Cam Ha

Cam Ha Nguyen M.D.

VNMAP and I On a Friday afternoon of January, 2010, as normal a day as it seemed, I received the news of a residency offer from Albert Einstein Medical Center, Philadelphia, my number one choice. The moment was beyond words. If my time in the US were a rice field, that Friday would be the first crop, the seeds were my determination, together with the tremendous support from my family and friends, and the fertilizers were many, of which a requisite part certainly was VNMAP.

I met Nguyen and Huy, the 2 VNMAP founders, in early 2008, 4 months after my arrival to this country to pursue a residency training. Immediately, I was attracted by their philosophy and interest in providing better medical care for the underserved population. My bond with VNMAP began from there.

2009 has become the most memorable year. I joined VNMAP to serve the Vietnamese people both in Viet Nam and in our local community. Through VNMAP, I also had the opportunity to meet and build a professional relationship with Dr. Tan Nguyen and Dr. Loc Le. I had the opportunity to do an observership in Dr. Le’s office. One month shadowing Dr. Le not only increased my medical knowledge but also life experience. After the four weeks of observership, Dr. Le referred me to prestigious places for further rotations. This surprised me and made me extremely happy given that obtaining rotations at U.S. hospitals is very difficult, especially for foreign doctors like me.

When the time comes for my residency application, VNMAP continued to support me through different ways. Dr. Le’s reference letter and Dr. Tan Nguyen’s stunning edition on my personal statement helped pull my application package, among thousands, to the program directors’ desks and bring me interviews. Despite his busy schedule, Dr. Tan spent much time helping me prepare for the interview. I finally passed his 5-hour mock interview and came to my residency interviews with full confidence. I made it.

It has been 2 years since my first day with VNMAP. Seeing it growing, expanding and reaching out to a larger population is such a thrill. Subtly but steadfastly, VNMAP has become a part in me, my ideology mate and a substantial source of encouragement.