Noa Tateishi (5th grade)

From August 5th to 12th, 2023, I participated in a training program at the University of Washington School of School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington, USA.
There were two reasons why I applied for this training in the United States. The first was that I had been interested in bioethics for a long time. The second was that I wanted to actually visit an American hospital and learn about the differences between medical care in the United States and Japan. I was really looking forward to participating in the training when I found out that I would be able to attend lectures at the world-famous Washington University School of Medicine.

I attended many lectures at the University of Washington School of Medicine this time, but I would like to report on the lecture that made the biggest impression on me. The lecture that left the biggest impression on me was "Abortion in the US: A Legal Overview" by Dr. Margaret Lane. In Japan, abortion is allowed up to 22 weeks, and is performed by special doctors certified by the Maternal Health Act. In contrast, in the United States, regulations differ from state to state, which surprised me very much. Some states make abortion illegal, while others, such as Washington State, allow abortion. Pregnant women in states where abortion is illegal go to states where abortion is legal to have an abortion. Japan has uniform rules throughout the country, but these are not the same around the world. Also, there are some areas where abortion itself is not permitted, and in areas where abortion is permitted, abortion is permitted regardless of the number of weeks, even after 22 weeks. Until now, I had memorized the rules and assumed that abortion was like this. I think that by attending lectures in the United States, I was able to learn different ways of thinking about abortion and gain a broader perspective.

Next, I would like to talk about the facility tours. This time, I visited three facilities in the United States: Seattle Children's Hospital, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and Harborview Medical Center. Among them, Seattle Children's Hospital was particularly impressive. Seattle Children's Hospital is a hospital that specializes in pediatrics. I was surprised at the scale of the hospital, with about 650 beds for children alone. They provide treatment for children with serious illnesses living not only in Washington State, but also in the neighboring states of Idaho, Oregon, Montana, and Alaska. Inside the hospital, there was a chapel and meditation room, as well as a park where children could play. In addition to curing illnesses, they also made efforts to give children and their families a break from treatment. The hospital rooms were also spacious so that families could stay overnight, and all were private rooms. Family privacy was firmly secured, and I felt that it was wonderful, very different from Japan.

Every day was very fulfilling even outside of the lectures. We visited Starbucks headquarters, the first store, Amazon headquarters, and other places, and took a cruise to see the sunset and night view of Seattle. All of these were wonderful memories. At the party at Professor King's house and the final Farewell-Thank You Dinner, I had many opportunities to speak with native speakers. I was very happy to be able to speak with local people in English.

My week in America was a very valuable experience that I could not have had on a trip abroad. Every day was very intense and fulfilling. It was definitely a week that I will never forget. I would like to make full use of what I learned in this training after I become a doctor.

Finally, I would like to express my sincere gratitude to Dr. Yamanishi of Hirakata Rehabilitation Center for giving me such a wonderful experience, to Dr. Seki who accompanied us, Dr. Gamo and his wife, Dr. Hattori, Dr. Nakamura, Mr. Oishi, our interpreter Yoko, Mr. Yoshiko who guided us on site, and all the other teachers and medical students who gave lectures, including Dr. King from the University of Washington.