I, Aki Tomoya, will not be a simp.

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The average monthly salary for a first-year medical trainee is 550,000 yen. As the number of years of training increases, other subsidies and allowances are calculated separately, and the hospital will handle various insurances for them.

The salary of a full-time physician is higher at Kanto General Hospital.

Currently, I'm working as a medical resident at the University of Tokyo Affiliated Hospital, earning around 400,000 yen.

In comparison, it is true that you can earn more money in a private hospital.

However, 400,000 yen is a lot for a recent college graduate; in Japan, it's enough to support a family.

Before 04, the salaries of medical trainees were very low. Due to later reforms, the monopoly of university medical bureaus was broken, and the salaries of clinical medical trainees were improved, as well as preferential treatment for doctors who were willing to practice in rural areas.

Before the reform, the medical training program was originally a simple two-year program, and the monopoly of clinical training by university hospitals was rejected, allowing any qualified hospital to participate.

Now, after the reform of medical training programs in Japan, the monopoly of university hospitals on talent training has been completely broken.

The original two-year standardized residency training program has been further extended, divided into a "preliminary training program" which involves two years of general practice clinical training and a "later training program" which involves three years or more of clinical specialty training.

Previously, the monthly salary for medical trainees was lower than the minimum subsistence allowance, but it has now increased across the board, with 300,000 yen being the minimum baseline.

Not everyone who studies medicine in Japan is wealthy.

Why do so many people in Japan want to study medicine, especially to get into a national university? Because the Japanese medical community, which has now undergone a round of reforms, offers considerable compensation for medical trainees.

Especially in private hospitals, it provides a channel for those who want to make money.

Tuition fees at public universities are generally cheap, while private medical universities are generally expensive, and students who attend private universities often end up paying off debts after graduation.

If university hospitals don't raise salaries after the reforms, it will essentially force most of the medical trainees out of the hospital.

Working hours are more than twelve hours a day, not to mention the first two years as a resident physician, who is on call at any time. Who would be happy with such low pay?

The idea that all medical students in Japan are rich is just wishful thinking. Some people can't afford to attend private medical schools and have to take out loans.

While one might not be able to get into a national university, the tuition fees for public universities are just as cheap, and many people choose to attend public medical schools.

Many people who study medicine are indeed motivated by practical problems and want to make money. If doctors can't even make ends meet, how can they save lives?

Regardless of how much TV shows or comics used to portray the Second Hospital and depict the darkness of medical training, in reality, the treatment of medical trainees in Japan has improved significantly now.

The increased compensation for medical trainees also means that the cost of studying medicine for outstanding talents has decreased, which is why Japanese medical schools are becoming increasingly popular.

Before the reforms, many people became doctors, but many were concerned about the long study period and low starting salaries in the medical field.

Now things are better. The salaries of medical trainees working as civil servants in university hospitals have improved, while those who choose private hospitals generally receive even higher salaries.

This reform has attracted more people to study medicine, and by increasing the income of young doctors, it has also freed them from worries about daily life, allowing them to focus more on their work.

University hospitals have the technology, while private hospitals have the money. University hospitals still have their advantages, but they also face more challenges and fiercer competition.

Even though many excellent doctors have left university hospitals in recent years to join private hospitals with better salaries, university hospitals can still fill the vacancies, and this cycle is currently in a positive state.

In Japan, doctors have more options. If you just want to make a living, you don't have to work yourself to death in a university hospital. Instead, if you use a university hospital as a resume, and with the initial treatment being reformed and improved, your income will only be higher when you join a private hospital later.

In conclusion, after the reform broke the monopoly of university medical bureaus on talent training, young doctors in Japan will not necessarily have a better life, but they will certainly be able to make a living. Apart from work, they will not have to worry about trivial matters in life, and there is still considerable room for improvement in the future.

It's true that doctors earn more the longer they work, but to say that newly qualified doctors are poor is a bit of an oversimplification.

It depends on who you're comparing it to.

Because compared to doctors with more experience, the treatment of Aki Tomoya and the others who have just become trainees is indeed not good enough.

However, compared to most recent college graduates, they are certainly among the top, if not the best.

"With the shift allowance, meal subsidies, and other subsidies, I get a decent amount of money every month, but there haven't been any places where I've needed the money in the past two years..."

A fair number of people received the money, but taxes need to be declared by the individuals themselves. And since they've been resident physicians for the past two years, there probably won't be any place where they'll spend the money.

On his first day at Kanto General Hospital, or more precisely, in the cardiac surgery department of Kanto General Hospital, Aki Tomoya did nothing more than familiarize himself with the environment, in addition to his work.

The next six months are mainly for getting to know senior colleagues with different responsibilities, as well as the work environment and job content.

Arriving at the hospital earliest and leaving latest—this is a true reflection of Ning's experience as a resident physician in the later stages of clinical specialty training.

However, for Aki Tomoya and the others who started this stage earlier, since it was a hospitalization, it didn't matter. They had been staying in the hospital for the past two years, so there was no question of being the first to arrive and the last to leave.

On his first day, Aki Tomoya had to accompany Dr. Nakagawa, who had been guiding them for the past two months, on his shift.

"Dr. Nakagawa, did you also graduate from the University of Tokyo?"

During his night shift, Aki Tomoya asked him.

"It's a real shame I didn't get in back then."

Dr. Nakagawa shook his head in reply.

He looked around, then whispered to him, "It must be lonely working the night with me, a grown man, right?"

"..."

"Just kidding, have a laugh. It can be really boring to be on duty with nothing to do. Of course, having nothing to do is the best."

Chapter 426 Young man, you're quite savvy!

Sasaki Ichiru was in charge of Aki Tomoya and the other two, but that doesn't mean he was their supervising doctor.

Formal specialist clinical training involves a six-month transition period before commencing formal training.

This is what is known as the familiarization process.

For the past six months, Aki Tomoya and his colleagues have been working at the grassroots level. Their duties include being on duty, writing medical records, attaching lab reports, and providing simple explanations of patients' conditions.

"Take a look at these things first, since you have nothing else to do anyway."

Dr. Nakagawa took out a stack of medical records and placed them in front of Aki Tomoya, seemingly trying to give him something to do.

Working so many night shifts, it's really boring if I don't find something to do.

"Take your time and don't rush. Once you've finished reading, I'll find something else for you to do."

Dr. Nakagawa smiled.

The other party's attitude made Aki Tomoya feel like he was being treated like a child.

Cardiac surgery patient medical records...

Nothing else for now, we'll see.

"By the way, An Yi-kun, you guys know how to write medical records, right? Did the university hospital teach you that when you were doing your clinical internships?"

"This is natural."

Aki Tomoya's eyes twitched slightly; he wondered if the other person was saying it on purpose.

Not only did they treat these medical trainees like children, but they also seemed to think they knew nothing...

Well, in reality, they can't really do anything complicated right now.

Faced with Dr. Nakagawa's flirting, Aki Tomoya could only hold back.

"Aki-kun, do you have a girlfriend?"

Suddenly at that moment, Nakagawa looked up, put down the book in his hand, and asked him curiously.

"..."

Aki Tomoya paused in his actions, then looked at Dr. Nakagawa with a puzzled expression. The doctor first asked him to look at his medical records, and then started checking his household registration.

When asked this question, Aki Tomoya casually replied, "Yes."

"That must have been tough for you. You couldn't go home for two years and couldn't leave the hospital area 24 hours a day. It's really tough for newly-minted doctors to date."

Nakagawa sighed.

In fact, doctors should be mentally prepared for the two-year residency program. Although it may seem like it will pass in the blink of an eye, the process is not easy to endure.

Being unable to go back and see your lover for two years is also a torment.

"Dr. Nakagawa, are you single?"

"Haha, I'm married."

"So you're someone who's been through this."

At this point, Aki Tomoya started asking about the other person.

Being unable to go back for two years and having to be separated from your lover for two years sounds agonizing.

However, there was nothing he could do; it was the path he had chosen.

"I've been there, and that's how my first love broke up with me."

The other person laughed as they spoke.

To my shame, that's exactly why he broke up with me back then.

At the same time, Aki Tomoya also saw a hint of amusement in Dr. Nakagawa's eyes, as if he were being reminded of something.

"Dr. Nakagawa, were you originally a bad person?"

The quiet night in the cardiac surgery ward wasn't too boring because there were still people chatting.

However, Aki Tomoya found it difficult to continue the conversation about Dr. Nakagawa.

It was as if the other party was using themselves as a cautionary tale to remind Aki Tomoya to be careful.

"Let's not talk about this anymore..."