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CAMP LESTER, OKINAWA, Japan – In an effort to educate foreign physicians, U.S. Naval Hospital Okinawa has hosted six Japanese doctors for almost a year.
The internship program, which started in 1991, helps Japanese doctors learn the ways of Western medicine by working with U.S. physicians, and the program also creates a strong link between Okinawan hospitals medical professionals and the USNH Okinawa.
"We want to educate interns on the ways of Western medicine," said Navy Cmdr. David Murphy, the director of medical services with USNH Okinawa. The program is geared toward specific medical fields, such as internal medicine, general surgery, pediatrics, emergency medicine, family practice and psychiatry.
"The Western ways of medicine have now become a global standard," said Dr. Kohei Hasegawa, an intern with the program. "I'm proud to be receiving this education."
Interns not only get an opportunity for education, they also assist in improving relations with the host nation, according to Murphy.
There are some forms of medical care that the USNH cannot provide that local Japanese hospitals can, such as cardiac care and a pediatric intensive care unit. The interns often act as liaisons between Japanese hospitals and USNH Okinawa in those instances.
"We lack some of the facilities that local hospitals have available," Murphy said. "This program helps build on our relationship with those local hospitals and encourages cooperation between us and them."
"Seventy percent of interns further their education in the U.S.," Murphy said. "This year's program isn't over and two of the interns have been selected to attend universities in the states.
"It's hard for foreign students to get an opportunity in many universities in the U.S.," he said. "This program offers the interns an edge on the competition."
Past interns have moved on to universities such as John Hopkins, Harvard and Stanford.
"It is a very competitive program," said Murphy. "This year between 50 and 60 applied for (our) internship."
Having the program gives interns experience working with Americans and gives them an advantage over other foreign graduates, Murphy said.
"This was truly a life-changing experience," said Dr. Shin Miyata, one of the six interns with the program. "When I came here I thought I knew a good bit about medicine, but this course made me realize how little I really knew."
| Date Taken: | 02.08.2008 |
| Date Posted: | 02.11.2008 01:07 |
| Story ID: | 16222 |
| Location: | CAMP LESTER, JP |
| Web Views: | 190 |
| Downloads: | 13 |
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