Building Capabilities of Nursing Students While Fostering Leadership in the Tohoku Region Students Selected for the 4th “TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program”
June 8, 2018
U.S.-Japan Council (Japan)
Building Capabilities of Nursing Students While Fostering Leadership
in the Tohoku Region
Students Selected for the 4th “TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program”
The TOMODACHI Initiative (hereafter, “TOMODACHI”), operated by the U.S.-Japan Council, has selected participants for the 4th TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program. This program is planned and conducted through a partnership with the Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies in Japan (hereafter, “Johnson & Johnson”).
This program aims to deepen the expertise of students specializing in disaster medicine and nursing, as well as to foster leaders of the next generation. It was launched in 2015 in partnership with Johnson & Johnson, a company that fully supports the aim of TOMODACHI – the reconstruction of areas affected by the Great East Japan Earthquake through education programs for the next generation. For the past three years, this program has provided learning opportunities for a total of 28 nursing students from Tohoku. Even after completing this program, participants (hereafter, “alumni”) continue to work on activities related to disaster nursing with the support from those involved in the program.
Based on the previous achievements of this program, Johnson & Johnson and TOMODACHI have decided to continue the TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program for three (3) years from 2018 to 2020. This year, which marks the program’s fourth year, the target population was nursing students from Iwate, Miyagi, and Fukushima prefectures who are studying throughout the country, as well as those who are currently studying in these three prefectures affected by the 2011 disaster. After a rigorous selection process, seven (7) new participants were selected.
The TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program is comprised of three main components: 1) Pre-Trip Seminars, 2) Study Tour in the United States, and 3) Post-Trip Seminars. The Pre-Trip Seminars will be held in Sendai in June and July 2018. The Study Tour in the United States will take place over 10 days in August, and participants will visit facilities and organizations specializing in disaster medicine and nursing in New York, New Jersey, and Washington, D.C. In addition, as part of post trip activities, participants will plan and execute activities by themselves, based on what they learn in the United States, and will present their learnings at the Post-Trip Symposium (Details of the program will be described below.)
Through these approximately seven (7) months of training, participants are expected to build on their experiences, lessons, and studies, and to acquire the skills and knowledge necessary to respond to disasters and emergency situations. After finishing this program, they are expected to play an active role in their respective regions as next generation leaders in the field of disaster nursing.
In addition, the program aims to help participants contribute to the development and strengthening of the foundation of disaster nursing in Japan, by sharing what they learn with each of their respective regions.
Upon announcing the selected participants for the fourth year of this program, Irene Hirano Inouye, Representative Director and President of the U.S.-Japan Council (Japan) commented, “We are very pleased that thanks to our continued partnership with Johnson & Johnson, we are able to continue providing nursing students from or in the Tohoku region the opportunity to take their first steps as specialists in the field of disaster nursing. We are confident that the students who experienced this unprecedented disaster, holding onto that experience and feeling, will apply what they learn in the United States to Tohoku with peers who share the same visions. In addition, we are confident that with their globally competitive skills, the students will grow as leaders who will advance disaster nursing not only in Tohoku, but also throughout Japan.”
Tamotsu Hiiro, President of Johnson & Johnson K.K., commented, “Our company has actively engaged in long-term assistance in various ways at different times, based on an understanding of the changing needs and situations of affected areas. We believe that the importance of fostering the next generation of leaders has increased due to the current transition from post-disaster recovery to reconstruction. Moreover, we have seen that nursing students grow significantly through the program. We firmly believe in the accomplishments of the program and therefore, decided to extend our commitments. The alumni of the program have succeeded in various activities including employment and higher education, and we look forward to the growth of all the participants as leaders in the field of disaster nursing, by encouraging one another as individuals with a common aspiration, looking toward the future, inspiring one another, and continuing their journey.”
Ayaka Sasaki, Ishinomaki Red Cross Nursing College, Second Year
After working for a while, I decided to attend nursing school. There are three incidents behind my aim to become a nurse. First, I lost my grandparents in the Great East Japan Earthquake. Second, I was hospitalized and underwent surgery many times because of a car accident. Due to my injuries, I was forced to give up on my dreams. Third, at my first job, I saw my boss struggle with an illness. Through these experiences, I began to think deeply about my mission and role in society, and decided to work to become a nurse. In my heart, I always remember that I couldn’t save my grandparents, as well as the kindness of the nurse who provided me with emotional support while I was hospitalized. Through this program, my goal is to bring back and spread what I have learned in the United States throughout Tohoku. And in the future, I would like to become a nurse who possesses knowledge and skills, and who can empathize with others.
TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program Schedule
| ▼Pre-Trip Seminar
(June – July, 2018) |
Workshops and orientation by specialists and experts in the field of Disaster Medicine and meeting with program participants from the previous year.
・Sendai：June 9 (Sat) – 10 (Sun) ・Sendai：July 21 (Sat) – 22 (Sun) |
| ▼U.S. Study Tour (August, 2018) | Travel to New York, New Jersey, and Washington D.C. for 10 days to meet with counterparts and leaders in the field of Disaster Nursing. Learn about the latest technologies. Share their own experiences during the Great East Japan Earthquake.
・August 5 (Sun)： Depart Japan, arrive in the U.S. on the same day ・August 15 (Wed) : Depart the U.S., arrive in Japan on August 16 (Thur) |
| ▼Post-Trip Seminars and Post-Trip
Symposium (September – December, 2018） |
Engage in activities to share with their home communities what they learned during the U.S. Study Tour.
・Post-Trip Seminars (Sendai)： September 22 (Sat) – 23 (Sun) ・Post Trip Symposium (Sendai)：December (tentative) |
About the TOMODACHI Initiative
The TOMODACHI Initiative is a public-private partnership between the U.S.-Japan Council and the U.S. Embassy in Tokyo, with support from the Government of Japan. Born out of support for Japan’s recovery from the Great East Japan Earthquake, TOMODACHI invests in the next generation of Japanese and American leaders through educational and cultural exchanges as well as leadership programs. The initiative seeks to foster a “TOMODACHI Generation” of young American and Japanese leaders who are committed to and engaged in strengthening U.S.-Japan relations, appreciate each other’s countries and cultures, and possess the global skills and mindsets needed to contribute to and thrive in a more cooperative, prosperous, and secure world.
Visit us at www.tomodachi.org
About Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies
Johnson & Johnson Family of Companies in Japan consists of Johnson & Johnson K.K. with Consumer Company, Medical Company and Vision Care Company and Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K.
【For Inquiries, please contact】
U.S.-Japan Council/TOMODACHI Initiative:
Michiyo Horita, Director for TOMODACHI Programs and Communications TEL: 03-4510-3400 Email: tomodachi@usjapancouncil.org
Johnson & Johnson:
Yumiko Iuchi, Communication & Public Affairs, Medical Company TEL: 03-4411-7155 Email: PRESS@ITS.JNJ.com
- Click here to meet the 4th TOMODACHI J&J Disaster Nursing Training Program participants
