Clinical Exchange in Japan

I spent 4 weeks in Nagoya University Hospital in which 2 weeks was in the department of Neurosurgery and 2 weeks in Paediatric Surgery. I am extremely grateful to Dr. Wakabayashi for the warm welcome I received, and how he introduced me to everyone in the department, so I felt like I was part of the team. I had the opportunity to see a wide variety of neurosurgical operations, the highlight being an awake craniotomy for brain tumour excision.

In the paediatric department I attended ward rounds, department meetings, operations and even had the opportunity to practice my suturing skills. I am thankful to Prof. Uchida and the rest of the team for being so friendly and making me feel supported at all times. I did not have any experience in paediatrics before, so this was a great experience to learn about congenital diseases and how to care for a younger patient.

I would like to thank all the doctors and other staff who took the time to translate everything for me, especially those who not confident in speaking English. I really enjoyed learning about the difference in the healthcare system between Japan and the UK. I would also like to thank both departments for inviting me to departmental dinners and making my time so enjoyable. Finally, I would like to thank the Office of International Affairs for all their help in the application process and support during my time there.

Outside of the hospital I had the chance to go to Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo on the weekends. Nagoya’s central location makes it easy to travel to difference places in Japan. I really enjoyed experience the Japanese culture, customs and trying all the great food. Overall, I had a great experience and glad I chose to come to Japan and Nagoya University Hospital for my elective.