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TOWAKAI UNIVERSAL MEDICAL SERVICE
A：After working at a university hospital in China for 4 years, I came to Japan in 2017. After coming to Japan, I attended a Japanese language school for two years and joined tums SAKURA Hospital EDOGAWA of the tums group in 2019. Due to my visa, I worked as a nursing assistant right after I joined the hospital, but I soon started working as a nurse.
I was transferred to different wards on a regular basis, and I was able to see patients with completely different conditions, so I was able to perform my duties with a fresh feeling each time. It is sometimes hard to get used to, but I enjoy it because I can learn new things and build new relationships.
A：Even when I was working as a nurse in China, I dreamed of studying abroad.
I was reluctant to take the first step because I thought it would make my family sad if I went abroad, but I found a university to work as a nurse in Japan and got the courage to enroll.
The Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) ranges from Level 5 to Level 1, and in order to become a nurse in Japan, you have to take the highest level, Level 1. I took Level 2 while working in China, and took Level 1 when I came to Japan.
I traveled to Japan three times during the time I was working in China. The food was delicious, the sky was beautiful, the air was fresh, and the blue sky made me feel great!
My family, who visited Japan with me only once, also said that Japan was nice.
I’ve heard that Japan is a stressful society, but I don’t feel any stress at all.
A：There are two main reasons for this: the first is that the company has a good education system.
The first reason is that it has a good education system, and since the president of the board of directors is a graduate of Chiba University, I found out that the corporation works with Chiba University Hospital, and I thought it would be useful for my career development in Japan.
The second reason is that the banks of the Edogawa River are very beautiful (laughs).
A：I am very content on my days off (laughs).
Many of my friends are Chinese. I like the outdoors, so I climb mountains and go camping. In winter, I also go snowboarding and climb snowy mountains. I also like to take pictures, so I really enjoy taking pictures while I’m climbing mountains.
Recently, I also took up calligraphy in order to strengthen my spirit.
I sometimes rent a car and go on long trips. I went to a driving school to change my Chinese driver’s license to a Japanese one, and thanks to the many mistakes I made, I think I have acquired some skills and am driving pretty well now! The summer before last, I drove almost every week, visiting Gunma, Nagano, and Niigata Prefectures.
A：I am touched when I receive words of gratitude from patients’ families. I think it’s a very rewarding job.
It’s also fun to talk with the patients and everyone at the office every day!
A：There are a couple of Japanese patients who have been telling me stories about China since they found out that I am Chinese.
I was very touched to hear them say, “It would be nice if Japan and China could get along. I was also happy to hear that they were interested in Chinese politics and history, and that they had a positive impression of China.
The person who left a particularly strong impression on me was a patient with a gentle air and a smile that suited her very well.
I was warmly touched by her friendly words about her store, “When my disease is cured, please come to my store. Through this encounter with the patient, I decided that my last goal in life would be to become a lovely grandmother!
Ａ：I think it is writing records in Japanese.
I can write most of my daily records, but for example, during IC (Informed Consent) and explanations to the family, I have to record every word spoken by the social workers and nutritionists.
I’m getting used to it little by little, but I find it difficult to record everything. I am lacking in the ability to summarize Japanese sentences.
Chinese and Japanese have similar Chinese characters, and sometimes I get them mixed up, so I try to record what I can understand first and then summarize after I’ve calmed down.
A：I am now able to speak confidently with Japanese people. I am now able to speak confidently with Japanese people, even when talking face to face with patients’ families or when answering the phone.
For a Japanese person, answering the phone is normal, isn’t it? However, as a foreigner, I was afraid to answer the phone because I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to understand what the caller was saying. When I first joined the company, I couldn’t work up the courage to answer the phone, so when it rang, I would quickly leave the place so as not to be noticed (laughs).
I realized that I couldn’t go on like this, so I made a conscious effort to listen to and learn from the staff members who were answering the phone, and now I answer the phone when it rings and can handle it without delay.
The person on the other end of the line may think my words are a little strange, but I’m sure I didn’t use any rude words.
Ａ：I feel like it’s a big deal for me to talk about how I studied Japanese, but… I just shadowed the tape.
When the tape said one phrase, I would mimic it and say one phrase and record it. By listening back to the recording, I can see how I am pronouncing Japanese, and I can improve my pronunciation by saying, “This part is a little different.
I also tried to watch Japanese TV programs and news often. When I was an international student, I used to turn on the TV and watch the news as soon as I got home. I studied the nuances and atmosphere of the language, how Japanese people actually use it and how they reply.
Also, part-time jobs are a great way to learn Japanese. I tried to choose jobs that involved a lot of customer service, such as convenience stores, restaurants, and electronics retail stores.
I can speak Japanese much better than I used to, but I feel that I need to study more, especially when it comes to honorific expressions. There are times when it is important for nurses to be attentive to the feelings of not only the patients but also their families. Everyone comes to the hospital with a sense of anxiety and tension when their loved ones are going to be hospitalized or admitted. At that time, I would like to put more effort into learning honorific expressions so that I don’t have to use strange Japanese and cause discomfort.
A：My first part-time job after arriving in Japan was at a convenience store.
At the time, I had just barely passed the second level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) on my own, so I was simply very anxious. Moreover, the owner of the convenience store was very strict! During the interview, he said, “I think it would be difficult for you to work here based on your current Japanese language ability, but since you look a little like a Japanese person, we’ll give you a trial period of three months. (laughs).
But when I quit, I was very happy to hear the owner say, “You are the only Chinese person I want to work with again.
It was tough at first because I didn’t know the names of the oden, but now it was a fun time filled with learning.
A：Japan is a small country, but it is very rich in natural resources.
There are oceans, mountains, and in winter, snow. There are so many things I love about Japan. I’m thinking of working in Japan for a long time to come.
A： The tums group is a place where efforts are valued regardless of nationality, and some people at welfare facilities have been appointed as unit leaders after obtaining national certification and are working as the center of the facility.
When I was a student, I was a leader of the student council (a club in Japan), and due to my personality, I had many opportunities to play a central role.
I hope that I can eventually be in a position to lead my juniors, just like the senior EPA staff members.
A：Yes. On a night when I was returning home by train from a trip out of town, I heard people making a lot of noise at one station just as the door opened, and I thought they were fighting.
I thought they were fighting, but when I looked into the situation, it was different. There was a man lying on the ground in front of two station attendants. Without thinking, I got off the train and said, “I’m a nurse! and gave her a heart massage until the ambulance arrived. Later, when I received a letter of commendation from the fire department, I was very moved by the Japanese culture that praises mutual support between people.
Ａ：The tums group provides support for us foreign employees to work in a better environment for a long time.
For example, they hold karuta tournaments and speech contests to help us improve our Japanese language skills, and they organize universal dinner parties as a place for foreign residents to interact with each other.
I hope you will join us, because we have a good environment for foreigners to work.
1-11-1 Higashishinozaki, Edogawa-ku, Tokyo TEL：03-5664-1701