A Yen for Nursing

Rosalinda Alfaro-LeFevre, RN, MSN

published in: Nursing Spectrum, January 27, 1997

The Japanese culture values conformity, harmony, and agreement, making it difficult for nurses to challenge the status quo. Women are expected to be subservient, and therefore so are female nurses. These are just two of the differences I noted between cultures of the United States and Japan when I traveled to the country last August to present a two-day program on nursing diagnosis, critical thinking, and case management.

Approximately 500 nurses attended the program, which coincided with the publication of the Japanese translation of my book Critical Thinking in Nursing: A Practical Approach. Forum International Inc., in Tokyo was the sponsor. After the conference, I and my copresenter, Terri Patterson, RN, MSN, president of Nursing Consultation Services in Norristown, PA, held an all-day informal session with the faculty of San-Iku Gakuin College Nursing Department in Chiba, south of Tokyo.

In talking with the Japanese nurses, some other differences between nursing in the two countries emerged:

• Most Japanese nurses are educated in three-year programs associated with colleges.
• Hospital lengths of stay are significantly longer in Japan, for example, one week for normal deliveries.
• Nursing responsibilities are quite limited. For instance, starting IV’s is beyond the scope of practice for Japanese nurses.

I also noted similarities:

• Like the U.S., most nurses are women. In Japan, male nurses aren’t allowed in the delivery room.
• Japanese nurses are focused on caring for human responses as well as diseases.
• Japanese nurses are encouraged to become independent thinkers and are deeply committed to improving patient care.
• As in the U.S., nursing faculty struggle to find ways to get their students to complete required reading before coming to class.

What I considered most different from home was the food and the language. What I liked most about Japan was the people. Overall, I was impressed by the warmth of the Japanese nurses, who are friendly, appreciative, and eager to hear about nurses' roles in the U.S.

Rosalinda Alfaro-Lefevre, RN, MSN, is president of Teaching Smart/Learning Easy, Stuart

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