2025 Student from Leipzig University: Clinical training at Dept of Medicine
Name: Helene La Barbera
Home Institution/ Country: Leipzig University, Germany
Year of university: 6th
Designated department at Shinshu University: Department of Medicine (Gastroenterology, Nephrology/Cardiovascular/Respirology, Infectious Disease)
Training Period: from 30 March to 19 June 2026
Training: Clinical training
1. What made you come train at Shinshu University School of Medicine and how did you find the School through your stay?
The positive appraisals from prior students from all over the world encouraged my application. Since Shinshu University is a partner university of Leipzig, the administrative processes went rather smoothly. I appreciated how the International Office made an effort to best accommodate my administrative regulations as well as clinical interest and helped me with finding an apartment for my stay. Shinshu University Hospital is located right next to the university campus, which makes it very easy to get engaged in student clubs and activities. The local medical students also host events from time to time so I felt very welcomed from the very beginning.
2. Please describe your training at host department/lab.
I did clinical rotation in three departments: 1. Gastroenterology, 2. Cardiology, 3. Pulmonary and Infectious Disease. The mornings would always start with a team meeting and seeing the patients on the ward. After that, I was attending the clinics according to my schedule, e.g. endoscopy, ultrasound or catheter lab. Shinshu University Hospital owns several simulators where you can practice clinical skills in a safe setting. In general, I found that all the doctors had great teaching skills and were always happy to explain diseases and treatments in detail.
3. Please list what you have gained from your experiences through the training at Shinshu University and the stay in Matsumoto, Japan.
The clinical training at Shinshu Universtiy Hospital provided many great learning opportunities. My clinical experience in the field of internal medicine has been rather limited, so I was very grateful to complement and extend my textbook knowledge with real patient cases and procedures.
4. How do you think you can apply those experiences to your future career?
I am convinced that I can apply a lot of my learned skills in my future career, even if I end up in another specialty. Since internal medicine plays a role in almost every other specialty, I will not only benefit from the specialty-specific knowledge, but also from general skills that are crucial to acquire, like care for detail, principles of patient safety, to always reevaluating the diagnosis and treatment plan if new indicators point you in another direction, and last but not least that the best way to tackle difficult tasks is with good teamwork.
5. Advice to those who are interested in studying at Shinshu University
If you have the opportunity to participate in the program at Shinshu University, don't hesitate and take it! Shinshu University has a very active student community. Make the best of your time here and join a club or attend events to engage with the people.
