Clinical Exchange in Japan

I spent four weeks in obstetrics and gynecology.
Everyone on the department was very welcoming and kind, and even though I sometimes struggled due to language barriers (I do not speak Japanese), it was a great clerkship and a great experience!

The first period of my rotation was spent in reproductive medicine. It was interesting to see oocyte retrievals and embryo transfers, as I had never had a chance to see that before. I spent some time in the outpatient clinic as well, where I had a chance to see many vaginal ultrasounds. However, as the conversations were all in Japanese, it was hard to follow everything. The doctor had only limited time with each patient, so it was not always possible for me to be included.

The second period was spent in obstetrics. Nagoya University Hospital is a highly specialized hospital and does not handle “normal” pregnancies and deliveries. There is a MFICU (maternal fetal ICU) and a regular ward. Admitted patients are generally patients with conditions such as placenta previa, congenital fetal anomalies (hydrops fetalis, congenital diaphragmatic hernia, …). About 500 deliveries are performed every year, a majority being cesarean sections.During my time in obstetrics, I was able to participate in cesarean sections, watch as doctors performed ultrasounds to assess congenital anomalies, and see other procedures such as amniocentesis. I had a great time in obstetrics. I was lucky that one of the doctors in the ward spoke very good English and was very keen about teaching!

The last period was spent in gynecologic oncology. It was mostly surgical; I spend very little time in the ward and most of my time in the OT. This was nice as language barriers are less of a problem in surgery compared to rounds for instance. I was able to watch and participate in many surgeries, and I learnt a lot!

Overall, obstetrics and gynecology was a great clerkship as it involved a lot of surgery and other procedures. I did expect to see and participate in more deliveries though, which was not the case as there was a limited amount of deliveries in the hospital, as mentioned above.

I stayed in the Yamate South dormitory for international students. It was quite nice and a cheap accommodation that the office of international affairs helped us organize. However, I came here with my partner who also had a clerkship at the hospital, and at Yamate the dorms for men and women were separate, which meant we could not really spend any time together. For instance, we could not cook or eat together, so probably not the best accommodation for male-female couples.

The office of international affairs, especially Megumi, were very helpful and kind, always answering our emails really quickly and helping us with any concerns/questions! Thank you!

1. Hiking near Nagoya
2. Lunch at the hospital
3. Izakaya with Japanese and international students