University of North Carolina, Tomoha Seki (6th year student, Department of Pharmacy, Faculty of Pharmacy *at the time)

I did my practical training at the University of North Carolina in the United States. By participating in this program, I learned the importance of broadening my perspective by exchanging opinions with people from various backgrounds. Both the US and Japanese healthcare systems and pharmacy education have their strengths and weaknesses. Through discussions with pharmacists and pharmacy students, I was able to identify many attractive aspects and areas for improvement in each. There were many things I would not have noticed if I had only been in Japan, and this experience strengthened my desire to contribute to the world by exchanging opinions from various viewpoints with people from diverse backgrounds.

The best part of participating in this program was making many irreplaceable friends. About two months before we visited the US, two students from the University of North Carolina did their practical training in Japan. Thanks to this, we were able to hear their opinions on Japanese healthcare from the perspective of American students and have many very meaningful discussions. Also, they were very happy when we showed them around Japan, and in North Carolina, they took us out almost every week, so we all had a very enjoyable time. Many other people in the US were also very kind to us. Building friendships that have continued even after returning to Japan is a memory I will cherish for a lifetime.

Doing practical training at an overseas medical institution is a very valuable opportunity, so if you are interested, I encourage you to actively take on the challenge! There were some tough times as I had to work on my graduation research and graduation exams while preparing for the advanced overseas practical training, but I had a valuable experience that made me think from the bottom of my heart that it was worth the effort. Above all, I was able to grow significantly as a person, so I really want many people to take on this challenge!