Clinical Exchange in Japan

My clerkship in the Nagoya University Hospital Pediatrics Department was a wonderful time for me in which I have learned a lot for my future practice.

Application and Organization

The application process was very easy to understand, all the necessary steps and documents could be found online, and whenever I had questions, Megumi from the Medical International Office took the time to answer them and help me out.
I also received information regarding the dormitories, how to get to the dormitory or the hospital, and so on. Due to that, I was as prepared as I could be when arriving in Nagoya!
I also received a special student card for the five weeks I was interning at the hospital, and Megumi showed me around the hospital and even went with me to the station masters office to get a commuter ticket for the subway.
During my clerkship period, I always felt that I could go and receive help in the international office if I needed it, which I am very grateful for.

Pediatrics Department

The clerkship itself was also a great experience. In the pediatrics department, I had the chance to rotate between sub-departments. I spent two weeks in general pediatrics/neurology, one week in the NICU, and my last two weeks in the pediatric oncology/hematology.
I was assigned to a personal mentor, and got a personalized schedule for the five weeks that I would be attending the university. I was very (pleasantly) surprised to learn that I got a lot of one-on-one teaching by the doctors. Some of the topics included infectious diseases, EEG/MRI interpretations, heart disease screenings in japanese schools, and even a lecture on traditional chinese medicine in Japan! It was a perfect addition to the rest of the clerkship and allowed me to learn more theoretical elements.

Apart from that, I took part in the clinical rounds which lasted mostly until noon, and then had the chance to see different interventions such as lumbar punctures or blood marrow aspirations in the oncology/hematology department, EEG/MRI and newborn screenings in the general and neurology department, and ultrasounds and blood drawings in the NICU.
One highlight was being able to watch and assist during a bone marrow aspiration for a bone marrow transplant.
Additionally, I was allowed to attend different conferences such as the new patient conference, the EEG conference, or the professors round.
The doctors were incredibly knowledgeable, kind and willing to explain and show me a lot of different clinical cases, even though I am sure they had a lot of work to do. There was always somebody responsible for me and I never felt out of place. I felt that everybody was very motivated to teach me, and I can only express my gratitude for the five weeks I have been in their care.

Life in Nagoya

It is very easy to navigate life in Nagoya. The commute from the Yamate dormitory to the hospital took roughly 40 minutes, there was a supermarket and of course a Konbini nearby, and with the subway, it does not take a long time to reach the city center.
If one has free time on the weekends, cities like Osaka and Kyoto are quite close and easy to visit, and even Tokyo is only 3 hours away by Shinkansen.
One does not have to search long for new friends, as there are a lot of international students in the dormitory, as well as a few friendly PhD-students in the hospital, and during the semester there are a lot of international events organized by the university or students that make it easy to meet new people!

I can fully recommend a clinical clerkship at the University of Nagoya!