Over the past several years, Dr. Pickler has facilitated a tour group of physicians and healthcare managers from Japan around the Cleveland and Akron areas of Ohio for the purpose of examining current practices of healthcare delivery in the United States. The program, designed and sponsored by Dr. Reichiro Okada, is an annual function each year. This week-long program includes tours to hospitals with presentations by healthcare professionals. The program is sponsored by the Socio-Medical Research Institute in Tokyo, Japan and by the Healthcare MBA Program at Baldwin Wallace University in Berea, Ohio, U.S.A.
Monday, June 24, 2013 through Friday, June 28, 2013
After conducting this tour for more than fifteen years, we have learned more precisely what to offer our participants so that they will have the richest possible experience. From the very beginning of the tour to the very end, attention was paid to even the smallest details.
From Shashimi to Case Studies
We made every attempt to customize the experience for each visitor to assure their optimum experience. Managers in the participating healthcare organizations prepared an excellent learning opportunity for the guests this year, and one of the presentations included a case study. One of the highlights of the tour was a discussion about best practices and other learning experienced gained during the week. This real life experience provided a very rich learning experience. The managers looked forward to learning from the experience, too; opportunities for both Japanese and Americans to learn from each other were abundant.
The Topics That Were Examined in the June 2013 Tour
The Japanese professionals had an opportunity to observe American culture in a very comfortable framework of personal attention. The U.S. host again opened up his home to offer the participants a full course dinner, including Ahi Tuna shashimi for an appetizer – it is a very special ritual, a part of the cultural exchange of the whole experience. He has built a personal friendship with many of the frequent participants and supporters of the tour and was so happy to share such a special dinner with the participants.
Participants in the Tour
The organizations that participated in the 2013 Healthcare tour were (in order of participation):
The mix of cultural engagement with professional development is a comfortable combination, and the relaxed atmosphere at Baldwin Wallace University on the last day of the tour offered an opportunity to discuss new ideas and new learning experiences.