Family of 3 generations of obstetrics residents of Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong

Newly-minted doctor Ho Ngoc Lan Nhi has just received her admission notice for her residency in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Health Sciences (Ho Chi Minh City National University), becoming the third person in her family to study for an obstetrics residency.

Doctor Lan Nhi (right cover) with her grandmother and mother during a cesarean section - Photo: Family provided

Dr. Lan Nhi's maternal grandmother is Prof. Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong (born in 1944) - former director of Tu Du Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City and her mother is Assoc. Prof. Dr. Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan (born in 1971) - vice principal of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy, also a resident obstetrician.

My choice of medical career and residency was my own wish. My grandmother and parents did not guide or force me to follow the family profession.

Dr. Ho Ngoc Lan Nhi

Don't accept being a bad doctor

At the age of 81, Professor Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, one of Vietnam's leading obstetricians, still works and treats patients with the wish that "as long as patients still need me, I will continue to contribute".

Ms. Phuong said she was like a worker who paved the way for herself to become a doctor. She herself was born into a poor family, her father was a worker on a French rubber plantation. As a child, she suffered from typhoid fever, and was treated in many places but could not recover. Thanks to a Western doctor who prescribed her medicine, she was cured. Since then, she loved the profession of healing and saving people and dreamed of becoming a doctor.

To achieve her dream of entering medical school, which at that time only taught students in French, Ms. Phuong began to teach herself French through documents.

When she passed the entrance exam for the pre-med class (APM) at the Saigon University of Medicine (now the University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City), her family faced many economic difficulties, her parents were unemployed, and had to raise 7 children. Despite many hardships, she was determined to pursue her dream of becoming a doctor. During the day, she went to school and at night, she did all kinds of jobs to support her family.

Becoming a doctor, Ms. Phuong realized that she still had many limitations in knowledge and skills, and needed to continue studying to improve her qualifications.

"When I first graduated, I was not confident in my profession. I thought that bad doctors could harm patients, so I asked my parents to let me continue my residency. At that time, my family was so poor that my parents wanted me to study to become a doctor and open a clinic. But knowing that the residency exam was very difficult, my father just agreed to finish it," Ms. Phuong said.

When Dr. Phuong announced that she had passed her residency, no one in her family was happy. The young doctor tried to convince her family: "Because I don't want to be a bad doctor for the rest of my life, I want to continue studying." Finally, her parents agreed to let her study for 3 years of residency and 3 more years of post-graduate obstetrics and gynecology.

"After graduating as a doctor, I could have opened a clinic to make money, but I didn't do that. I always believed that a doctor must be good, must always strive to learn, and must not use the excuse of "not being good enough" to cause accidents for patients. Thanks to studying a lot, I later had good professional skills and also taught young doctors," Ms. Phuong confided.

"There is no other field to choose but medicine"

Associate Professor, Dr. Vuong Thi Ngoc Lan (Dr. Phuong's middle daughter), also a famous obstetrician and gynecologist in Vietnam in the field of in vitro fertilization, said that she was greatly influenced by her mother.

In middle school, Ngoc Lan won first prize in the city-level physics competition. In high school, she joined the physics team of Bui Thi Xuan High School. But before choosing a career, Ngoc Lan did not hesitate to switch to group B (math - chemistry - biology) to take the medical exam.

"My mother gave birth to me at Tu Du Hospital, when she was studying obstetrics. My father was also a pathologist who trained in France. After April 30, 1975, my mother brought my sisters and me to volunteer to be on duty at Tu Du Hospital 24/7.

I spent more time in the hospital than at home during my childhood. I chose medicine because I grew up in that environment. When I took the university entrance exam, I felt that there was no other major to choose but medicine. I liked the atmosphere and life in the hospital, so I wanted to become a doctor like my mother" - Dr. Ngoc Lan shared.

After graduating as a general practitioner from the Ho Chi Minh City Center for Training and Development of Medical Staff (now Pham Ngoc Thach University of Medicine), Ngoc Lan decided to take the residency exam at the Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy.

She said: "In the medical world, the word "residency" is very sacred. After completing residency, doctors will have more confidence and solid expertise to practice their profession. I do not feel pressured, but very happy and proud to become a resident doctor. It is also a favorable start for me to continue studying and practicing better."

New doctor Ho Ngoc Lan Nhi and her family on graduation day - Photo: TTD

Start with passion

Dr. Ngoc Lan's husband is Master, Doctor Ho Manh Tuong - former head of the infertility department at Tu Du Hospital, a famous doctor in the field of obstetrics and gynecology and infertility.

This doctor couple is passionate about researching in vitro fertilization techniques, so they are almost always in the hospital. On Saturdays and Sundays, they also take their children to the hospital to work. "Perhaps that is why many family members who follow in their footsteps all started with a passion for the profession," said Dr. Tuong.

The third generation in the family is Ho Ngoc Lan Nhi, the eldest daughter of Dr. Ngoc Lan, who also chose a medical career. Like her mother before her, Lan Nhi followed her parents to the hospital every day since she was little and considered it her second home. She was familiar with and loved this environment.

"At that time, there was no one to take care of the house, so in the morning when my grandmother and parents went to work, I also went to the hospital with them. I felt that the work that my grandmother and parents did brought joy to others, helping them recover from illness. Therefore, I also wanted to become someone like my grandmother and parents - helping and taking care of many people," Lan Nhi confided.

It was not a sudden dream, but it was ingrained in Lan Nhi's subconscious, urging her to become a student specializing in biology at Le Hong Phong High School for the Gifted (HCMC). With the second prize in the national excellent student competition in biology, Lan Nhi was directly admitted to the medical faculty of the Faculty of Medicine - Ho Chi Minh City National University (now the University of Health Sciences).

Dinner is always a "meeting"

What is special about this doctor's family is that Ngoc Phuong's grandmother has a rule that no matter how busy everyone in the family is, they must eat dinner together. Dinners at home are like "meetings" or "consultations" in the hospital.

"Even during meals, the whole family thinks about the patient and discusses professional matters. My mother often tells my grandmother what case they encountered today and how to handle it. Then my grandmother always discusses and evaluates the treatment method. When I come back from my internship at the hospital, at dinner, I also tell her what case I encountered today, how I learned how to treat it, and if I have any questions," Lan Nhi said.

Origin of life

When she became a medical student, Lan Nhi was taken by her mother to the hospital to learn the profession very early. Right from her second year, she experienced the "specialties" of the medical profession - night shifts and being allowed into the operating room to observe.

"In the past, my grandmother and mother both said they chose obstetrics because it was the beginning of a life. Later, when I entered the operating room and saw the baby meet the mother for the first time, I felt very sacred. I felt like that miracle. And I also felt that obstetrics was the most suitable for me," Nhi shared.

Living in a family of doctors, both her grandmother and parents are famous "experts" in the field of obstetrics, which helped medical student Lan Nhi learn a lot of professional knowledge from the previous generation.

She did not feel pressure from her family, but saw this as an opportunity and a source of motivation for her to develop. With a solid family foundation, it was a launching pad for her to "take off" in the medical profession.

Lan Nhi confided: "I myself do not want to go beyond the "shadow" of my grandmother and mother. My goal of becoming a doctor, like my grandmother and parents, is to help many people. But I have many better conditions, so I need to try harder to become a good doctor, thereby helping more people."

Source: https://tuoitre.vn/gia-dinh-3-the-he-bac-si-noi-tru-san-khoa-cua-bac-si-nguyen-thi-ngoc-phuong-202412212354286.htm