“We packed everything, including our two-month-old baby, and moved across the world,” grins Dr. Jessica MacHue, a family medicine doctor, currently based in Okinawa, Japan. She had graduated from family medicine residency and was working as a hospitalist in North Carolina when her husband, a family medicine physician in the Navy, received orders to report to Okinawa, Japan.
“We packed everything, including our two month old baby, and moved across the world”
For the past three years she has worked to perform compensation and pension exams for veterans. She has also enjoyed island life. She is a certified scuba diver and dives several times a month, is learning Japanese, and her 3 year old is enrolled in a local Japanese school. She and her family plan to stay in Japan for 1 more year before returning to the United States.
Watch the video and learn about what it is like to be an American Doctor in Japan!
Dr. Ashwini Bapat is a palliative care physician and founder of EpioneMD, which provides virtual serious illness coaching and advance care planning to individuals and telepalliative care to healthcare organizations. She resides in Portugal.
I have a question! I’m planning to visit Japan later this year. I take one prescription medication and plan to bring 30 days or less of medication in the bottle the doctor prescribed for me. Is there any other documentation I need to bring? I’m a US citizen and would really appreciate advice from a doctor practicing in Japan. Your advice is definitely needed and I thank you for your time. Thanks.
I would ask your doctor or look at the travel guidelines regarding medications.