Two pediatric residents from the University of Chicago, Drs. Debbie Ramirez (PGY3) and Zain Talukdar (PGY1), had the opportunity to participate in a clinical observation exchange program at Peking Union Medical College Hospital (PUMCH) in Beijing, China in the week of April 15th, 2024. This experience was funded by UChicago Provost Global Faculty Award (PGFA). Special thanks to UChicago Beijing Center’s Ms. Xia Li for providing reliable and timely local support.
During the week, Debbie and Zain were immersed in the pediatric department at PUMCH, shadowing attending physicians and residents in various clinical settings. Their schedule included rounds through different subspecialties and clinics, such as rheumatology and immunology, PICU, outpatient clinics, rare disease wards, emergency care clinic as well as the Simulation Skills Center.
Debbie and Zain noted the stark differences and similarities between pediatric healthcare practices in the United States and China. They found the cultural exchange to be enriching, fostering a deeper understanding of global healthcare systems. Both residents observed a high level of clinical expertise among the healthcare professionals at PUMCH. They were particularly impressed by the efficiency and organization of patient care, despite the high patient volume. Through their rotations, Debbie and Zain gained exposure to a wide range of pediatric subspecialties. They also appreciated the opportunity to witness innovative treatment modalities and multidisciplinary care approaches.
PUMCH hosted a workshop on cross-cultural medical education comparing system and training differences in the US and China. Debbie and Zain were invited to talk about their training experiences and personal take-on of the standard training guidelines in the US. Debbie’s talk focused on ACGME requirements for pediatric residents and Zain highlighted the evaluation process in the current medical education in the U.S. and its pitfalls.
Language differences presented some difficulty at times, but the effective communication before and during the trip and teamwork transcended linguistic challenges. Debbie and Zain commended the hospital staff for their patience and willingness to facilitate communication. A fun fact about this trip was that Debbie and Zain were introduced to some local delicacies. One item they discovered and loved was Lao Gan Ma, a popular hot sauce brand. Upon learning that Zain was looking to buy some to bring back to the US., the friends in PUMCH got them a whole box of Lao Gan Ma. These small actions of kindness have the power to transcend differences and embody profound values of forming person to person connections beyond academics.
This experience is more authentically captured in Debbie and Zain’s own words below:
Debbie:
I particularly was impressed by their Rare Disease Ward and we were able to be in one of the case discussions with all the subspecialist and team involved in the patient’s care. We were able to see how the PUMCH team later discussed the prognosis, treatment, and results for this child. We also got to see rare immunologic and rheumatologic cases at PUMCH. And how they are doing genomic study particularly on early onset of SLE cases in the population. They have as young as 12 month of age and are doing studies to see if there is a new mutation or predisposition in the population or its environment that could be causing this phenomenon. In the PICU, we were able to learn and share how their and our protocols vary. There is a lot of pathogen resistance in Beijing, so most neonatal sepsis cases are started on Meropenem + Vancomycin. Our population antimicrobial stewardship has shown Ampicillin and Gentamicin has great efficacy on our patient population. It was quite an enriching medical and cultural experience. I honestly cannot wait to be able to go back to Beijing, I fell in love with how warm and kind everyone was.
Zain:
My time in Beijing was truly transformative. From the residents to the attendings and medical students and even the children themselves, I learned a great deal from the people in PUMCH and Beijing as a whole. I saw firsthand how cultural values from a collectivist culture fundamentally shape the interactions between families of the children and the physicians. I also got to immerse myself in a vivid contrast of medical practice compared to American medicine. Likewise, I also got to see how the struggles that medical trainees experience is, in many ways, a universal experience. My time in Beijing helped me actively envision adapting my vision of medicine to patients of a different cultural context. I don’t think providers can be truly flexible in catering to their patients without opportunities like this. Thank you to everyone at PUMCH for providing this enlightening and humbling experience, and to organizers in Chicago and Beijing.
