Summer Internship: Kameda Medical Center

By: David Nelson

Ostukare sama desu and greetings from Japan! This summer I have had the privilege of interning at one of the best private hospitals in Japan, Kameda Medical Center. Kameda Medical Center is located in Chiba Prefecture, on the southeastern coast of Japan. Since the early 1990’s, my preceptor, John Wocher, Vice President and Director of International Patient Relations, has hosted students from the University of Iowa and has given students the opportunity to experience and learn about an entirely different healthcare system.

As a bit of background on Kameda Medical Center, one of the more astonishing parts of the organization is the long-standing leadership of the Kameda family. For more than 350 years, dating all the way back to the Edo period of Japan, the Kameda family has been practicing and innovating in medicine. The current Chairman, Dr. Takaaki Kameda, represents the 11th generation of the Kameda lineage to practice medicine – truly amazing.

In more recent years, the enterprise has been combining some of the best facets of Eastern and Western medicine to create a truly unique medical environment for its patients and staff. In August of 2009, under the leadership of Dr. Kameda and Mr. Wocher, and the entire organization, Kameda Medical Center became the first medical organization in Japan to receive Joint Commission International accreditation.

In principal, the organization consists of a 965-bed inpatient facility and comprehensive outpatient clinic. Kameda Medical Center is recognized as a top teaching hospital, has a dedicated rehab hospital, and also has long-term care and nursing home facilities. The Kameda organization is committed to providing the full spectrum of care and seeks to provide the best care across the entire care continuum.

The experience thus far has taken me to many different places in the organization. I have had the chance to interact with staff from Customer Relations, Supply Chain Management, Clinical Engineering, Quality Management, and Rehabilitation Services. Additionally, I have had the chance to tour the majority of the main Kameda campus, including the newly built A-Tower (photo included), and some of the outlying nursing home, long-term care, and rehabilitation facilities. In the coming months, I will have the chance to visit their regional clinics, including the new Kyobashi Clinic in Tokyo. Finally, I will spend time with Nihon Keiei, a prominent financial and healthcare consulting group in Osaka and Tokyo.

Overall the experience has been incredible so far – the staff at Kameda have been incredibly welcoming and have been very gracious in helping me with the Japanese language and culture. For anyone thinking that the food is somehow scary or too different, I would strongly recommend trying the Japanese cuisine, as it has been exceptional. Finally, the country is beautiful – from the terraced rice fields, to the incredible history in the temples and shrines, Japan has already taught me so much.

Soredewa mata! (See you again soon!)