Talented hands in cranial neurosurgery

With her talented hands and steely courage, Dr. Mai Linh has saved the lives of countless people.

Curious about the human brain

It is not easy to meet Dr. Tran Thi Mai Linh because she is very busy. Small but extremely agile, from the operating room, she is busy examining patients, consulting, monitoring patients after surgery... People rarely see Dr. Mai Linh resting. Taking advantage of a rare lunch break, we asked to meet her to understand more about the work of a female cranial neurosurgeon.

She laughed: “It’s the same in any field, if you do it a lot, you’ll get used to it, it’s not that terrible.” But behind the “nothing terrible” in Dr. Mai Linh’s words are brain surgeries, dozens of hours standing at the operating table, moments of suffocating tension and even heated debates in the operating room…

Explaining the reason for choosing the field of cranial neurology (a field that even male doctors are hesitant about), Dr. Mai Linh recalled: “After 6 years of studying general medicine at Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine, I decided to study the residency program and chose neurosurgery as a major. In neurosurgery, I chose cranial neurology because I am very curious about the human brain.”

She confided that the human brain and its millions of neurons have a strange attraction. The more she learns and gets involved, the more passionate she becomes about it. “To be honest, even though science has developed, the brain still holds many mysteries. There are things that we cannot fully explain scientifically, so we have to continue to research and the more we research and explore, the more fascinated we become,” Dr. Mai Linh shared.

In the early days of her career, she faced countless difficulties as she struggled with all kinds of heavy craniofacial surgical instruments such as drills, saws, etc., or stood for nearly 10 hours in a tense state in the operating room. After each long and difficult surgery, she refused to go home immediately but stayed to monitor the patient's recovery process. Only when the patient was completely stable did she breathe a sigh of relief and leave. Therefore, Dr. Mai Linh spent more time in the hospital than at home.

At Cho Ray Hospital, the number of patients requiring cranial neurosurgery is “terribly large”, as patients from almost the entire southern region flock here. Therefore, the pressure on Dr. Mai Linh and her colleagues is not small. There are days when Dr. Mai Linh has to participate in 3-4 surgeries, some of which last 6-7 hours.

“There were many days in a row when I didn’t see the sun because I arrived at the hospital at dawn and left when the street lights were on. Luckily, I had a supportive family behind me so I could devote myself to my work,” she smiled when talking about her “background.”

Courageous, decisive

The first day she arrived at the Neurosurgery Department, Dr. Mai Linh was “shocked” to find that she was the only woman in the entire department. In an all-male environment, the young doctor Mai Linh was a bit worried at first, but she always told herself to try harder and learn more. Not letting down the guidance of her teachers and seniors, Dr. Mai Linh has improved day by day. Initially just an assistant surgeon, Dr. Mai Linh was gradually assigned to be the main surgeon and perform complex surgeries.

Over time, from a timid new doctor, 15 years later, Dr. Tran Thi Mai Linh has become agile, strong and decisive. She admits that to have the courage of today is a process of tireless training and practice, including tears of failure. She was in pain, helpless, and shed tears on the operating table when the surgery did not go as planned. However, successful surgeries, the recovery of patients, and the happy smiles of the patient's family are the motivation and provisions for Dr. Mai Linh to continue on the thorny path of cranial neurosurgery.

“Cranial neurosurgery is amazing. Recently, patients were in a coma, but after intervention, they recovered very quickly. At times like that, I feel really excited and there is no reason for me to give up this job,” Dr. Mai Linh confided. Not having the flexibility and strength of her male colleagues, Dr. Mai Linh trained herself to be delicate as well as persistent in each surgery.

She confided: “The career of a neurosurgeon is very short. At some point, my legs will get tired, my eyes will become blurry, and my hands will no longer be flexible, and I will have to give up the “battlefield” to the next generation. Therefore, I hope to operate on as many patients as possible while I still can.”

The meeting with Dr. Mai Linh was very short, because she was busy with an interdisciplinary consultation in the early afternoon. She apologized and quickly left. Looking at her quick and hurried steps in the hospital corridor, I suddenly remembered the lyrics of musician Tran Long An: "Everyone chooses the easy work, who will do the hard work?"

Determined not to choose an easy job, the only female cranial neurosurgeon in the Southern region, Tran Thi Mai Linh, chose for herself a thorny but extremely meaningful path, which is to revive many patients who are on the brink of life and death.

Commenting on the only female doctor in the department, Associate Professor, Doctor, Doctor Huynh Le Phuong, Head of the Department of Neurosurgery, Cho Ray Hospital, said: “Cranial nerve surgeries are always stressful and often take a long time, which is a challenge for us men, but Doctor Mai Linh can do it. Doctor Mai Linh has the qualities of a skilled surgeon, which are meticulousness, dexterity and always taking care of each surgical operation.”

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