Clinical Exchange in Japan

First, I would like to say how thankful I am of all the physicians, students, and administrators that I met at Nagoya University. From the first day that I arrived, Dr. Kondo was so welcoming and helped me get settled on campus. He greeted me in his office, gave me a campus orientation, and made sure to introduce me to as many people as possible. Everyone I met was so friendly, and I am incredibly appreciative of my time at Nagoya University.

A little bit about myself. I am originally from Osaka, Japan and moved to the United States in third grade. I am conversational in Japanese and I can also read at a decent enough level to get around Japan. My time in Nagoya was an opportunity for me to learn medical Japanese and to understand the healthcare system in Japan. Having said that, I made my best effort to speak in Japanese whenever I could, but most of the academic physicians were eager to practice their medical English with me. I ended up speaking half the time in Japanese and half in English.

For anyone that is thinking about applying to the exchange program, I can tell you that this was an unforgettable experience. Nagoya University is an academic tertiary care center where you will have the chance to see rare pathology that you may never see for the rest of your medical career. In my first week of rotating with the Neurology Department, there were patients with anti-MAG peripheral neuropathy, subacute sclerosing panencephalitis, multiple system atrophy, SBMA, etc. On top of that, you will be given a schedule with endless opportunities to learn. The Neurology Department had a 4-week schedule for me with daily lectures and bedside rounds on the neurology wards. The 10AM lectures took place at the department office. The lecturer for the day would show up 5 minutes before and start promptly at 10am. I was given powerpoint slides of the lecture topic, and would spend anywhere from 1-2 hours listening and asking questions. I will never forget the day of the lecture on chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy. After the lecture, I was scheduled to go to my attending’s afternoon clinic where I had the chance to meet a CIDP patient and ask her questions about her condition. She was participating in a clinical trial of subcutaneous immunoglobulin treatment that she could administer at home. Meeting this patient was a valuable opportunity to understand the academic details of CIDP and to hear the personal stories of patients affected by the condition.

I also had a chance to meet Nagoya medical students and get to know them outside of the hospital. One of my favorite memories is the welcome party organized by MDEC, a campus group for students interested in foreign exchanges. It was a chance to sit down with students from Nagoya University and ask them what it’s like to be a medical student in Japan. I also had free weekends, so I was able to travel a lot. I went to Osaka to see my parents. I also spent a weekend in Ise Peninsula for an “onsen” (hot spring) vacation and seafood dinners. I also visited Tokyo with a classmate who was also in the exchange program.

The best time to go to Nagoya is in April because of the cherry blossom season. Tsuruma park is right next to campus and it is a great place to take in the cherry blossoms. There will be hundreds of people picnicking under the trees. It really was a magical experience.