Kameda Medical Center

Every room at Kameda has a window overlooking either the sea or the mountains. The windows are large with clear glass panels and often open, allowing a light sea breeze to drift through the patients' rooms and down the corridors. The abundance of sunlight and natural air make Kameda feel very un-hospital-like. However, in many other ways, Kameda feels surprisingly much like UNC.

Every morning starts with rounds, an in-depth discussion of the new patients, followed by division of tasks and extensive electronic charting. Afternoons are filled with work - changing out foley catheters, drawing arterial blood gasses, reviewing lab results - scattered with lectures. The IV hook-ups here even beep at you in the same infuriating way whenever you so much as touch a patient. Really, very much like home. The big difference is that most of this is conducted in Japanese, and I am dependent on kind-hearted residents to translate for me along the way. Luckily, there is no shortage of kind-heartedness in Japan.


My team consists of:
Hitomi - a junior resident or JR1 (the equivalent of an intern)
Koji - a fellow, but one who recently transfered here from another hospital
Kazusa - the true leader of the team, a fellow with a sweet disposition but a quietly impressive will
And Dr. Sando - the attending physician

Dr. Gremillion, the sort of American-physician-in-residence here (going on 6 years in Japan) and my helpful American mentor, introduced me to Kazusa on my first night because she is so sweet and speaks fluent English. She was anxious about leaving her team, even for the short duration of dinner, but was still nice enough to teach me how to properly use chopsticks (or hashi) and how to introduce myself in Japanese:

Hajimimaste. Watashi-no nameo-wa Rebecca-desu.

Koji speaks good english as well and even gave Hitomi and I a lecture in English as a welcome on my first day - a review of gram staining and the most common pathogens in each category, complete with English acronyms. Hitomi is the most junior member of the team, so I naturally feel most in common with her, and she has such a contagious smile and laugh that it is wonderful to be on a team with her.

The Japanese calendar starts in April, with the blooming of the cherry blossoms (or sakura) . So all of the junior residents and transfering physicians started at Kameda the same week as me, and I don't have to feel so embarrassed when I get lost in the hospital.

Sadly, I didn't eat sushi at all during my first week, much less for breakfast. My apartment has a stove, refridgerator, microwave, and rice maker (of course), and I am unexpectedly expected to fend for myself on breakfasts and dinners, which has led to some interesting culinary combinations since I can't read any packaging in the grocery store. So my first few days I braved dehydrated miso soup packets (something I was familiar with from the States), apples, and something I thought was seaweed salad but turned out to be disgusting and ended up in the trash. Ah, well. The adventure continues!