Rare double valedictorian of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy

VnExpress•28/10/2023

Having been the top-scoring student in the entrance exam with 30 points in Block B, after 6 years, Hoang Huy continued to be the top-scoring graduate, a rarity at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

Huynh Hoang Huy, 24 years old from Vinh Long , is the valedictorian of this year's graduating class at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy with a GPA of 3.69/4 (excellent). Six years ago, Huy was also the valedictorian of the B00 group nationwide with three perfect scores of 10 in Mathematics, Chemistry, and Biology.

Dr. Le Quoc Tuan, lecturer in Physiology - Pathophysiology and Immunology, and academic advisor for the 2017 medical class, said it had been a long time since the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy had a double valedictorian. Every year, the university has thousands of new graduates, but the number of those achieving excellent grades is very small, only a handful.

Huynh Hoang Huy, the top graduate of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy. Photo: Provided by the subject. — *Huynh Hoang Huy, valedictorian of the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 2023. Photo: Provided by the subject.*

With a doctor as his father, Huy observed and was exposed to the process of medical examination and treatment from a young age. Recognizing that this profession could help and save lives, in his senior year of high school, with his family's guidance, Huy decided to enroll in the Medical program at the University of Medicine and Pharmacy in Ho Chi Minh City.

Coming from a specialized high school in Vinh Long and being the top-scoring student in the entrance exam, Huy set a goal of consistently winning scholarships every year before starting university. However, from his first year, all his dreams of university success shattered. The learning methods were different from high school, the amount of knowledge was overwhelming, and there were many additional books to read, leaving Huy worried about not being able to keep up and falling behind.

"Although I had prepared myself mentally, it wasn't until I started studying that I realized how vast the amount of knowledge was. Sometimes I had to memorize an entire book of several hundred pages within a week," Huy recounted. Therefore, the student lowered his expectations. Instead of high grades and scholarships, for Huy, graduating on time was already a success.

After initial setbacks, Huy developed his own study method. This involved dedicating significant time to reading lectures and textbooks, combined with practicing past exam papers. He also found that forming a study group and sharing materials was particularly effective. According to Huy, to get into medical school, everyone is academically strong, having been at the top of their class in high school. Each person has their own strengths, which can complement and motivate each other to progress.

Huy acknowledges that the six years of medical school present many challenges, from the shock of adapting to the new environment and the heavy workload in the first year, to clinical rotations in the second year and countless theoretical and practical clinical exams from the fourth year onwards.

Huy explained that from their second year, students will do clinical rotations at district-level hospitals to learn and practice basic nursing skills such as injections, wound dressing, getting acquainted with and interacting with patients, taking patient history, and conducting basic examinations. In subsequent years, students learn more about diseases, how to take patient history and perform thorough examinations, diagnosis, and issuing treatment orders.

Each stage presents different challenges, and without perseverance, students can easily give up. Even something as simple as asking for patient medical information seemed easy, but on his very first day of clinical practice, Huy was refused by a patient.

"I didn't expect it to be so difficult. I asked a few people, but they all refused because they didn't trust students to examine patients," Huy recounted. After that, the student diligently helped the nurses every morning to take the patient's pulse, heart rate, and blood pressure measurements, and assisted the patient whenever needed. After a few days, Huy finally got the patient's consent for an examination.

Huy admitted that there were times when he felt discouraged and wanted to give up because he was exhausted by the cycle of studying, exams, clinical practice, and hospital shifts. The student said that morning internships at the hospital, afternoon classes at school, and evening shifts at the hospital were a daily routine. Not to mention the consecutive exams that made Huy feel overwhelmed.

Furthermore, most medical students face peer pressure. By the time medical students reach their fifth year, many friends from other fields have already graduated and found stable jobs. Whenever Huy meets them and hears them discuss their work and salaries, he can't help but feel a pang of envy.

"To overcome those challenges, every medical student must have good health, perseverance, diligence, and a thirst for knowledge, along with understanding and encouragement from family and friends," Huy concluded.

*Huy (second from the left) with his close group of friends who have been together for 6 years. Photo: Provided by the subject.*

Huy views his six years of challenging studies as a memorable and meaningful journey, as it taught him how to overcome moments of fatigue and discouragement. Besides the lessons from his teachers, there is one teacher that every medical student cherishes: the patients. The process of taking patient history and examining each patient is a valuable lesson in communication, knowledge, and skills.

Interacting with and understanding the suffering of patients motivated Huy to study harder, hoping to cure them. It was also this process that made Huy deeply understand the responsibility and mission of a doctor, as he recited the Hippocratic Oath during his graduation ceremony.

"When I got to wear the lab coat in my second year, I felt very excited, but the moment I recited the Hippocratic Oath, I had a very different feeling—sacred and full of pride," the male student shared.

Dr. Le Quoc Tuan commented that Huy is a diligent student with strong self-learning abilities and adaptability. According to him, studying medicine is a difficult journey, but Huy has achieved results that very few people can. He expects Huy to make many contributions to the field in the future.

Aware of the long road ahead filled with challenges, Huy considers graduating as valedictorian just a small milestone. His immediate focus is the residency exam. The young man is determined to pass this exam with the goal of becoming a skilled internal medicine doctor.

"The path to becoming a doctor will be fraught with difficulties, challenging situations, and moments of helplessness. I've prepared myself mentally for the challenges ahead," Huy shared.

Vnexpress.net