Groundbreakers | Becoming a Doctor at 33 — Sometimes the Long Way Is the Right Way

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Japanese women are making a meaningful impact around the world. If they were ever invisible, they certainly are not now. What inspired them to step forward into the roles they hold today? This time, JAPAN Forward features Yukari Shirasugi, a hematologist — a medical doctor who treats diseases of the blood and bone marrow.

Join us for an exclusive interview in the latest installment of our Groundbreakers series.

A Winding Journey

Yukari Shirasugi's career path is far from conventional. After graduating from a junior college, she transferred to Aoyama Gakuin University, worked as an office employee in the music industry, and later entered medical school at the age of 27.

"I've walked a winding, bumpy road, but none of it was wasted," Shirasugi says. Drawing on her own experience, she now emphasizes the importance of making choices and staying true to one's own path.

Dreams and Disappointments

Shirasugi attended a Christian girls' junior and senior high school, where she was deeply involved in the school's newspaper club. She describes her grades at the time as "about average."

When she applied to university at 18, her first choice was Aoyama Gakuin University, another Christian institution. Strong in humanities subjects and languages such as English and Japanese, she chose to apply to a liberal arts faculty.

"I didn't decide based on what I wanted to do, but on what I was good at," she recalls.

Then an unexpected setback occurred. After taking the entrance exam for a junior college she had listed as a backup, Shirasugi contracted influenza and was unable to sit for Aoyama Gakuin's exam.

"I cried," she says. "Today there are antiviral drugs, but back then, all I could do was stay in bed."

Shirasugi went on to enroll in the junior college, but she struggled to accept the outcome. Before long, she began to experience stomach pain and other physical and emotional difficulties.

"Part of me thought, 'I didn't choose to be here,' but another part said, 'The tuition is already paid, so I have no choice but to go,'" she recalls. "I also felt guilty about enrolling with such half-hearted feelings."

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Turning Point

Once again, Shirasugi found herself asking what she truly wanted to do. Upon graduating from junior college, she decided to transfer to Aoyama Gakuin University, her original first choice. She entered as a second-year student and majored in psychology.

Many of her classmates planned to continue to graduate school to become licensed clinical psychologists, but she felt she could not place any further financial burden on her parents. After graduating, she joined Victor Company of Japan, now JVC Kenwood, a major audio and video manufacturer.

Shirasugi was assigned to a subsidiary handling music-related businesses and worked in a glamorous world alongside singers and entertainers. At the same time, she saw many colleagues struggling with their mental health.

At one point, she asked a friend who was a mental health counselor for advice on how to help them. After many conversations, the answer was always the same: only doctors can provide fundamental treatment.

Although Shirasugi enjoyed her job, she began to feel that there was something else she was meant to do. At 26, she decided to become a doctor to help people who were struggling.

*Dr Yukari Shirasugi (©Sankei by Shunsuke Sakamaki)*

Finding a New Path

At first, Shirasugi considered taking the standard medical school entrance exams. However, as a working adult with a gap since her last studies and a background in the humanities, she felt the competition would be overwhelming.

Then, about six months into self-study, she learned that Tokai University's medical school offered an entrance exam for second-year transfer students. The exam included English, an essay, and an interview. Compared with general entrance exams, the workload was lighter, and she could make use of her strength in English.

Long Days and Late Nights

Balancing work and study proved harder than Shirasugi had imagined. On weekdays, she studied for three to four hours after returning home from work. Memorizing commonly tested English vocabulary and practicing using past papers became routine.

At times, she fell asleep from sheer exhaustion. What sustained her was her pet cat. The warmth of the cat on her lap comforted her and strengthened her belief that she was moving closer to the future she wanted.

On exam day, the essay topic was completely different from past papers, catching her off guard. She thought, "The examiners probably wanted to see whether students can face unexpected situations honestly and directly," and pulled herself together.

During the interview, she found the panel of professors intimidating. One professor, without looking up from his notes, asked, "Why do you want to become a doctor? Wouldn't working in the music industry be more fun?"

Though nervous, she replied, "It may look glamorous, but it's very tough, too." The professor stopped writing, looked at her, and smiled.

"I was sure they thought I was a cheeky applicant and that I'd failed," she laughs.

But her high-spiritedness worked in her favor. She passed.

Studying Again but Differently

At Tokai University, about 10% of the 120 students in Shirasugi's class were transfer students. "I thought I'd be one of the older ones, but I was actually the second youngest," she says.

Her classmates came from a wide range of backgrounds, including a former high school teacher in his 50s who was aiming to become a surgeon.

Still, the studying was intense. In anatomy classes, students had to memorize vast numbers of body parts and nerves. Some classmates created mnemonics or recorded lessons to listen to repeatedly. Before exams, they even held "study camps" together.

Her own approach to studying changed as well. In high school, she had worked through problem books from beginning to end, looking up things whenever she got stuck. In medical school, she focused on identifying what she did not understand and studying those areas intensively. Rather than researching everything on her own, she also learned by asking classmates.

Moment of Truth

Shirasugi's efforts paid off. She passed the national medical licensing exam at 33.

"If you had told my 18-year-old self what was going to happen, I would have fainted," she laughs. Yet her experience as a working adult helps her as a doctor, making it easier to understand patients' backgrounds.

These days, she often speaks to young doctors and students who are struggling to choose a specialty or career path. She asks them, "What do you want to do?" and "What do you enjoy?" — encouraging them to change course if needed and to pursue what they truly want.

"If someone says, 'My parents are against it,' I tell them to talk it through with their parents," she explains.

At the same time, Shirasugi believes there is no need to panic if you do not yet know what you want to do. Based on her own winding journey, she says, "Shortcuts are not the only right answer."

Author: Eriko Ogawa, The Sankei Shimbun

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