Specialty training - korea or japan?

Hey guys, any advice on which country i should go to for surgery specialty training? Im in my third year of medschool, and i'll be graduating in 6 months, and after 1.5 year of internship i'll be able to take specialty training. Im from indonesia btw. Not so many people from indonesia here so i decided to make a new thread

I dont want to underestimate anything in terms of learning a new language, but i got the basic of korean and japanese and some other language when im in high school. Once again, i dont want to underestimate it, but im really confident in learning new languages. Its like a hobby to me. So dont worry about it

I just wanna know which one is better in terms of education and living environment. Oh, and i want to know the living cost too, since i dont know if they'll pay doctors in training like here in indonesia. So thanks guys, any help will be appreciated!

Reply 1

Tyler Bam

1

Hey, sorry to see you haven't had any replies to your thread yet. :frown:

Are you sure you’ve posted in the right place? Posting in the specific university or course forum should help get more responses. :redface:

If you haven’t already found it, then university connect is a really useful way for finding people at your course/university! You can also find a list of applicant threads and courses here. :h:

It's worth checking out if you have questions.

If you need advice on your academic work, then the Study Help section will be able to help you. :h:

Hope this helps! :h:

Reply 2

insert-username

14

"basics" of korean and japanese will get you no where.
I dont see why you want to do your speciality training in japan if you're 1) not fluent, 2) not a national.
Being a doctor/surgeon is a very serious career that requires excellent communication. how can you expect anyone to hire you when you aren't fluent in the language? patients need to be comfortable with their physicians and a physician that requires a translator or doesn't understand rural speak will be seen as incompetent.
plus being a doctor in a foreign country requires much more than just understanding the language, as a doctor you'll be expected to learn immense medical vocabulary. all the antomy and medical terms you've learnt in english will become irrelevant, you will have to relearn everything in japanese or korean by yourself, no one will have time to translate for you.
this is not to mention the competition you will have from actual japanese citizens for the same post.
japan is notorious for its tight immigration controls, its very difficult for an IMG to get a job there.
I dont know much for korea.

the culture and way of life is very different in both countries. i cant speak much for korea, i am japanese myself (half, my father is japanese and mum is from canada) people work very hard, most doctors hardly get to spend time with their families and there are incredibly high expectations of doctors. if anything goes wrong profound public apologies must be made and these fields are always competitive.
Not to mention the simple fact that a foreigner simply will never be regarded with the same respect and competence as a japanese doctor in japan. its sad but its discrimination that still exists in japanese culture. even hafu japanese people like me struggle to be accepted as regular japanese people, though things are changing. as a doctor patients will always trust a japanese doctor more than a foreigner, especially if you're not a native speaker.
Plus its going to be a long road to even get a license to practice there as a foreigner.

sorry to burst the bubble.

As for cost - living in tokyo is more expensive than living in london + much smaller accomodation. flats are tiny in comparison to uk. its difficult finding accomodation.

the best route for a non-japanese hoping to train in japan was to have gone to a japanese medical school, build your reputation this way/make connections and learn all the basics of medicine in japane, medical terms in japanese and the culture of how medicine is practice in japan.
as an IMG (international medical graduate) you will struggle to be considered and you will find yourself feeling very unhappy and lonely if you cannot speak nihongo, you wont fit in with the culture and people.
Dont delude yourself into thinking you can get by with 'basics' of a language. its fine if you want to go to japan to teach english or open a resturant. but to go into a serious profession like medicine, you need to 100% fluent. this is a field that requires very high levels of trust and communication and someone who cant be bothered to become fluent will not be taken seriously.
Plus a patient will think something like "why should i go to a foreigner who speaks japanese okay when i can be treated by a japanese doctor?"

unless you truly intend to practice in these countries, then doing speciality training there is pointless and waste of time.
most people do their speciality training in the country they intend to practice in/become full time doctors or surgeons in. for example i'm originally from canada and though i'll be getting my medical degree in the UK i intend to complete my speciality training in canada because thats where i want to live/practice for the rest of my career.

the process of getting a license to practice medicine in japan as a foreigner will be VERY difficult for you.
if you were planning to move there for a simple job where you didnt mind people treating you like a clueless foreigner and not trusting you then thats fine, but for a profession like a doctor/surgeon which requires so much trust, communication and most of all RESPECT, you will struggle and end up very depressed there.

Reply 3

Ronove

18

I was under the impression that the only way of practising in Japan as a doctor who qualified elsewhere was to either a) work on a foreign army base or b) take the Japanese medical finals so it's as if you've graduated in Japan as well - and they are, of course, in Japanese. This might not be the case though (or at least it might not be the case anymore).

Reply 4

Brofistynessism

OP

1

Im sorry if i sounded delusional, but language is really not a problem for me. I can speak japanese, i can write/read kanjis, i just mentioned that i know the basic because some people i asked in real life started questioning whether its true or not, knowing that im still very young. They dont even believe i'll e graduating in half a year, since im only 21. Went to university faster because i skipped grades on middle and high school. Same with korean, although with korean im still having some confusion (which makes people even more confused and thought i was lying because they THINK korean is easier)

So im really sorry i havent been fully honest

Reply 5

Brofistynessism

OP

1

Original post by Ronove

I was under the impression that the only way of practising in Japan as a doctor who qualified elsewhere was to either a) work on a foreign army base or b) take the Japanese medical finals so it's as if you've graduated in Japan as well - and they are, of course, in Japanese. This might not be the case though (or at least it might not be the case anymore).

Hey i remember seeing you in another indonesian med student's post here hahaha i was just opening all indonesian posts here that relates to my problem.

Yeah, i dont mind the test in japanese. Is that really possible though, to just take some medschool final exam there later after i graduated here in indonesia?

Reply 6

Ronove

18

Original post by Brofistynessism

Hey i remember seeing you in another indonesian med student's post here hahaha i was just opening all indonesian posts here that relates to my problem.

Yeah, i dont mind the test in japanese. Is that really possible though, to just take some medschool final exam there later after i graduated here in indonesia?

I guess it must be possible if that's what it says you have to do to practise there. You're going to have to read up on it on some Japanese websites though I guess.

Reply 7

Brofistynessism

OP

1

Original post by Ronove

I guess it must be possible if that's what it says you have to do to practise there. You're going to have to read up on it on some Japanese websites though I guess.

If possible, can you refer me to one? If not then its okay i'll look it up tommorow morning. Its 3 am here and im just done cramming, going to sleep now and wake up in a few hours

Reply 8

Ronove

18

Original post by Brofistynessism

If possible, can you refer me to one? If not then its okay i'll look it up tommorow morning. Its 3 am here and im just done cramming, going to sleep now and wake up in a few hours