Clinical Exchange in Japan

It has been a great honor to be engaged in such a wonderful program provided by Nagoya University, and here I want to share with you my experience in one particular department that interests me most, the Department of Neurology. To be honest, just 6 days is definitely far from enough for studying in a department like Neurology, which is brimming with so much to explore and so many curiosities unsettled. I’m really honored to be in the Department of Neurology and learn about up-to-date researches concerning some tricky neurologic diseases. As a matter of fact, I had never seen ALS and CIDP before in the hospital in which I’m an intern. And diseases like meningitis, Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and cerebrovascular diseases are the norm in the Neurology Department in my hospital. Thanks to the efforts of all the doctors in Neurology Department of Nagoya University, I’ve been able to learn more about the clinical manifestations, pathology, as well as differential diagnosis and treatment for diseases like ALS. As soon as I came to the department, I received my schedule which is so detailed and clearly arranged for me, with the exact time, place and the teacher who is responsible for the lecture clearly marked on the paper. I was very touched. In the morning, one of the doctors (teachers) would give me a lecture on the basic knowledge concerning their researches. And these enlightening lectures have imbued me with so many cutting-edge discoveries, for instance, I learned that the TDP-43 cytoplasmic distribution is one of the pathological characteristics in ALS, and one of pathological features of GBS is macrophage-associated lesion. On Tuesday, I had the honor to attend Prof. Katsuno’s ward round. From my point of view, every neurology doctor is equipped with razor-sharp observation capacity and a sober mind, and the most importantly, clear and logistic mode of thinking. All those qualities add up to the precise and accurate diagnoses of neurologic diseases. And every doctor of the department has perfectly demonstrated those qualities. At the beginning, every doctor introduced the condition of and the treatment administered to the patient whom he/she is in charge of. Then there would be a discussion about the next treatment scheme for the patient. The atmosphere was great because everyone could voice his/her opinion, though the professor and the doctor who is in charge of the patient may do most of the talking. After the session, Prof. Katsuno’s ward round started. I was deeply impressed by Prof. Katsuno’s gentle inquiries to the patients about the progression of their health condition and his careful neurologic examination of every patient. He would explain to me from time to time why the diagnosis was made, which helped me get a whole picture of the disease. So far, though I’m still on my way to exploring more details about neurologic diseases, I think I’ve broadened my horizons on some tough cases like ALS and CIDP. I really appreciate this opportunity to learn from Prof. Katsuno and the rest of doctors of the department. I’ve always been interested in neurology and being a neurology doctor has been one of my ideal careers. I will make better use of the rest of stay in Neurology Department and gain more insight into my career path later on. Again, thank Prof. Katsuno and the Department of Neurology for offering me the chance to be immersed in such wonderful academic atmosphere. And thank all the staff in Nagoya University for every delightful thing they have done for me.