Today was the first time that I've been to the doctor for an annual check-up in two years. It's usually not worth the effort to blog about (don't worry, I'm perfectly healthy), but hey, I went to the doctor in Japan. I'd just like to record some of the differences in the way my check-up was operated here as opposed to how they are usually done in America (from my experiences of course).
Usually, in America, we make an appointment to go to our specific doctor. When you get there, you sign in, fill in a few forms, and then you wait in the lobby. It's usually a lobby that has a particularly bad smell (smells like sick children and old magazines maybe?) and is filled with old magazines from two or three years prior. They call your name, and then you're taken to the back where the nurses take your weight and your blood pressure (basically, they do the dirty work). After this, you meet the doctor. He or She talks to you for a little bit, does a few checks, tells you what is good or bad, and then you're out of there. You get your shots or whatever, and settle your bill. That's it. The whole process takes an hour to an hour and a half and will involve maybe 2 or 3 people at the most.
Let's talk about Japanese medical check-ups. This year, my job scheduled an appointment for me, which was nice because going to the doctor is something I tend to forget, especially since I feel healthy. After scheduling your appointment, they send you a package (that you need to fill out with all of that information about your health that you usually do at the doctors office). It also contains the exact date and time in which you need to be at the hospital. If you don't arrive within the time frame, you don't go. Be punctual. This is Japan after all. So, I arrived to the hospital (which was immaculately clean and modern) and turned in my paper work.
After you do this, you're handed a paper cup and told to go pee in it (standard), but the nice thing is that you don't have to wait in the lobby until your name is called (like in America). You just go to the bathroom and pee in the cup. And get this, in the actual stall (for pissing), there is a little sliding window for your to deposit your cup into where the piss analysts (haha its rhymes) can conveniently get your cup from. No awkward spilling or tripping with a cup of pee in the doctor's office. Thank you Japan.
Afterwards, you sit down in another lobby where there are a handful of different stations filled with different functions. One station checks your hearing, another your eye sight, and another your blood pressure. You wait for your name to be called (which takes no more than 5 minutes or so. basically, whenever the next available station can have you). Once your name is called, you go to the station. The nurse explains what she will do and how to do it. You do it, and then she points you to the next station where you repeat the process. You do this multiple times. You get your x-ray done at a station. The whole process culminates in another lobby (a nice one with no smell) where you wait to the doctor to call your name. There are a few doctors available at any one time, each with their own little offices. Once inside, you do the usually doctor things. Answer questions and check your breathing, It's all pretty painless. If there is nothing wrong (which thankfully, there wasn't), you are cleared to get your flu shot.
So basically, the whole thing was like an assembly line. Sure, it wasn't as personal an experience but it was really efficient. They were herding dozens of people through their stations. It just doesn't seem nearly as efficient in America. The facility was also ultra clean, and ultra modern. It just didn't feel like a sick house. I hate that feeling. In the end, the result is the same. You get your health checked. But I really enjoyed this experience for some reason. It just seemed like a smarter way to use the doctor's time. It took about 2 hours (a little longer than in America, but I think that's because they make you stay an extra 30 after the flu shot to make sure there are no complications) .Overall, I enjoyed this very different experience that to others may seem completely mundane.
p.s. Thanks to Ryusuke for translating everything and being really helpful. Couldn't have done anything without him.
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