[Faculty of Global Nursing] International Nursing Practicum III held at the Philippine General Hospital

For five days from January 15th to 19th, 2024, nine third-year students Faculty of Global Nursing participated in the International Nursing Internship III at the Philippine General Hospital, a national hospital in the Philippines with which Japan has an organizational agreement.
It is the largest hospital in the Philippines, treating approximately 600,000 patients per year and seeing around 2,000 outpatients every day.
On the first day, after participating in the morning assembly ceremony held every Monday, the students received a hospital-wide orientation. They then visited a free medical department for the poor and learned the difference between this and the paid medical departments used by the general public.
From the second day onwards, the students observed five different departments within the hospital, including the obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, surgery, oncology ward and operating room, and also undertook practical training in the outpatient department of the free medical department. They were exposed to a medical system that deals with a large number of patients and the role of nurses, and learned about medical care and nursing that are in line with culture.
On the final day, the students gave presentations in English to the clinical instructors of each ward about what they had learned during their training. They reported that it was important to understand the circumstances of each country and to respect each other.

Prior to participating in the internship, the students received guidance on crisis management and intercultural understanding, conducted advance study related to the internship, and thoroughly prepared for their trip, successfully completing the five-day internship.

Here are some impressions from the participants of the training.

・By participating in the internship, I learned about the current situation at PGH and how to deal with it, as well as the role and work of nurses. I was able to do the internship during times when I would normally not be able to go, and I made new discoveries, learned the differences between Japanese hospitals and PGH, and learned the importance of communication. Since these are things that will be necessary in daily life, I felt it was important to explain them to many patients.
(Yanagi, Tanaka, and Tokuda, 3rd year students Faculty of Global Nursing)

・What we learned from this training is that in the Philippines, family is very important. By having family members spend time with patients, early response is possible even with a small number of nurses. We learned that it is necessary to take into consideration the background of the person, such as the environment in which they live and their lifestyle. We were reminded of the importance of human life over the environment of medical care and money, and learned that when making a diagnosis, it is also important to prioritize nursing care and what is prioritized for that person.
(Kazama, Shiomi, and Shinjo, 3rd year students Faculty of Global Nursing)

・During my one-week training at PGH, I was able to learn more about the charity hospital, something I would not be able to learn in Japan. I understood that considering the culture and background of a country leads to better nursing, and it was also a wonderful experience to actually communicate with patients in a foreign language. I also felt a strong "nursing policy" from the nurses at PGH, and I would like to use this as my belief as a global nurse in the future.
(Takayama, Tanaka, and Tsujino, 3rd year students Faculty of Global Nursing)

(Source: Faculty of Global Nursing)