Education
Welcome to Kameda's Medical Education Web Site!
We are striving to bring the best of Japanese and American graduate medical education to Kameda.
Education Profile
We welcome International Medical Students to Kameda.
Graduate Medical Education at Kameda Medical Center is affiliated with several medical schools and hospitals in Japan and the United States. The educational program is fully accredited by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare.
International Medical Students
This is a brief introduction to the International Medical Student Electives offered at Kameda.
Key Benefits
- Experience medical training in one of Japan's leading private medical centers.
- Train with other medical students from Japan and other countries.
- Interact with medical students, residents and staff and offer different perspectives on medical care.
Clinical Elective Opportunities for Visiting Medical Students
NOTE: We are no longer accepting new applicants for 2023
Kameda Medical Center (hereinafter; KMC) has limited clinical elective opportunities available for students. Usual maximum is two foreign students at a time.
To be eligible for consideration, students must meet the following criteria at the time of application:
- 1 .Applicants must be candidates for an M.D. /D.O. degree and in good standing in an accredited school.
- 2 .Applicants must be or will be (at the time of your elective) a senior medical student who have completed basic medical school clerkship prior to application.
- 3 .Applicants must be responsible for all arrangements and expenses related to the Medical Elective Program including travel and medical insurance.
- 4 .Either Japanese or English language proficiency is required.
- 5 .Visiting students are limited to a maximum of 4 weeks.
TEACHING SPECIALITIES
Your time at KMC can be spent in any one or two of the following departments offering you a broad exposure to the Japanese medical education system.
- Anesthesiology
- Cardiology
- Emergency Room
- Family Medicine
- Gastroenterology
- General Internal Medicine
- General Surgery
- ICU
- Neurology
- OB/GYN
- Oncology
- Pediatrics
- Radiology
OBJECTIVES
- 1 .Learn how to practice in a different culture from your country of origin. The medical student will have an experience in patient care and medical education to include clinic, hospital and public health practice.
- 2 .Experience life in a cross-cultural practice. Be part of the community.
- 3 .Learn skills allowing him/her to practice in a different health system.
- 4 .Enhance Japanese speaking ability.
- 5 .Exchange information and medical abilities (i.e., teach and carry ideas to and from KMC and country of origin).
- 6 .Be respectful, sensitive to cultural issues and enhance the visiting country and our lives.
- 7 .See how ideals central to medicine in your country of origin are used in Japan. For instance, the physician-patient relationship and ethical principles such as confidentiality, autonomy and beneficence likely have developed much differently in Japan.
- 8 .Interact with medical students, residents and staff and offer different perspectives on medical care.
METHODS
- 1 .The medical student will act as part of the medical team at KMC. During this time she/he will be in clinic, make hospital rounds and contribute to group discussions. The medical student will be involved in medical center educational activities. Visiting medical students do not write orders or write in the medical record.
- 2 .The on site physicians will provide staffing as needed. These preceptors facilitate the medical student's entrance into the medical education system and work with the medical student to solve problems as they arise. We encourage informal meetings one time per week as a time to sit down and review the rotation. An active, informal interchange of information is as important as structured didactic time.
- 3 .We encourage the active sharing of patient education materials, procedural technique or other clinical and practice systems.
- 4 .Each participant is responsible for molding these methods to his/her experience.
- 5 .Clinical Project - optional: The student will examine an aspect of clinical care at KMC and compare it to current U.S. practices or other hospital in Japan (assistance is available in obtaining information from other "benchmarking" hospitals. If feasible, this project will be the basis for a presentation or conference toward the end of the rotation.
CLINICAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF STUDENTS
During the program, students are asked to be astute clinical observers. Hands-on clinical responsibilities are often limited due to the type of practice and skills needed. Basically, clinical responsibilities are prohibited according to the Japanese Medical Practitioners Law.
LANGUAGE POLICY
If your proficiency in Japanese language is limited to elementary level, however, your activity at Kameda Medical Center is likely to be limited to clinical observership, rather than full clinical clerkship which is commonly practiced by final year medical students in the United Kingdom or the United States. This is due to the fact that hardly any patients speak English, neither do nurses nor other hospital staff. Although virtually all bedside teaching is provided in Japanese language only, senior doctors will do their best to accommodate you as an elective student and attempt to deliver as much teaching in English as possible.
SCHEDULE
Our program is not available during following periods;
- New Year's: late December to 2nd week of January
- Fiscal Year & Golden Week: late March to 2nd week of May
- Summer Holiday: late August
TUITION
Currently, students who are regularly enrolled in medical school are not charged additional tuition for training at KMC.
TRAVEL
Students must pay their own travel expenses. Travel in or around Japan should not be scheduled during the program period excepting weekends.
HOUSING
Housing can be arranged through the Postgraduate Medical Education Center.
FOOD
KMC staff cafeteria is available for economically priced meals.
OTHERS
The Hospital assumes no responsibility for accidents or illnesses which students have during the elective program, including the travel between their home country and Japan. Each student must have his/her own health and/or travel insurance that covers health. Moreover, each student must inform his/her family of the contact information during the elective program in Japan.
DOCUMENTS REQUIRED
- 1
.Application Form ( MS Word
/ PDF
)
- 2
.CV
- It must include a list of the clinical rotations that you will complete by time of externship - 3 .A personal statement why you are interested in KMC
- 4 .A letter of recommendation from your school (dean / elective coordinator)
- 5 .Personal ID Size Photo
- 6
.Copy of Passport
- It must include your photo, your signature, the passport number, the place of issue, and the expiration date. - 7
.Health Clearance Form
Note:
In Japan, we need proof of your vaccination or immunity to Chickenpox.
You may had a history in childhood, but it's required that students who have previously had the Chickenpox infection should have their immunity verified with a blood titer to demand certainty.
APPLICATION PROCEDURE
Each applicant must submit documents 1 through 5 by email 6 months prior to the beginning of the program.
6 and 7 will be needed after we approve your elective request.
- 1
.Contact by e-mail
- Please tell us your preferred rotation dates. We will inform you of available dates
- 2
.Each applicant must submit documents 1 through 5 by email 6 months prior to the beginning of the program.
6 and 7 will be needed after we approve your elective request. - 3 .We will carefully examine submitted documents, and confirm the schedule of departments of your choice if they accept applicants during the term.
- 4 .KMC will inform applicants of the results by e-mail as soon as possible.
