The experience I gained from this internship has made me consider my college path by making me think more about the classes I want to take in college. I know I want to major in something related to the medical field such as biology or chemistry but I also want to take classes that have to do with speaking with people. I still want to develop my social skills because I saw a lot of communication and collaboration involved in this career. I would like to do this so I can become more prepared for this career. I learned a lot about Japan’s healthcare system as well as culture and words. It was a blend of learning new things and reconnecting with my heritage while being completely immersed in Japan. My internship didn’t end after my hours. Even on my weekends, I was still on my internship. This taught me how to be independent and advocate for myself. I think it has helped me feel more prepared for living on my own, especially for college. I also wore nice clothes and spoke professional Japanese, which I prepared for by practicing at home and taking notes. I also made sure to work on my blog posts, internship project, and POL. I observed how kind and patient my colleagues were to each other and to me. I definitely want to be more kind and more patient. I want to be as welcoming as my mentor and colleagues were to me. Overall, I had a great time at this internship and I am very thankful for this opportunity.
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My internship project is the next issue of the monthly hospital newspaper. I interviewed a local musician for the newspaper and worked on the article about him. Since this issue is for next month, I do not have a copy of the final version but I have a copy of a previous issue to give an idea of what it will look like and took pictures of the draft I worked on.
The project was important because I helped with a real newspaper that people read every month. This newspaper is delivered to patients by the clinic and hospital to provide health resources and information about the local community. It was important to me because it was an opportunity to learn about the “behind the scenes” work that is connected to jobs relating to healthcare. First I discussed with my colleagues the plans for the next issue. They brought out older issues and explained how it was important to take pictures and arrange the sections carefully. I asked my colleagues about the person I was interviewing so I could prepare interview questions related to his career. Then I met up with the person I interviewed with my mentor and asked questions while taking notes on my notepad. When I met up with my colleagues again for the newspaper, I discussed my notes in Japanese and worked together to write the article. Click here to see my POL. Part 1:
I made a meaningful contribution to my workplace by helping run activities and help hospital staff. I helped the community center by helping with the local choir, cafe, and free health check ups. This was a meaningful contribution because the more people that were there, the more smoothly the activities ran and gave attendees information about what to do if they have health problems. I also helped them with their monthly newspaper that goes out to patients. I made sure they were neatly packaged and folded so it can be delivered. I also helped with the delivery. This was a meaningful contribution because the newspaper is a product which needs to be released each month by the community center that gets read by people. I also helped nurses measure blood pressure and made sure to turn the machine’s results to where the nurses can see and write it down. This was a meaningful contribution because these were real results that nurses looked at to see if the patient is healthy or not. My work was significant and meaningful to the world beyond school and my internship site because my work had to do with reaching out to the local community, promoting good health, and making people happy. At the community center, I talked to some of the volunteers and they were mostly elderly people. Japan has a lot of elderly people living alone so the community center is a place for them to talk to people and participate in activities. One volunteer told me that after her husband died, she lives alone and that being inside of a house was really bad for her mental health. She said that going to the community center has given her a reason to go out of the house and that speaking to people really makes her day. I’m really happy that this community center has this effect on people because I have heard similar stories from other volunteers as well. Everyone there is really nice and I am happy that making conversation and helping activities makes their day. I also helped out at this 24/7 care program at the clinic for elderly people with dementia who can’t live on their own. This was very meaningful because I got to speak with them and take them out on walks at nearby parks. The staff told me that living in the facility made them feel stuck so the patients really appreciate me walking outside with them. It was kind of sad having to reintroduce myself to the patients everytime I work there but I’m glad I can make them happy, even if they don’t remember. At the hospital, I helped make origami to go with meals made for patients. The hospital mostly has elderly patients so we made cards geared towards them such as origami for Respect the Aged Day. The staff told me how happy it makes the patients feel getting these cards so I’m really glad that my work will make someone happy. Part 2: A new appreciations I developed while working as an intern is appreciation for elderly people. I don’t spend a lot of my time around elderly people so at first I was afraid of them because I thought I wouldn’t be able to speak with them because I’m young but I learned that they are just normal people. They were very kind to me and I began to think more about how elderly people are treated in day to day life. I also came to appreciate the Japanese language more because I learned new words and phrases related to Japanese culture that makes me want to learn as much as I can from my internship. I also appreciated having this internship overall because it gave me the opportunity to learn to be independent. I feel so much more confident in myself and it makes me feel more prepared for being on my own. Characteristics I saw in people around me were kindness, patience, and being eager to learn new things. My mentor and my colleagues were so kind to me it kind of took me by surprise. I thought that maybe because I’m young and from a different country that maybe they wouldn’t be fond of me but they were very nice and surprisingly open minded. I want to develop my own kindness because I think it's important and I would like to be able to help make other people feel comfortable. They were also very patient when I asked them to explain difficult words and cultural things that I didn’t understand. I was terrified of asking at first because I didn’t want to annoy them but they were very patient and seemed happy to explain words to me. This encouraged me to speak up more when I had questions and my Japanese has gotten a lot better because of this. I never want people to think asking me questions is a burden so I would also like to be more patient. My mentor and colleagues were very eager to learn new things especially about English and American culture. For example when I asked what a word or phrase was in Japanese, after they taught me, they would ask me how to say it in English. My colleagues put a lot of effort into remembering the English words and even wrote it down on notepads. I would also like to push myself to be eager to learn new things because I think there are a lot of valuable things you can learn by trying new things.
Helping create origami to accompany meals delivered to patients.
I have advocated for myself many times during the span of my internship and also have seen advocacy demonstrated in other situations. An example of when I advocated for myself was when I was helping prepare food for the program that helps elderly people with dementia. I made sure to ask the staff clarifying questions to ensure that I did my job correctly, by asking questions such as “how small should I cut broccoli so the patients can eat?” I asked clarifying questions while cutting vegetables and tofu in small pieces, helping cook food on the stove, and when laying out the dishes on trays and delivering them so that the food is edible and is delivered to the right person.
I also double checked with nurses, when I was using the blood pressure monitor, to make sure I am using it correctly. I wanted to make sure to do this correctly and without accidentally hurting the patients because the results determined whether or not they had to see a doctor. I have seen advocacy demonstrated by my colleagues while running activities at the community center. They did this by suggesting ways to run activities more smoothly and conveniently for the people attending. I think I will be a memorable intern. I am polite and respectful to my mentor and colleagues. I also make sure to show up early, dress nicely, and complete the tasks given to me. People are very eager to meet me since I am half Japanese and from the US. They are very impressed by my Japanese. They are also interested in learning English words and phrases, so I teach them and they seem very happy about it! I am eager to learn new words and more things about Japanese culture so I always keep a little notebook with me. For example, I mentioned in a previous blog post that I was offered to be taught how to do Japanese tea ceremonies by a volunteer at the community center. My mentor and I went to her house and she and two other volunteers from the community center taught me how to make matcha tea and drink the tea according to the rules of the tea ceremony. She was very kind and taught me the about meanings of words and objects associated with the tea ceremony. I had a lot of fun making tea and learning more about Japanese culture! She told me it's rare to teach a foreigner how to do tea ceremonies and she was really excited about it. Overall I think my internship is working out well! The project I am working on for my internship is a newspaper for the community center. I am going to be interviewing a local jazz musician and write my findings in an article. I will also be helping with creating and formatting the actual newspaper itself.
The skills I need so my project is of good quality is to be diligent, respectful, good at time management, decision making, and communication. I need support from my mentor and colleagues with coming up with interview questions. I will also need support when formating the newspaper because I have never worked on a newspaper before, so I’ll need help from people more experienced. I need support from my colleagues with writing the article in Japanese to make sure it is grammatically correct. I conducted my interview with my mentor in person and the following are questions that I asked and notes that I took on his answers.
What should I know before I start working here?
What kind of personal traits, skills, and knowledge is important for this job?
Why did you choose this job?
What kind of skill and training do you need?
How did you get these skills?
What are your main duties and responsibilities?
A question I have for my internship is something that could only be answered through experience and that is what is it like to do this everyday as a job. I am an intern so I feel like my experience is a small window into a whole different world. I'm also curious to know why some of my colleagues choose their professions. A connection I can make between this internship and what I’ve done in school is the amount of communication and collaboration that happens during my internship. No matter which jobsite I work at, I will always work with people. I communicate with doctors, nurses, hospital staff, patients, and volunteers. Doing group work at school has helped me prepare for internship by teaching me to be flexible with any given task and to be understanding towards other people. During my internship, I worked with a lot of elderly people who are very kind. The community center is right next to the clinic that I also work at and many of the patients there also go to the community center. They asked questions about me and what America is like. They also talked about their lives, their grandchildren, and sometimes their own experiences in America, if they’ve been there. I think they viewed me more as their grandchild than as an intern which was very sweet. Some of the old ladies sewed handbags and did embroidery for me which I am grateful for. Another old lady, who teaches people how to do Japanese tea ceremonies, offered to teach me next week. My colleagues from all job sites were kind and took the time to explain unfamiliar Japanese words to me. I really appreciate it because sometimes it is hard to keep up with conversation when I don’t know a certain word. I was very nervous about my limited vocabulary before internship so the fact that they are very kind and understanding when I ask them about a definition of a word really means a lot to me. Japan has an aging population problem, which means that there are more elderly people than young people. The clinic I work at has a day program where elderly people who live alone go to the hospital to be cared for and supervised by nurses while going about their daily lives and partake in fun activities such as karaoke. This makes it so that if any of the patients need help there will be a person who can help them immediately and take them to a doctor if they are injured. After the day is over, they return home and come back the next day. The clinic also has a similar program but for elderly people with dementia who no longer can live on their own. Each patient has their own room and have their own clothes and furniture with them to make themselves feel more at home. They also have nurses and staff nearby in case of emergencies. I worked with both programs and it really made me realize how important these programs are for elderly people. It helps keep them safe, healthy and happy. Working with these programs made me feel like I was making a difference and I’m glad to be able to make someone’s day, even just by talking to them. I took patients on walks and pushed them in their wheelchairs so they can get fresh air. I also helped them walk and caught them if they tripped. I also learned how to measure the patients’ blood pressure. I measured their blood pressure in the morning so the nurses can decided whether or not the patient needs to see a doctor. I am becoming more confident in speaking professional Japanese and even my colleagues commented on this. I am able to hold much longer conversations and I have increased my vocabulary. I hope to continue to develop my abilities to speak professional Japanese and learn different ways to check people’s health. The community center and clinic are close to my Aunt’s house so I walk there. When I go to the hospital, I take the subway. I was afraid of taking the subway the first time I went to the hospital and took a lot of notes and pictures on my phone so I know which stations to get off and get on. Now I’m not as afraid anymore but it still stresses me out a little because I am still afraid of getting off the wrong station. It's very cramped in the morning but not as much when I’m going back to my Aunt’s house. Commuting has made me feel more independent and confident in my ability to take public transportation. I hope I will grow more confident in myself after this internship. I had a great time during my first day at internship in Japan! I'm also really enjoying living in Japan! I am in a completely different culture and I am speaking strictly Japanese all the time, even when going to the convenience store to get snacks.
What strikes me most about my workplace is how nicely decorated it was. I spent my first day at the community center and it had a cat theme which I thought was really cute. My colleagues were very kind and understanding of the fact that there were a lot of words and things I don’t know because I don’t use Japanese regularly in America and I don’t live in Japan. What strikes me most about the job is that I help make people happy by delivering food and helping run events. A lot of the staff told me that it made their clients day just having a new face around so I’m happy I can make another person happy. I am excited for tomorrow because I will be working at the hospital which is a jobsite I’ve haven't worked at yet. I’m worried about difficult medical words coming up in conversation and not knowing what it means. I am going to Japan for my internship. I will be working at a hospital, clinic, and community center.
My mentor is Mr. Sanuki. My project is working on a poster and newspaper for the clinic and hospital. My daily responsibilities will be different everyday because I work at three different places during the week. I will be working at the hospital, clinic, and the community center next to the clinic. My daily responsibilities include helping make meals for patients, helping manage community events and helping doctors with their work. I’m excited to learn about the medical field and also improve my Japanese through this internship experience. I am also excited to become more independent because I will be going to Japan on my own for the first time and be living there away from my mom and brother. I am nervous about speaking to my mentor and the people I will be working with because when I met them over spring break, they used a lot of medical terms in Japanese I was not familiar with. I did some studying but I’m afraid it will be difficult for me to understand words that don’t come up in day to day conversation. |