Clinical Exchange in Japan

The opportunity for me to go to Japan came up rather suddenly in September last year. The International Office at my university announced that Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine could receive two students from Lund, and the application should be done within a week or so. I was immediately attracted by the idea of going to Japan, a country with a very interesting and different culture, and known worldwide for its high standard health care. A number of people applied and I first received an e-mail saying that unfortunately for me, another student had better luck and would be sent to Japan. But only a few days later, I received another e-mail saying that the one student had changed his/her mind and now I had the opportunity to go instead. I was now just as happy as I was disappointed a few days earlier. By the end of January 2015, it was time to go and my expectations were sky high. When I first came to Nagoya, I was greeted warmly by professor Kasuya at the Office of International affairs. He showed me around and took me to the NICU (Neonatal Intesive Care Unit), where I was to spend my first week. Professor Hayakawa and the doctors at the NICU were very welcoming and even though the days were very busy and they had a lot of work to do, they always took their time to explain things to me and show me interesting cases. They were also very happy to teach me how to examine the newborns and how to perform sonography. In Sweden, being at the NICU is not a part of the curriculum of the medical education. Therefore, this was a new and very interesting experience to me. Next week, it was time to switch to Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology. I was welcomed by my supervisor, Dr. Sumigama, who for every day took his time to make a schedule, packed with the best things a medical student could wish for. He asked me if I had any special interests, and made sure I would see only the most interesting and worthwhile things the department had to offer. I spent two weeks in that department. Next, I was off to spend one and a half week at the Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Here, Dr. Takanari showed me around and also made a detailed schedule and put effort in making sure that I would see only interesting and worthwhile things. Even though I spent five weeks in surgery as a medical student in Sweden, we never had the opportunity to see plastic and reconstructive surgery, which I now understand, is very different from general surgery and also a large and very important field.

During my stay in Japan, I have learned a lot about neonatal care, obstetrics and some of the basics of plastic and reconstructive surgery. But more importantly, I leave with the wonderful experience of having met all the amazing people at Nagoya University Hospital. The doctors and students I met will always be important role models for me and a source of inspiration for careful and meticulous work, for being a good friend and colleague as well as a good role model for future medical students.