Clinical Exchange in Japan

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Experience Report

Name: Sofie Berberich
School: Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg
Study Period: August 14 - September 15, 2017
Departments: Neurology, Cardiology

During my internship in Japan I had the chance to experience daily practice in both the Neurology and Cardiology department.
While I received one-on-one teachings on important on-going neuroscientific research in the mornings, thus broadening my scope on neurology’s future perspective with regards to new treatment methods and medication, I participated in the ward round seeing inpatients in the afternoon. During both lecture times and ward rounds I was given explanations and everyone did their best to make my stay as enjoyable and informative as possible.
My stay at the Cardiology department involved ward rounds as well as experiencing working routines at the heart-catheter laboratory and angiography room, which I found to be a very interesting combination between seeing inpatients and applied methods of curation. Everybody was eager to teach me about the important structures and steps of various procedures and I was always allowed to ask for guidance if I needed further explanations on any matter.
Both in Neurology and Cardiology I felt very welcome and enjoyed my time at Nagoya University Hospital very much. I feel like I was given a unique chance to take part in Japanese medical working routines and everyday life, which I greatly value.

During my freetime I explored Nagoya, its surroundings which are great for hiking or daytrips to the mountains and smaller cities that are close by or went on weekend trips in the Kansai region. Nagoya is very conventiently located between Kyoto and Tokyo. I enjoyed going for sightseeing and outdoor activities to Kyoto and Takayama – both very beautiful cities – or met up with friends or my tandem partner to practice Japanese and learn more about Japanese culture and customs.

Overall I’m very thankful for the experience, the new friends I found during my stay and the great hospitality of all the people I got to meet and the helpfulness of the hospital’s staff with making everyday life much more convenient. I do hope I’ll be back someday and would definitely recommend Nagoya University Hospital for a medical internship.

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