethos
　The ability to respect human rights, personality and individuality
　The ability to observe phenomena in nature and society from various angles and think logically
　The ability to consider various social issues from an international perspective and to subjectively participate in activities
　The ability to act to improve health, medical care and welfare services as a member of society

2. Abilities required for professionals providing health, medical care and welfare services
　The systematic knowledge and skills required for the respective professional fields as a nurse, public health nurse,   
   physical therapist and occupational therapist
　The communication skills to build and develop relationships with others
　The ability to identify issues in ones specialized field and solve them with scientific thinking
　The ability to collaborate/cooperate with others involved in health, medical care and welfare services

In order to foster human resources described in the diploma policy, the School of Health Sciences organizes and implements a curriculum as outlined below.

1. The curriculum consists of general subjects in the liberal arts curriculum and subjects in specialized education.
　1) Subjects in the liberal arts curriculum comprise “biological understanding,” “psychology, behavior, thinking,” “society and culture,” “lifestyles and information,” and “communication” to help students broadly comprehend humans and their culture, their natural surroundings and society. Other subjects to build communication skills that involve Japanese and foreign languages, sign language and Braille are also offered.
　2) Subjects in specialized education comprise “specialized subjects on the fundamentals,” “specialized subjects,” “integrated learning” and “practical clinical training.”
　　Specialized subjects on the fundamentals offer a comprehensive understanding of human beings who are the subjects of health, medical and welfare services and provide basic knowledge to support an understanding of each specialized field.
　　Specialized subjects consist of distinctive subjects within the systems of nursing, physical therapy and occupational
therapy. Students will acquire knowledge and skills in each academic field gradually and systematically.
　　Integrated learning includes subjects to acquire basic knowledge for research in specialized fields and experience the research process as well as common subjects which are provided in the three departments of the school and the School of Medicine to help students to acquire a basic professional attitude and the ability to cooperate within a team. In Healthcare 1 – 4, which are representative subjects of the School of Health Sciences, students from the three departments are mixed
into groups and acquire the basic attitude required for medical professionals and the respective specialized knowledge and skills step by step.
　　Practical clinical training provides students with the opportunity to practically acquire the knowledge, skills and attitude required for professionals through face-to-face interaction with patients and staff. The practical skills required for each occupation are developed through practical experiences based on the expertise of nurses, public health nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists at the University Hospital and other healthcare and welfare facilities.

2. Subjects related to nursing, physical therapy and occupational therapy are offered for first-year students in order to motivate them to become specialists. An innovative curriculum is organized to deepen professional knowledge and skills gradually as students progress to the next grade.

3. Subjects comprising a curriculum are offered in the forms of lectures, seminars and experiments/practical training. As one of the characteristics of a school that educates nurses, public health nurses, physical therapists and occupational therapists who are directly engaged in health, medical care and welfare services, the school offers a high percentage of subjects focusing on specialized seminars and practical training that allow students to acquire knowledge, skills and attitude based on their real experiences.

4. Focusing on small group settings by taking advantage of the characteristics of a small-sized department, proactive
approaches, including small group learning and field work, are used more frequently to give instruction to students based on their individuality. In classes, students are required to engage in a high-quality and high-quantity learning process which includes preparation and the application of knowledge/skills as well as to develop an attitude to learn continuously and at their own initiative.

A four-year curriculum is organized based on the educational policy. During their first year, students study general subjects in the liberal arts curriculum and specialized education in order to aid their personal development. From the second year onward, students pursue professional courses.

• Department of Nursing

　　　　　First Division of Nursing
　　　　　Second Division of Nursing
　　　　　Third Division of Nursing

• Department of Physical Therapy

　　　　　First Division of Physical Therapy
　　　　　Second Division of Physical Therapy

• Department of Occupational Therapy

　　　　　First Division of Occupational Therapy
　　　　　Second Division of Occupational Therapy

Detailed instructions in a small group setting
The maximum capacity at the Department of Nursing is 50 students each year, while there are 30 full-time teachers. This kind of small group education is unprecedented nationwide.
The number of students per teacher is small, so that the teacher can provide detailed and tailored instructions to individual students based on their personality and ability.
Detailed instructions are also given to students on the spot during practical clinical training programs, which are considered especially important in the department, supporting students to build a foundation for improving their practical skills.

Unique curriculum to cultivate strong clinical skills
The specialized fields at the Department of Physical Therapy are divided into locomotor disability, central nervous system disorders, developmental disorders, internal disorders and community physical therapy. Classroom lectures to acquire knowledge are provided individually for each field, while seminars and practical training to acquire techniques and skills are provided in a comprehensive way. This unique curriculum supports the development of strong practical skills in students.
The department also has coordinators to arrange groups of course subjects which have high commonalities with each other. The continuity of knowledge and skills learned in different subjects is considered to provide the most effective learning environment.

Occupational therapy provides various types of therapeutic interventions to physically handicapped, mentally handicapped, patients with higher cerebral dysfunction, developmental disorder children and the elderly. Therefore, the occupational therapist can be recognized as a specific category of medical professionals to require a broad knowledge of social sciences and humanities as well as medicine. Based on the philosophy, we are pushing ahead with an enhancement of general education and specialized education through collaboration with real local society to focus on the character building for a medical professional.