Tea Alexandrovaさん（ソフィア医科大学第6学年次）

During my exchange at Hyogo College of Medicine, I was lucky enough to be accepted for 2 weeks in the Anesthesiology department and 2 weeks at the Thoracic Surgery department.

My first 2weeks at the Anesthesiology department passed very fast. I believe it is due to the fact that each day I was able to experience something different and learn something new. Professor Hirose and Dr. Nakamoto made sure of this in preparing such a diverse program for my internship. Apart from attending surgeries, I was able to spend time in Intensive Care Unit, Neonatology Intensive Care Unit and Pain Clinic.

Each day, I could attend in a different type of surgery and learn about the specific approaches in the anesthesia. Every doctor leading the anesthesia took time to explain and include me in their work. With lots of patience, doctors taught me ventilation, intubation and placing gastric tube on a patient. This was an amazing chance for me to acquire some very important practical skills.

One of the highlights of my whole internship is the simulation training that Dr. Kariya prepared for me and the other exchange students. We were able to perform general anesthesia from induction to emergence, including some possible emergency conditions which we had to manage. It was truly a learning experience, as we had to make all the decisions on our own, without the help of an experienced physician. I was extremely impressed by how realistic and technically advanced the whole simulation was. It was the first time for me and the other European students to experience something similar.

Experiences I had at Pain Clinic was also very interesting. I was very impressed by the serious approach that Japanese healthcare system has toward the treatment and management of chronic pain. I was able to see in practice some pain management techniques that are only available in theory in my country. I was really inspired and plan on learning and working more in the field of pain management in my future medical career.

I was truly touched by the interest that the whole department showed toward my home country – Bulgaria. I even had a chance to make a short presentation about Bulgaria on my last day at the department during the morning conference. With a sunken heart, I had to say goodbye to all the amazing doctors I met at the Anesthesiology department. I am so thankful for their kindness and the time they took to make my internship as fruitful as possible.

Little did I know that the next 2 weeks of my internship would be just as amazing!

During my internship at the Thoracic Surgery Department, I was able to scrub in and participate in every surgery – something we considered very lucky during my surgery rotation in my home university. I saw some operations that were quite unique and rare, such as surgeries for treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma with reconstruction of the thoracic wall.

Professor Hasegawa was so kind to include me also in the weekly rounds by paying specific attention to the more interesting patients and making sure that I have a good understanding about each medical condition, treatment plan and possible risks. I am extremely grateful that all the doctors made their efforts to have the rounds in English, especially for me. This way I was able to learn and understand everything about the patients and their conditions.

Once again, I had such a diverse program prepared for me, that no two days were alike. I attended rounds, visited outpatient consultations, attended bronchoscopy, followed up on post-operative patients in ICU and saw some ward procedures such as thoracentesis, placing a CVL and removal of thoracic drains. It was very useful to be able to follow up on patients from the beginning to the end- from admission in the hospital, surgery, postoperative rehabilitation to discharge.

Dr. Nakamura paid special attention to my request and dedicated a whole afternoon on teaching me suturing and surgical ligations which was an extremely important skill for me as a future physician.

On my last day at the Thoracic surgery department, we had a short farewell party where the secretary Ms. Murata organized for us a traditional Japanese tea ceremony with Matcha tea and traditional sweets. This was an amazing and heartwarming experience!

At both departments, I was really impressed and deeply moved by the personal approach all doctors had toward me. Apart from teaching me and making sure that I have the best learning experience possible, all doctors I met took their time to help me further understand and enjoyed beautiful Japanese culture. Even though, before arriving in Japan, I thought that one month will be quite enough time, at the end of my stay, I wished I could have stayed longer.
Our exchange was perfectly organized and every detail was thought of. I really enjoyed being able to meet and interact with some of Japanese students from Hyogo College of Medicine. They also had prepared a social program for us, so that we could experience some traditional Japanese foods and culture. I hope to meet them in Bulgaria in the future!

I am so grateful and happy about the experience I had in Japan! It has given me some priceless medical and personal experiences that I am sure I will influence my future medical career and personal life as well. I look forward to going back to Japan some day!