Summer Internships: Kameda Medical Center, Kamogawa City, Japan

By Nick Lenard

Konichiwa from the land of the rising sun! This summer, I have had the honor and privilege of being Kameda Medical Center’s Administrative Intern. This opportunity has proven to be both challenging and rewarding as I have had to navigate cultural and language barriers to gain a better understanding of Japan’s healthcare system and Kameda’s “unorthodox” approach to healthcare within Japan.  

Kameda Medical Center, Japan’s premier medical corporation, is located in the sunny beach town of Kamogawa City. Kameda provides nationals and medical tourists with a full spectrum of medical services ranging from Level 1 Trauma care to primary care. On it’s main campus in Kamogawa City, Kameda has over 925 beds, and provides inpatient, outpatient, and diagnostic services as well having a nursing school. In addition, Kameda has clinics and dental offices across Japan. In fact while here, they had the grand opening of their Kyobashi Clinic in Tokyo and announced their intentions to expand their outpatient clinic on their main campus.

While at Kameda I have been able to shadow various executives and physicians, tour Kameda’s various facilities, present to their nursing students and see other regional hospitals to gain a better appreciation of Kameda’s individuality to Japan and how they operate in the unique confines of Japan’s healthcare system. While most of my time has been spent with Kameda, I have also spent time with the healthcare consulting company, Nippon Keiei, in Osaka.  Nippon Keiei has allowed me to see a different perspective of Japan’s healthcare field and what areas many hospital struggle with here.

Although not specifically project based, this internship has allowed me to work side by side with a few physicians and their research on nursing shortages, the transfer of terminal care to community settings, and the affects of accreditation (not common in Japan). Many of the people that I have worked with or met have been very interested in my perspective of Japan’s healthcare system and how it compares to America’s. I have talked to Kamogawa’s mayor, senior executives, nursing students and just spoke to 400 of Nippon Keiei’s employees at their yearly company meaning on the importance of having an organizational philosophy.  

During my free time and weekends, I have been making every effort to see the most of Japan. I have shopped on Tokyo’s Ginza district (Japan’s version of Rodeo Drive), hiked nature trails, explored, seen many shrines/temples, and recently climbed Japan’s tallest mountain, Mt.Fuji!