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The job posting won’t tell you where the break room is, how records are kept, or how many people leave on time. Here is what to look at on a visit, split into common items and items by profession.
The average length of stay is 15.5 days in general beds and 255.0 days in psychiatric beds. Even “working at a hospital” means very different amounts of time with patients. We compare nine workplaces by night work and staffing standards.
Turnover among nurses hired mid-career is 16.1%, about twice that of new graduates. Reading surveys on why people leave side by side, the places where mismatches tend to happen narrow down to six.
¥1.78 million, ¥1.36 million, ¥1.3 million, 20 hours a week: which one affects you depends on your hourly pay. At the average part-time nurse rate of ¥1,933, the ¥1.3 million social insurance wall comes first.
Night shift allowance is taxed; overnight duty pay can be tax-free up to ¥4,000 per shift. More night shifts in April to June mean higher premiums from September. How allowances are treated, before you read your payslip.
Only 22.2% of those with a break of five years or more said they want to work again. Feeling anxious is natural. We have put training, choosing a workplace and using visits into an order.
From April 2026, the work experience needed to enter a two-year distance learning course fell from 7 years or more to 5 years or more. We cover full-time, part-time and distance learning courses, and what to talk through with your workplace if you study while working.
Even within “hospital-based” jobs, the pace of rehab differs between acute care and convalescent wards. Where PTs, OTs and STs work, and why to check on a visit whether it’s a one-person workplace.
8 articles in all. You can also browse by category.
Workplaces
Types of workplace, what to look at on a visit or trial shift, and how to cut down on “this isn’t what I expected” after you start.
Careers
Coming back after a career break, and moving from LPN to RN. The systems and the support, laid out calmly.
Money matters
Income walls, and how night-shift allowances are taxed and counted for social insurance, with a focus on what changed in 2026.
Rehabilitation
How workplaces differ for physical, occupational and speech-language-hearing therapists, and what to look at on a visit.