Clinical Exchange in Japan

I have spent 4 rewarding weeks in total in this University hospital. I followed 2 departments, Orthopedics/Rheumatology and Nephrology, each for 2 weeks respectively.

My first 2 weeks at the Orthopedics/Rheumatology Department mainly stayed in the operation theatres for different surgeries done by the different teams of doctors under the department. I chose to follow the Spine, Sports Surgery, Tumor, Hip and Rheumatology teams, each for 1-3 days. All the doctors were kind and passionate, and quite a number of them could speak English fluently. They were helpful and would explain the surgeries to me. I saw how they did the surgeries and were impressed by their seriousness and skillfulness. I was happy to be able to see so many types of orthopedics surgeries.

I went to the Nephrology Department for the next 2 weeks. The attachment mainly consisted of hospital rounds, outpatient clinic sessions, and a few tutorials. Although the activities mainly were conducted in Japanese, the doctors would explain and sum up the situations/cases for me to understand. The doctors were very nice and they really taught me a lot and made me understand more about the field of Nephrology. They were dedicated to, and cared for their patients. Even though I did not know Japanese, I could feel that they had good relationship with every patient of theirs and I think this is crucial in medical practice.

The happy and yet meticulous work atmosphere, the kindness of the doctors and their willingness to teach all make this attachment enjoyable and unforgettable for me. I am grateful of being given such chance to have my attachment here.