When I arrived at the Fukuoka airport, I could feel the scent of summer. Smell of blue sea and heated soil. I thought the summer had already come to Kyushu island. Before I applied for this clerkship, I considered about what I can learn from it. It reminded me of 2 years ago when I came to Kyushu University for anatomy clerkship. I talked to Japanese friends about our future during clerkship and they taught me that I don't have to be obsessed with a perfect blueprint. The important thing in life was what you're doing, not what you're achieving. So I could get wider view to see my future and the world outside. In this time, I wanted to know more about their way to live and about the culture of medical society.

I chose gastrointestinology because it was one of my favorite departments in the internal medicine. I was also curious about the system of internal medical department in Japan, specially in Kyushu university. They separate internal medicine departments into 3 parts, First, second, third internal medicine. When I heard about that, it was interesting to me because Inje University doesn't have that system. So, I wonder how they interact between those departments.

Culture of medical society

1) The medical system
Each Japanese hospital has their own medical system. Kyushu University has traditional medical system that separates internal medicine into 3 parts. I was in number 2 internal medicine and they had 2 departments. One was gastrointestinal department that I was rounding in; the other one was nephrology and stroke. In Korea, stroke disease is included in neurology, but Japanese think its one independent department. In 2 departments, they have morning conferences all together every Monday sharing their patients. It was interesting.

2) Relationship
The relationship between doctors and students was surprising me. The doctors seemed to treat the students as their co-workers. Friendly way of talking makes them communicate deeply and share the knowledge efficiently. They have one leader in each department. The leader is called a professor and doctors think he's senior to them. But the professor was kind to students, too, like the other doctors. So when I was practicing in GI department, I always felt respected.

3) GI diseases
Because Kyushu university hospital is 3rd class hospital, their patients usually had severe disease like IBD (inflammatory bowel disease), protein-loosing enteropathy or rare cancers. Although I couldn't interview the patients by myself, I could watch my friends to interview them. The first patient was HSP and second patient was Crohn's disease. My Japanese friends, Saho and Aso interviewed them, watched their examination and made the plans for treatment. I was with them during these processes, and whenever I couldn't understand Japanese, they helped me in English. Besides the knowledge of GI department, another friend, Yuka who were in nephrology taught me some new drugs for anti-coagulation, the NOAC. With their help, I could learn recent knowledge's about internal medicines.

4) Attitude to patients
Every time I watch their way to treat the patients, I'm impressed. They're amazingly polite to their patients. Whenever the doctors have to do some examination for the patients, they meet the patients before the examination and bring them to the examination room and do the examination with friendly explains. It's the same when the patients have the surgery. I thought I have to learn it.

The way to live

I could meet lots of friends in Kyushu University. Some of them impressed me with their kindness. They also taught me precious things in life. I usually hung out with 6th grade students. They had many worries for their future like me. Hanayo, Yuka, Ostubo were with me everytime. I know how hard it is to take care of foreign students. I'm really grateful for them. They also have many good points. The way to talk to people, the sweet mind to respect people around them. They explained many things about Japanese cultures and medical knowledges. It made my clerkship meaningful. Although Eri, Yui, Yuri were another department, they also helped me all the time. Traveling and talking with them, I get to know that everyone in my age have same worries for their future and it gives me some power to solve it. That's the time that I get to know we can cheer up each others.
Also, I met Misato again. She was in my anatomy group 2 years ago. That time she told me that she wanted to be an OBGY doctor. At this time, I asked her again and she said it's same until now. I was happy to see her go her own way.

Every time when I experience about foreign country, I can learn what I can't get in daily life. The places I've been to be living in my mind, in same time with me. It makes me think that what I should do, on earth. I'm really grateful to Inje University for giving me this chance to improve my insight. Thank you.