Background: The processes through which healthcare professionals learn interprofessional communication and develop related perceptions remain insufficiently understood.　Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight healthcare professionals with over 10 years of experience. Transcripts were analyzed thematically, and changes in learning and perception were examined using the framework of communities of practice.　Results: Four themes emerged regarding learning processes: (1) observing colleagues, (2) engaging in conversations to learn patient care from other professions, (3) collaborating while mutually understanding professional roles, and (4) practicing collaborative care while maintaining professional responsibilities. Regarding perceptions, four themes were identified: (5) tools for accurate information sharing, (6) tools for fostering mutual understanding, (7) tools for enabling teams to achieve common goals, and (8) competencies essential for healthcare professionals.　Conclusion: Findings suggest that as experienced professionals deepen their participation in communities of practice, interprofessional communication evolves through a process of reinterpreting prior experiences and understandings, leading to gradual transformation and reconstruction of learning and perceptions.

Background : Health Advocacy (HA) is an important competency for physicians, but education in this area remains underdeveloped in Japan. This study aimed to qualitatively analyze the educational effects of the Child Advocacy Training (CHAT) program designed for pediatric residents in Japan and to derive implications for future educators.　Methods : Semi-structured interviews were conducted with six pediatric residents who participated in all sessions of CHAT after program completion. The obtained transcripts were analyzed using thematic analysis.　Results : Three categories and 12 themes were extracted : “Deepening of Conceptual Understanding,” “Expansion and Quality Improvement of Practice Content,” and “Expansion of Considerations for Practice Environment.” Participants demonstrated long-term understanding of HA concepts, acquired the ability to systematically combine HA methods, and developed changes in their practical environment. Additionally, they gained perspectives on educational recall and educational expansion.　Discussion : Through CHAT learning, participants not only acquired superficial HA knowledge and skills but were also confirmed to engage in self-reflection and form new values or reconstruct existing ones, suggesting the possibility that CHAT promotes the experiential learning cycle.　Conclusion : The CHAT program may promote awareness and behavioral transformation related to the HA role and serve as a foundation for developing practical HA competencies through experiential learning cycles.

Background: Clinical clerkship training does not always provide an ideal environment for self-regulated learning (SRL) among medical students, and how students manage their learning during this period remains unclear. This study aims to explore how medical students perceive their SRL during clinical clerkship training in the emergency medicine department.　Methods: Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 28 fifth-year medical students at University A. Thematic analysis was performed using the SRL cyclical model as a theoretical framework.　Results: Eight themes were identified, including the emergence of professional identity through clinical training, the flexible selection of learning goals and tools in uncertain environments, and the appropriate planning of next-day goals and learning strategies through dialogue.　Discussion: The findings suggest that dialogue with colleagues, participation in team-based care, and clerkship structures grounded in the cyclical SRL model positively influence the transformation of students' perceptions of SRL.

Objective: To clarify the characteristics of medical students' motives for choosing their profession.Methods: A nationwide, cross-sectional, quantitative web survey was conducted using the Profession Choice Motivation Scale for Education Students. Results: Valid responses were obtained from 1,804 medical students, and the applicability of this scale was demonstrated. Medical students considered "contribution to others," "fulfillment in the profession and studying medicine," "financial aspects," and "evaluation by others" to be important, while "mental and physical comfort" was deemed less important. Mean scores for "contribution to others" were significantly higher among female students, public medical school students, students attending their first- or second-choice medical schools, regional quota students, public high school graduates, and first-generation college students. Conversely, students with very low scores for "contribution to others" showed opposite demographic backgrounds. Discussion: The Profession Choice Motivation Scale for Education Students was applicable to the analysis of medical students, and a correlation was observed between demographic backgrounds and profession choice motives.

The role of academic journals evolves with the times. Academic publishing is diversifying, shifting from traditional paper-based formats to broader dissemination through open access. In response to these developments-and to contribute to ongoing progress in medical education-Medical Education (Japan) has undertaken a comprehensive revision of its submission guidelines. As of January 17, 2025, all submissions, peer reviews, and editorial processes are being conducted in accordance with the updated guidelines.　The Editorial Board convened a round-table discussion to explore recent developments, beginning with the revision of the submission guidelines. This discussion elaborates on the journal's role and its relevance to the academic community, including society members, authors, and readers. It features statements from participating editorial committee members and highlights the key issues discussed, including the criteria each member uses to evaluate manuscripts. The aim is to offer insight into the journal's editorial stance and decision-making process.

Objective: Perceptions of citizens and health professions educators towards the socioeconomic backgrounds of medical students were investigated to elucidate the challenges of selecting medical students who will be responsible for the future of healthcare in Japan.Methods: Ten focus groups, comprising 14 citizens and 26 health professions educators, were conducted regarding the presented information on the socioeconomic backgrounds of Japanese medical students. Data were analyzed using an inductive thematic analysis approach.Results: Six themes related to family backgrounds, such as higher economic status, five themes related to social backgrounds, such as social and educational disparity, and four themes related to expectations for medical education, such as selection of medical students with diverse backgrounds were extracted.Discussion: Both citizens and health professions educators were aware of the problem of the skewed socioeconomic backgrounds of medical students and the need to expand diversity. This finding will contribute to the reconsideration of future medical school admission criteria.