Thomas Jefferson University STUDY REPORT 2013

My stay in Thomas Jefferson University Hospital is one week only, so it is very short for learning medical skills. But I think, this experience become my irreplaceable opportunity and trigger for my evolution.

At this program, I felt importance of “Student’s Aggressiveness” and “Environment to create a positive attitude” as a deference in medical situation between Japan and the U.S.

In 1st day, we observed internal medicine, and I participated in conference and rounds with a team of circulatory system. In this hospital, doctors compose some teams by an attending doctor, senior resident, junior resident, and some medical students. They conduct rounds and conference in this team. It is a different point between Japan and the U.S. I felt that aggressiveness is necessary for residents and medical students to improve own skills and knowledge. I think this is the advantage of the team medicine. Attending doctor or senior resident always assign medical students to take charge of two or three patients, and each student need to see patients. Students give the presentation about own patients, and attending doctor ask them the question about patients and disease. So, it is necessary for medical students to learn medicine aggressively. In addition to that, it is easier than in Japan for students and residents to ask an attending doctor questions, because they perform medicine as a team. Students are needed to be aggressive, but it makes them more aggressive for learning.

In 2nd to 4th day, we took lecture and practice of clinical skill by Dr. Majden at skill simulation center. In this lecture, we know that medical students in the U.S. need to take the test about clinical skills more frequently and also facility and equipment are very substantial. So, medical students in TJU need to improve own skill and they are more motivated. Furthermore, students practice their clinical skill for the real patients and they teach lower grades students in JeffHOPE. Like this situation, all factors make students more aggressive and create environment for positive attitude in TJU.

In this program, I saw many different points between Japan and the U.S. To be honest, I don’t think medical environment is inferior in Japan than the U.S. However, in educational respects, there are many points to follow TJU’s situation, I think.

At the end, when we asked Dr. Majden “What is the most important to become a good doctor?” he said “Never forget to deal with human being”. When I heard that phrase, I felt, even though country was deferent, there was no deference in profession of medicine, doctor. That's why, I think through this opportunity, I need to make my best effort for becoming an aggressive medical student, a good doctor, and a good educator. Surely, it can lead to the improvement of medical situation in Japan, I believe.