Clinical Exchange in Japan

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Experience Report

Anirudh Arun
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Nagoya Clerkship Dates: April 24 to May 12, 2017
Department: Vascular Surgery

During my time with Nagoya, I had the wonderful opportunity and privilege to rotate with the Vascular Surgery Department at Nagoya University Hospital. Coming to Japan with little knowledge of the Japanese healthcare system and with limited Japanese language skills, I was certainly anxious to see how I would fit into the team. My colleagues in the Vascular Surgery team were very welcoming and encouraged me to become involved in all stages of patient care, including pre-operative planning, assisting during the operations, and helping with post-op recovery.

I received wonderful teaching throughout my experience as my team eagerly introduced me to techniques in endovascular and open procedures. During the day, we would discuss new clinical guidelines as well as new frontiers in the field. With my interest in device design and medical engineering, my fellow colleagues on the team were also excited to show me the mechanisms of the stents they would use in the upcoming procedures. While we certainly had to improvise around the language barrier, I always felt involved and informed about everything that was going on. I learned a great deal about the field of Vascular Surgery during my brief time with the team.

In addition to having a fantastic educational experience, I also went out to dinner with my team several times, as well as being invited to one of the surgeon’s homes for a meal with his family. As my experience in Nagoya also coincided with Japan’s Golden Week, I had a few days to travel as well, and some of the surgeons took time to help me plan my travels and teach me about Japanese culture and history. Nagoya’s central location made it very easy to access other Japanese cities by train. While my time in Nagoya was brief, I, with the help of my colleagues, was able to appreciate and enjoy many sites in Nagoya and around Japan.

Reflecting on my experience, I would strongly encourage students to pursue a clinical experience at this institution. The collegiality and friendliness of the faculty, the complexity of cases, and excellent teaching environment made my experience truly enjoyable. It was a pleasure and honor to work with and learn from the Vascular Surgery Department at Nagoya University.


(from left to right:)
With Professor Komori of Vascular Surgery
Dressed in lead for an endovascular procedure
At Senso-Ji in Tokyo

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