The first day in a new ward can be a dizzying experience. It was particularly taxing for clinical exchange students from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, for whom English is a second language. Ye Xu said that she followed her team around on her first day, but didn’t know the patients or many of the acronyms used by the team. Fortunately, one of the Fellows she was working with kindly explained many things to her. Hongli Liu said that his first few days were difficult. In addition to learning new vocabulary, he had to learn new techniques, such as doing urine sample tests in Nephrology.
These capable students overcame these initial challenges, however, and quickly settled into their rotations.
For the past 10 years clinical students have come to UNMC from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine. They rotate to three or four departments in the College of Medicine. This year’s students spent time in settings as varied as Bariatric Surgery, Ophthalmology, and Trauma Surgery.
Their 12 weeks at UNMC led some of the students to realize their calling in life. Chengbei Zhou reflected that at orientation she was told that there would be good and bad things during her stay. It was through seeing good and bad patients and various doctor-patient interactions that she came to realize that she wanted "to become a health care provider, not just a doctor." Xiaowen Tan said that in China she had been told for years that she could not become an orthopedic doctor because she is a woman. At UNMC she realized that it is difficult to be a good orthopedic doctor, regardless of gender. She decided that she does want to specialize in orthopedics despite the difficulties and what she has been told in China.
Yineng Yu said that she learned how doctors at UNMC make patients feel welcome through their smiles, gestures, and attitudes towards their patients. She learned this during her rotations, but she also experienced it firsthand when she became a patient after breaking her leg. This experience, though unplanned, was invaluable to her learning at UNMC, she said.
Being away from family and friends was difficult, of course. Many had to miss happy and sad events in Shanghai, such as the loss of a grandparent, to participate in this exchange. This separation also led to newfound friendships and a strengthening of bonds between the students. They became close as they learned how to cook and as they traveled together during breaks.
At the end of their time here, the students gathered to give presentations. Gerald Moore, M.D., Senior Associate Dean for the College of Medicine, was there to hear their presentations. He said to them, "you mentioned the things you’ve learned and the friends you’ve made while you were here. I want you to know that we learn from you as well. Thank you for being a part of this program."