Report of Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University

Thomas Jefferson University Study Report

 

Country / Regions

Japan

School

Osaka Metropolitan University

Elective period

29th July to 2nd August 2024

 

First, I’d like to thank all who are involved in this program and whom I met during a week in Philadelphia. I sincerely appreciate it.

I observed pediatric outpatients, emergency medicine, general surgery, neurosurgery, team rounds in internal medicine, and JeffHOPE.

Since we have different insurance system or nationalities, medicine in the U.S. and that in Japan are different in various ways. Not just finding pros and cons or superior and inferior points, I think it was a very good experience to have touched both of them.

I’d like to share one thing that I discovered during the week: a connection between emergency room (ER) and JeffHOPE.

In the ER, I was surprised that there were a LOT of patients and most of them were NOT severe. In Japan, we often treat severe patients like trauma in university hospitals. Dr. Mirin, who was in the ER, said, “We do not refuse patients, we accept all of them.” I was wondering why. They should see family doctors, I thought.

In JeffHOPE, about 20 students and 2 doctors were providing them with best treatment they have for FREE. JeffHOPE is a volunteer team that aims to improve access to healthcare for the homeless and educate students about the medical issues and poverty. They are divided into several teams like “triage” and “advocacy,” and they ask questions, do physical exams, introduce a suitable insurance and finally report to doctors to make sure their diagnosis is right and decide a treatment. This is a wonderful system, but it takes a lot of time and energy. I asked them why they do this without being paid. One of the doctors said, “People who don’t know where to go when they have problems or don’t have insurance often call an ambulance and are sent to ER, because there’s a law that requires hospitals with ER to accept any individual whether they have insurance or not. That’s a problem. Also, I see a lot of homeless everyday, but I can’t see them in hospitals.” They were not only helping homeless but trying to reduce the number of patients that were going to ER.

That’s when the dots were connected.

My dream is to become a neurosurgeon and do clinical research as well as educating students and young doctors. Also, I’d like to work abroad for a while after working in Japan, to exchange some good points or superior skills with each other.

To realize this dream, this experience is very useful and meaningful. I will share with others what I experienced and felt and will discuss what we can do to the society.

Again, thank you so much for giving us such a precious opportunity. I will definitely make the most of this experience.