Clinical Exchange in Japan

I was interested in a medical rotation in Japan after rotating with a few students from Nagoya University during my OB-Gyn clerkship. Through our conversations, I learned that healthcare is quite different in Japan and family medicine is not a widely known specialty. As a fourth-year medical student applying into a family medicine residency, I was particularly interested in Japanese primary care and its role in Japanese population health. Having visited Tokyo once before, I was super excited for the opportunity to return to explore and more fully experience the Japanese culture.

Family and community medicine was unavailable during the time I was scheduled for my elective, so I chose to rotate through geriatrics and pediatrics since I will see both patient populations in family medicine. I was very fortunate to be working with and learn from some of the best doctors in their fields. Each day, I would go to morning conference, round with the team, and then attend various activities depending on the day such as observing clinics or procedures. Through these patient rounds, I saw firsthand how culture plays such a large role in Japanese medicine such as the meticulous attention to the patients’ personal comfort and the doctors’ involvement in all aspects of the patient care including performing procedures that are not routinely done by doctors in the United States such as blood draw. Despite my lack of Japanese, I’ve always felt a part of the team and everyone went out of their way to help translate and involve me in the patient care. The attending doctors that I worked with made a point about understanding my interests and goals for the rotation to make sure I would get the most out of my time in Japan. For example, I was able to accompany Dr. Onishi to visit a rehabilitation hospital after expressing interest since the concept of a hospital solely for rehabilitation was novel to me. I also had a personal ultrasound sim session which was followed by hands on practice on a patient. The amount of teaching and help I was given was beyond what I could ever ask for and for that I am very thankful. I was always encouraged to ask questions freely and the doctors were always happy to answer my many questions or discuss their research and experience. The pediatrics team went as far as presenting their weekly pediatric department new patients conference entirely in English for me.

I am very grateful for the kindness, patience, and hospitality shown me by everyone. Our lunches were always filled with laughter and conversations that ran the gamut from food and site-seeing recommendations to the latest trends in the US and Japan. Besides making sure my time in the hospital was worthwhile, everyone made sure that I could fully experience Japan outside of medicine, which was greatly aided by the generous amount of free time I had after my clinical hours. With my JR pass and Nagoya’s convenient location, I was able to travel relatively cheaply and quickly via the Shinkansen to many parts of Japan including Osaka, Nara, Kyoto, and Tokyo. My time in Japan was very educational and enjoyable all thanks to all the doctors, medical students, and hospital staff who took very good care of me and my only regret was that I could not rotate for longer than one month. I am very happy to be able to end my last year as a medical student with this rewarding experience. Through my discussion and observation, I gained a better understanding of the Japanese healthcare system and will carry my experience in Japan with me into residency. I would recommend this elective to everyone and am already looking forward to visiting Japan again sometimes soon for vacation!