Summer Internship: Kameda Medical Center

Shannon McCarthy (MHA '18), left, poses during her summer in Japan.

By: Shannon McCarthy (MHA ’18)

Konnichiwa!

I am writing to you from Kamogawa, Japan where I am just finishing up this portion of my three-month internship with Kameda Medical Center.  My time here in Japan has been eye-opening in both an educational and cultural sense.  While I am currently here in the far west part of the main island, my journey in Japan started across the bay in Tokyo with Nihon Keiei.  Nihon Keiei is a healthcare consulting firm with around 30% of the domestic market as a client.

During my time in Tokyo, I conducted site visits to several healthcare facilities including a long-term care hospital, psychiatric hospital, community hospitals, and more.  These facilities were located all across the Honshu island including Fukushima, Nagano, Nasu, and other organizations around Tokyo.  In addition to the site visits, I have helped Nihon Keiei in their application for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Village clinic with a detailed analysis of primary care services requirements.

When I worked with Nihon Keiei at their headquarters in Osaka, I was responsible for developing an international business expansion plan for the leadership of the organization.  Additionally, I conducted financial analysis for several clients all the while learning about the policy, tax, and financial differences encountered by healthcare providers in Japan.

At Kameda, I have received an incredibly unique clinical experience – scrubbing in for open-heart surgery and a c-section were experiences of a lifetime.  I also have conducted home health visits around the city, met with the mayor to discuss future demographic and developmental changes for the town, met with the leaders of every department in the hospital, and created a 35mm film of the entire hospital’s operations one slide at a time.

Japan is a fascinating country where you can find Shinto shrines directly next to huge, modern supermarkets.  I often spend my free time visiting these shrines, Buddhist temples, and ancient castles.  During my time in the large cities of Osaka and Tokyo, I loved to wander around the busy streets staring at all of the lights and just soaking up the atmosphere.  Now, in Kamogawa, I get to spend my evenings walking along the beach and listening to the ocean sounds while watching the surfers conquer the waves.  I am currently studying the language and hope to continue in the states.  I will always remember my summer in Japan, and I am certain that I will find myself living here again.