Mia Aileen Külzerさん

When I entered university in 2021, I already knew that I wanted to spend some part of my studies abroad, so I looked up the options to do so on the website for international affairs of the medical faculty. Even back then the possibility of going to Japan for a month excited me, so when I finally arrived in the part of my studies, in which I could start looking for internships, I decided to try my luck with applying for the exchange program with Hyogo Medical University and to my own surprise and excitement, I actually got in!

Going through the reports of students who had already done an internship in Nishinomiya, I started planning my time in Japan, whilst always staying in contact with Mrs. Tomoka, who kindly guided Linda, a German student doing an internship at the same time as me, and myself through the process of planning. She helped us with deciding when exactly to arrive and she informed us, that it would be possible to stay at the university’s guest house, which made it very comfortable for Linda and me. In general we were welcomed very warmly upon our arrival, as they even came to pick me up at the train station and walked me to the accommodation.

The following Monday the internship already began. Back home I had talked a lot with Michael and Timo, who had been to Hyogo Medical University the year before me and they had strongly recommended me to go to the departments of Interventional Radiology and Urology, as they each had made very pleasant experiences there. Therefore, I trusted their recommendations and chose to spend two weeks in each department. The expectations they had built within me were
met completely!

My experience in the department of Interventional Radiology was absolutely amazing. I was welcomed very warmly by the doctors who gave me a tour of the entire hospital on the first day and showed me around, while explaining what their average workday looks like. I received excellent support throughout my time here, as there was always someone available to explain and translate anything I didn’t understand both language- and medicine-wise. I was pleasantly surprised by how well we were able to communicate with each other, despite my lack of knowledge concerning the Japanese language. I did try to learn at least a few words with a language app before arriving, which helped in the rare case of someone not speaking English at
all, but unfortunately wasn’t enough to actually keep a conversation going. Lucky for me, almost everybody spoke English and as a last resort I always had Google Translate ready to go on my phone, so we always found a way to understand each other.

Thanks to that, I was able to learn a lot during those two weeks. I had extensive lessons on image interpretation with one-on-one sessions, where I could scroll through CT-scans or MRI images and try to detect any abnormalities by myself, which significantly enriched my knowledge in the field of Radiology. On top of that, I was even able to assist in some surgeries, which was an incredibly valuable hands-on experience. Overall, I gained a tremendous amount of knowledge while enjoying friendly conversations and had an incredibly rewarding experience.

The following two weeks I spent at the department of Urology. The team there was very welcoming, which made it easy for me to connect with the doctors, making me feel comfortable from day one. I always received detailed explanations on everything I was interested in and was even invited to join the team for lunch, which was a wonderful gesture, that made me feel even more welcome.

My primary focus were the surgeries in the operating room, where I even had the opportunity to assist the surgeons, which gave me the possibility of having a very close look on various urological procedures. I had the chance to witness and participate in a wide array of cases, ranging from urethroplasties to paediatric urology and even kidney transplantation. Furthermore,
I was able to join in on outpatient consultations, learning about various conditions, ranging from oncology patients to the treatment of kidney stones. The comprehensive exposure to different areas of urology was invaluable.

Thanks to the kindness of the doctors both in Interventional Radiology and Urology, I was able to gather much insight on the Japanese culture. They all gave me many recommendations on what to visit during my time in Japan and I tried my best to see them all in my free-time on the weekends. As Nishinomiya is close to so many famous sightseeing spots, it was the perfect starting point for short day trips on the weekend. Together with Linda, I explored not only Kobe, Osaka and Kyoto, but we were also able to go a bit further away, in order to get an impression of cities like Himeji, Wakayama and Koya-san. Visiting all those different places really gave me the chance of seeing different sides of Japan and of course trying many different kinds of Japanese cuisine.

During the internship, we were also able to get to know some Japanese students, especially those who are participating in exchange programs of the University as well. They were so kind to show us around Osaka and Nishinomiya and even cook for us, which gave as the one-in-a-lifetime experience to try homemade Japanese dishes. Before coming here I didn’t realise how kind and nice Japanese people are, so it really took me by surprise and made feel more welcome than I could have imagined.

All in all, my internship at Hyogo Medical University was a truly remarkable and educational experience. I learned so much during my time here and had the opportunity to immerse myself in both professional and cultural aspects of Japan. I am deeply grateful for the experiences I have made here and especially for the new friendships I have formed during my stay. I sincerely hope, that I will have the chance to reconnect with these wonderful people in the future.