About Us

Fellowship Program Overview

Rotation Schedule

  • Core rotations. Four weeks are spent in each of the following specialties: Emergency Medicine, Family Medicine, General Surgery, Internal Medicine, Pediatrics, and Neurology-Psychiatry.

  • Electives. In addition to the six core rotations, there are five elective rotations that may be spent in other medical specialties such as Ophthalmology, Orthopedics, Dermatology, Otolaryngology, Radiology, Urology and others. Fellows can also choose to repeat one or more of the core rotations. In addition, fellows may spend up to four weeks doing elective rotations overseas.
  • Mentors. Fellows will chose an attending physician mentor. The mentor will act as the fellow’s advisor, advocate, and mentor through the year.

Educational Conferences

There are weekly and monthly educational conferences for interns. These include a daily morning report (case-based teaching round lasting 30 minutes), a weekly afternoon lecture series, and monthly joint conferences with Okinawa Chubu Hospital, Nanbu medical center and Nakagami Hospital. The Monday afternoon series include traditional didactic lectures, procedural skills, history and physical exam skills, evidence based medicine, and legal/ethical/cultural issues. Lectures are an important component of the fellows’ medical education.

Faculty

United States Naval Hospital Okinawa (USNHO) is the largest U.S. Naval Hospital outside the United States with 122 physicians and 175 nurses providing a broad range of medical services. Physician specialists are available in Neurosurgery, Pulmonary Medicine, Neurology, Gastroenterology, Urology, Ophthalmology, Neonatology, Otolaryngology, and a wide range of other medical and surgical specialties.

Salary and benefit

  • Salary. Fellows’ salary is approximately JPY 270,000 per month before taxes, and bonuses and overtime pay will be paid. There is no other additional pays. Salary maybe revised according to Japanese law (possible pay revision).
  • Health Insurance. Fellows are insured with health insurance for Japanese employees working on base.
  • Welfare Facilities. Welfare facilities on military bases are available for fellows. These include on-base fitness centers and U.S. military recreational facilities on Okinawa. Excluding the main exchanges and the commissary.
  • Cost of Living. No on-base apartment is offered to fellows. Current fellows rent near base for around JPY 50,000-1000,000 per month.
  • Transfer fee.  Transportation fee, ie Taxes fares incurred during a transfer can be re-embursed. All accommodations, and other expenses incurred while participating in this program must be borne by the applicants.
Don’t forget to keep your family’s information up to date in DEERS!