[Special Feature] JIU from the same workplace

Yuo Ryo (left: Department of Physical Therapy Class of 2023) and Aijun Iwata (Department of Nursing Class of 2020) are alumni of the University and work at the same place of work, Asai Hospital (Chiba Togane, Japan), although in different occupations.
She talked about her motivation to become a nurse and physical therapist, her memories of her school days, and the advantages of having alumni in the same workplace, including her current job.

Current job description and reason for choosing JIU

Iwata (left) and Takara explaining their work

Ms. Iwata: I work as a nurse in a psychiatric geriatric ward. I take care of patients who are in the chronic stage of their illness, and whose condition has stabilized after passing the acute stage. I decided to study at JIU because it offers a wide range of overseas training and hospital scholarships.
Takara: I work as a physical therapist in the Rehabilitation Department. I am mainly in charge of the Community Comprehensive Care Ward and the Internal Medicine Convalescent Ward. I have been in charge of the rehabilitation of one of Iwata's patients, so I have had a few opportunities to interact with him. When I was a student, I played baseball, and after getting injured and being treated by a physical therapist, I decided to become a physical therapist. I applied to JIU because they offer a wide range of overseas training programs, and I remember taking the exam on the earliest possible date.

Reasons for choosing Asai Hospital as a place of employment and connections with fellow graduates

Iwata-san: I got a job here because I received a scholarship from Asai Hospital when I was a student. I am also grateful that they were flexible in their response to my situation. With so many graduates on the staff, it is much easier to ask questions at work. It is very reassuring.
Takara: I decided to work there because I couldn't visit many hospitals during the COVID-19 pandemic, it was my third-year internship, and I felt the atmosphere suited me. I have been receiving help from a senior physical therapist who is a JIU graduate since my internship, and I still rely on him so much that I ask him anything. Before I started my internship, my teacher told me that a graduate was working there, and I remember feeling relieved knowing that there was someone I could rely on. Now, I have a junior who graduated from JIU, so the work is lively.

Motivation and future goals

 

 

Iwata: In my previous ward, I was in charge of patients who were in a very serious condition immediately after admission, and I watched them visibly recover. Now, in a different ward, I am paying attention to how to help patients whose condition has stabilized to spend each day peacefully. Even if there are no flashy changes, I can end the day without incident by gradually tidying up my surroundings. I feel that such daily accumulations are meaningful. I have come to think that small words such as "thank you" and "it felt good" in my daily life, little smiles and peaceful moments are actually very important. I want to take each and every one of these small moments seriously and not miss them. That's how I feel now.

Takara-san: He had been bedridden for about a year, but he was able to communicate well and clearly expressed his desire to get up. He had always liked social interaction, so I began thinking about how he could somehow participate in the hospital's festival, the Hantengi Festival, which is held in May. With that goal in mind, I started practicing sitting up little by little about a month before, and worked to gradually get him used to the wheelchair. Of course, his condition was unstable at times, and he sometimes had a fever along the way, but little by little, we prepared him to go out. On the day, I had other duties, so a nurse looked after him, but he was able to go around the festival for about an hour with his daughter, who is his family member.
To be honest, I felt guilty for forcing him to do too much, but the head nurse of the ward told me, "Both he and his family were really happy. Thank you very much," and I felt relieved. It may not have been special rehabilitation or major medical intervention, but I felt really glad that I was able to help him realize, even if only a little, what he wanted to do. I would like to continue to listen to the wishes of each individual and support them in realizing their dreams as much as possible.

 

 

Medical Corporation Seiwakai Asai Hospital is a medical institution located in Togane, Chiba prefecture, which opened its clinic on October 1, 1946 (Showa 21) and hospital on October 9, 1959 (Showa 34). It accepts students from Department of Nursing, Department of Physical Therapy, Department of Social Work Studies, and Department of Clinical Pharmacy for practical training, and also provides scholarship support for Faculty of Nursing students.