A Day in the Life

You may be wondering why I haven't written anything intelligent about Japanese healthcare yet (or you all know I'm not intelligent and just accept everything I write is drivel). Either way, I'm waiting to get a good grasp on what exactly it is I'm seeing here to sum things up about Japan's healthcare system and how things are different (and maybe how things are similar).

As it is, I have spent the better part of the last week shadowing and interviewing personnel throughout different departments. Most of this week was spent in nursing which was very beneficial as a large part of Kameda's (and most HCO's) workforce is in the nursing department. I rotated through several units and spoke with the chief nurses (via translator) about what they do, the patients they treat, and any process improvements they are making, some of which can be attributed to JCI (Joint Commission International).

After nursing, I moved on to Patient Relations (which they call Customer Relations; I'm not sure if something is lost in translation or if there is a larger audience they are trying to serve in this department).

Most days I come in a little before 8 and prepare for meetings and interviews that are scheduled from 10-12 and 2-4. In between these times I do write-ups about the interviews and research JCI. The people I am meeting along the way mostly have a limited grasp of the English language but are always excited to get a chance to use it. Some have asked me to practice further with them outside of our meetings. I tell them I'll do what I can...