Key words: medical professionalism, Japan, Bushido, Yarigai, Neoliberalism

"Why do doctors work for patients? Medical professionalism in the era of neoliberalism"

This thesis focuses on doctors’ professionalism. The perspective as a Japanese medical educator was used to explore the meaning of work in the context of twenty-first century medical education, and the question was asked: “why do doctors work for patients?” The followings are the research questions:

1. How has Japanese culture influenced the medical professionalism discussion? How does Bushido, a Japanese unique value system, influence medical professionalism?

2. How do doctors work under work hour regulations? What influences residents’ subjective or qualitative workloads?

3. Why did doctors go to rescue victims of the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami? What motivates doctors to work for patients beyond expectations in such situations?

4. How do doctors feel Yarigai, a Japanese concept similar to fulfilment, when interacting with their patients in the twenty-first century? What kind of ethics and values do doctors’ narratives embody?

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