Clinical Exchange in Japan

I have been to Japan a couple of times before this year, however, I had never imagined being able to live in Nagoya and do two clinical rotations at Nagoya University School of Medicine for six weeks during my fourth year of medical school. I was excited to see what other medical cultures were like in the world and how physicians practiced differently in systems different than ours. Also, knowing that Nagoya University Hospital was a tertiary referral center, I was looking forward to seeing some rare diseases I otherwise wouldn't have a chance seeing.

Upon arriving in Japan and not knowing the details of what I was going to do for the next six weeks, I was introduced to the neurology department at Nagoya University Hospital. Dr. Katsuno and his department of neurologists gave me many lectures on their prospective research specialties in English and also translated what was going on in grand rounds every Tuesday afternoon. I learned about many diseases that I had previously not heard about, especially Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP) and spinal-bulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA), and saw many interesting procedures like a neurological autopsy on an ALS patient, many NCTs, EMGs, and autonomic function tests. I learned a lot during these three weeks and really appreciated my experience with everyone in the neurology department.

Last day at the Neurology department with Dr. Katsuno.

On my fourth week in Japan, I transferred over to the infectious disease department with Dr. Yagi and his team. At Nagoya University Hospital, infectious disease doctors are also in charge of infection control. With this system in place, I experienced and learned about hospital central infection management, different microbiological techniques used in the lab and their utilities, as well as antibiotics dosages in Japan. I participated in conferences, surgical ICU rounds, and weekly infectious disease control rounds trying to find ways to decrease the rates of high resistance bacterial infections. I had a great time and learned so much about infectious disease and infection control in Japan.

Infectious disease department: from left to right, back to front: Drs. Yagi, Iguchi, Morioka, Kato, Hirabayashi, Tomita, and Kato. Drs. Tetsuka and Matsumoto not in the photo.

During my weekends off, I explored all over Nagoya, visited Osaka and Nara, enjoyed the ridiculously beautiful Japanese ohanami (cherry blossom watching), tried many delicious Nagoya cuisine including, but not limited to, hitsumabushi (fancy eel rice), Nagoya tan mien, miso katsu and misonikomi udon. In my six weeks in Nagoya, I learned so much about Japanese culture and made many friends from all over the world. If I could re-do fourth year, I would go back to Japan again. This was definitely an experience I will never forget and will cherish for the rest of my life. I really appreciated everyone I came into contact with in Nagoya, most importantly the amazing people in the international student office, neurology department, and infectious disease department. All the staff and doctors were so kind and helpful, making my stay in Japan so smooth and enjoyable. Thank you again everyone! I will miss you all.

Ohanami with Yamate dorm at Meijo Park.