Clinical Exchange in Japan

I applied for medical rotations at Nagoya University after meeting fellow Tulane students who had come back from Japan with glowing recommendations of their time there. I also made friends with a Nagoya University medical student who rotated on Orthopaedics with me at Tulane University, so I looked forward to seeing him again on the other side of the world. I feel so fortunate to have had this opportunity. Although it was challenging for me to learn medicine in a new language and culture, I encountered abundant patience, kindness, and hospitality on the part of my teachers and fellow medical students.

As a student in the pathology department, my daily routine included gross section in the morning followed by a group discussion of the previous day’s slides. In the afternoon I had the opportunity to self-study and then review slides of my own interest. As I am interested in bone and soft tissue tumors, I chose to study sarcomas and rare bone tumors. I found the apprenticeship aspect of Japanese medical student to be most apparent in this setting. As a medical student from the U.S., it was strange to receive so much individualized attention and teaching from an attending physician. Unlike in American medical education, I felt these educators took personal responsibility for my learning. I hope to emulate their patience and enthusiasm for teaching throughout my career as an orthopaedic surgeon.

I especially enjoyed the two weeks I spent rotating with the department of hand surgery. Even though I was unable to communicate with most patients, I was able to understand their physical exam, imaging, medical histories, lab results, and pathology. I also think it helped that I had a stronger foundation of learning in hand surgery than in pathology, which helped me to glean more information from each patient encounter. The biggest surprise was showing up on my first Monday morning and learning that the whole department would soon be headed to Hiroshima for the annual meeting, and I was invited! Attending the Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society for Surgery for the Hand was an incredible privilege. The meeting was held at the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Park, an important landmark to visit and reflect on when travelling in Japan. The meeting offered many lectures in English and many renowned speakers. The cutting edge advancements and best practices discussed over those two days sparked in me a newfound excitement for hand surgery and orthopaedics in general, which I will carry with me to begin residency just across the Pacific at the University of Washington in Seattle.