Second place resident doctor studies 12 hours a day, loves suturing wounds

(Dan Tri) - Hoang Mai Phuong - a female doctor who passed the second place in the residency program of Hanoi Medical University - loved surgery since clinical classes, directly suturing wounds for patients.

Hoang Mai Phuong - a female doctor who passed the second place in the residency program of Hanoi Medical University - is one of the characters that attracted public attention in the clip of choosing a residency major that went viral online.

Hoang Mai Phuong - Runner-up of the residency program at Hanoi Medical University (Source: School).

Named in 2nd place after valedictorian Vu Ngoc Duy, Hoang Mai Phuong was the first person to choose plastic surgery - a major with only 6 quotas, belonging to the "hottest" major group in the past 5 years and always "burning out" quotas the soonest.

Hoang Mai Phuong at the Match Day event - registering for residency at Hanoi Medical University (Photo: Hanoi Medical University).

Dr. Phuong said that since her clinical practice in her fourth year of university, she loved surgery and loved stitching up patients' wounds. While many medical students are afraid of blood and knives, Dr. Phuong, on the other hand, "has absolutely no reaction to blood or fluids in the post-operative room."

In the 5th year, Dr. Phuong officially studied plastic surgery and found meaning in her work in this field.

Hoang Mai Phuong with her family at the graduation ceremony (Photo: Character provided).

"I still remember a clinical case that the teachers used as an example, it was a little girl with a very long black birthmark on her body. After each surgery, the birthmark became a little smaller. In the last photo taken when the patient had grown up, the birthmark had completely disappeared, she had become a very pretty little girl.

At that moment, I found plastic surgery to be magical and dreamed of becoming a plastic surgeon in the future," Dr. Phuong shared.

However, the journey from dream to reality is a difficult one. Before this year's residency exam, Hoang Mai Phuong was extremely worried. She said that the 2025 residency program has completely changed from training to testing. The exam uses a bank of more than 2,000 questions, with content closely related to clinical practice, requiring a very serious and focused learning process.

"Students only have 2 months to review for the exam, starting from the graduation ceremony. Therefore, almost everyone goes to the lecture hall from morning to night to "plow". The school has 10 lecture halls, but all are full.

The residency exam is very competitive, and the plastic surgery specialty is even more competitive because the quota is very low. I didn't think I had a chance. But luckily, when I received the results, my score was the second highest," said Dr. Phuong.

Hoang Mai Phuong (second from left) with her teacher and colleagues (Photo: Provided by the character).

With the second-place score, Hoang Mai Phuong is the second person to be able to choose any major she likes - a privilege only reserved for those who top the residency exam.

If only counting plastic surgery, she is valedictorian.

Looking back at her 6 years of medical school and the 3 years of residency ahead, Hoang Mai Phuong said she has never hesitated. "6 years sounds very long and is really long compared to all other university training programs. But for me, time passes very quickly. Studying and taking exams one after another, 6 years are over," Dr. Phuong shared.

Hoang Mai Phuong was a chemistry student at the National University of Education High School. Her hometown is Cao Bang , she is of the Tay ethnic group, born and raised in Hanoi. She passed the entrance exam to Hanoi Medical University with a score just enough to meet the standard score.

Doctor Phuong admitted that she studied medicine only because she was in block B00 in high school, and naturally set her first choice as medical school like all other chemistry and biology students. But the learning process helped her find her goal and passion.

The Match Day event to "pair" new doctors with their residency majors took place yesterday afternoon, September 9, at Hanoi Medical University. The clip recording the doctors calling out their names, serial numbers, and chosen majors immediately created a strong viral effect online. The public was delighted to see the "elite" faces registering for majors after passing the most difficult exam in the medical industry.

The Residency Program is the most prestigious training program in the Vietnamese medical education system, and this year it turns 50.

The exam is held every August, and is open to students who have just graduated from the fields of Medicine, Traditional Medicine, and Dentistry. Each doctor can only take the residency exam once in their lifetime.

In the registration guide, Hanoi Medical University advised new doctors: "If there are no more spots left in the major you really love, or you have a different direction for the future, and residency is not the only path, then you should boldly give up the right to choose a major.

If your future direction is in a different direction, then give the opportunity to those behind you who wish to attend the course. If you have registered for the major, but do not enroll for a different reason or direction, you will lose the opportunity to attend the course for others.

A new doctor with the number 61 has abandoned this residency program. In fact, the doctor has chosen a residency program at a private university.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/giao-duc/a-khoa-bac-si-noi-tru-hoc-12-tieng-moi-ngay-yeu-thich-khau-vet-thuong-20250910183748722.htm