Clinical Exchange in Japan

I had an incredible experience during my elective at Nagoya University. It was honestly one of the most rewarding experiences of my medical education. It was a fantastic opportunity to learn clinical medicine, see the Japanese health system at work and also experience Japanese culture.
The Geriatrics rotation offered an excellent opportunity to see inpatient care of elderly patients. Dr. Kim went above and beyond to include me in his teaching sessions about such topics as and hyponatremia superior vena cava syndrome, and the medical students were gracious enough to serve as phenomenal translators. There was a very impressive spectrum of disease. I was also given personal presentations on aspects of the Japanese health system, such as the Long Term Care Insurance program.
On my General Medicine rotation I also saw many interesting inpatient cases, such as cryptogenic organizing pneumonia and mixed connective tissue disease. Dr. Noriyuki Takahashi was particularly kind to me and would go out of his way to translate for me during rounds and allow me to participate by asking questions. On this rotation also I had the opportunity to go to two community clinics in Nakatsugawa and Kachigawa, which allowed me to see a even greater spectrum of the Japanese health system. Dr. Ban is a giant in the field of Japanese medical education and this department was extremely impressive. He himself was kind enough to personal debrief with us and even take us out to dinner.
Overall the generosity and kindness of the students, residents and faculty of the Geriatrics and General Medicine team were exceptional. I was taken to lunch every single day. Everyone went out of his or her way to accommodate the fact that I was a foreigner and did not speak a word of Japanese. I learned a great deal about both medicine in general and the Japanese health system. I strongly recommend this elective to any medical student interested in traveling to Japan and learning more about their remarkable health system and culture!

Picture 1 - Dinner with the Geriatrics team

Picture 2 - Dressing up to simulate the experience of being a geriatric patient

Picture 3 - Hopkins exchange students at Nagoya Dragons baseball game