Small steps, bigger possibilities: rethinking study abroad for Japanese nursing students

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Japan's declining birth rate presents a challenge for international education providers seeking to attract students from Japan. One group deserves attention: nursing students.

by Yuka Taniguchi

October 15 2026

6 Min Read

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Japanese nursing students have demanding schedules of lectures, practical classes and clinical placements. Even during holidays, they have limited flexibility.

As a program organiser, I have found securing suitable dates particularly difficult. Including international travel, students can generally commit only one or two weeks to an entire program.

Meanwhile, some overseas language schools require minimum enrolments of two, three or four weeks, sometimes longer. Reconciling these requirements with students’ availability has been challenging.

Nevertheless, students have joined the short-term overseas nursing programs I have organised every year since 2024. Their participation has shown me that there are nursing students who want to learn abroad, even when the entire program lasts only one or two weeks.

What three years taught me

My first program, in Australia in 2024, focused on nursing rather than language lessons. Students visited hospitals and aged-care facilities and met local nurses. A Japanese-speaking nurse helped explain specialist content. There was no formal language-school component.

However, the experience made me realise that students also needed opportunities to learn English to communicate more independently with people they met.

In 2025, I therefore made a language school the base for our program in Canada. The school normally required at least four weeks of enrolment but kindly made an exception for our group.

Then something unexpected happened: students were not always enthusiastic about the English-learning activities the school had arranged. This prompted me to reconsider what they wanted from an overseas nursing program.

Students choosing a university-organised nursing program primarily expect to learn about healthcare and nursing in another country. They also want to experience a different culture and meet local people. Improving their English is not necessarily their main reason for participating.

Some students pursue language study abroad independently, but the distinction matters for nursing programs.

Students also asked for Japanese interpretation during professional visits. Understanding specialist nursing and medical explanations entirely in English is difficult, particularly for those still developing confidence in everyday conversation.

To a language school, it might seem contradictory that students who have travelled abroad to study English also ask for Japanese interpretation. Yet understanding specialist nursing content and developing the ability to communicate in English serve different educational purposes. Both have an important place in an overseas nursing program.

Through interactions with local people, students encounter the limitations of their English directly. Frustration at being unable to express themselves can make the need to learn English more tangible. English may not be their primary reason for joining, but the experience itself can become a reason to study it.

In 2026, I brought these lessons together in Australia. One language school could not accommodate our schedule because of its two-week minimum enrolment requirement. Another local education provider responded flexibly, enabling us to combine general English, English for nursing, homestays and visits to hospitals and aged-care facilities.

Japanese-language support was provided where understanding specialist content mattered, while everyday interactions offered opportunities to use English independently.

A few days can be a beginning

What I particularly want international education providers to consider is the value of very short periods of language learning.

Our students attended language classes for just four days in Canada and three days in Australia. Teachers told me they had never worked with students on programs of such short duration.

I understand why schools might hesitate. Three or four days cannot reasonably be expected to produce substantial improvements in English proficiency, and measurable learning outcomes are difficult to demonstrate.

Yet I believe these very short programs offer value beyond immediate improvements in English proficiency.

For nursing students, the value lies in experiencing both the challenges and enjoyment of communicating in English through nursing-related activities and interactions with local people. Such encounters may inspire them to learn more.

These experiences may encourage further English study after returning home and become a first step towards studying abroad again in the future.

An investment in future learners

In Japan, growing numbers of international residents and visitors mean that nurses may increasingly encounter patients from different linguistic and cultural backgrounds.

After graduation, students may feel a greater need for English and intercultural communication skills as they begin working as nurses. Earning an income may also allow them to save for a longer period of study overseas.

I cannot claim that participants will return abroad; I have not measured this. But a positive first experience may make another step easier to imagine. They might even consider returning to the school or destination that welcomed them.

For international education providers, accepting students for only three or four days may seem less attractive than enrolling them for several weeks. Yet it could also be the beginning of a relationship with future learners.

I am not suggesting that every language school should offer such programs, or that language learning should be a secondary goal for every nursing student.

Rather, I would invite providers to consider a short, flexible option combining language learning, nursing-related experiences and cultural exchange alongside conventional courses.

It would also be helpful if language schools could assist universities in arranging visits to local hospitals, aged-care facilities and other healthcare settings, where possible. Such support would ease program planning.

A very short program need not be judged as an incomplete version of a longer one. It can begin a much longer learning journey.

By working together, sending universities and host education providers can create opportunities that meet students’ needs today while potentially building relationships with the international learners of tomorrow.

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Yuka Taniguchi

Yuka Taniguchi is a professor and head of the department of nursing at Kobe Tokiwa University, Japan. She specialises in gerontological nursing and holds a PhD in Nursing.

With extensive experience in higher education, she has developed student-centred courses and educational programms that encourage students to reflect on their learning, explore their career aspirations and take an active role in their education. Her research focuses on end-of-life care for older adults. She has also established a community-based dementia café that brings together older adults, local residents and nursing students, strengthening connections between the university and the wider community.

She has also led the development and coordination of overseas study programmes for Japanese nursing students in Australia and Canada, alongside new initiatives in Cebu, the Philippines. Through these programs, she seeks to broaden students’ perspectives on nursing and healthcare by creating opportunities for experiential learning and intercultural exchange.

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October 15, 2026 at 12:01 pm

I am in complete agreement with this perspective. I think the primary responsibility of an educator is to foster the courage required for students to take their initial step. Even a brief program of just a few days can significantly instill confidence in students and inspire them to exhibit proactive behavior. Experiencing English communication—despite the inherent language barriers—is invaluable for future nursing and healthcare professionals.

Therefore, I would like to support creating such short-term opportunities to empower students to take that crucial FIRST STEP forward.

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