My global health elective in Vietnam with Health Volunteers Overseas presents an opportunity to make a lasting impact on anesthesia education at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy (HUMP) Hospital. By working alongside local faculty, I will help strengthen clinical training, advance perioperative care, and improve patient safety.
Anesthesia providers in Vietnam face significant challenges due to resource limitations and faculty shortages. At HUMP, anesthesiologists supervise multiple anesthesia nurses and manage ICU patients, stretching their capacity. Nurse anesthesia students follow a rigorous curriculum, but hands-on training opportunities are often limited. Level 1 anesthesia residents complete a two-year program after medical school, yet many lack access to advanced training.
To address these challenges, I will provide direct clinical and didactic instruction to nurse anesthesia students and Level 1 residents, ensuring they gain essential skills in patient management, airway control, and crisis response. I will collaborate with HUMP faculty to deliver high-impact lectures and workshops while assisting in planning continuing education courses for anesthesiologists, residents, and nurse anesthetists. These sessions will emphasize evidence-based anesthesia practices, enhancing the overall quality of care. Beyond education, I aim to assess perioperative workflows and implement practical, sustainable solutions to optimize anesthesia care.
This elective is more than a professional development experience—it is an opportunity to drive meaningful change. By strengthening anesthesia education and faculty development, I hope to leave a lasting impact on HUMP’s training programs and help improve surgical care in Vietnam.
Nurse anesthesia students, Level 1 anesthesia residents, and practicing anesthesia providers at HUMP Hospital will benefit the most from this project. By enhancing their clinical training and didactic education, they will be better equipped to provide safe and effective anesthesia care. Additionally, anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists from district hospitals attending continuing education courses will gain valuable skills to improve their practice. Ultimately, the hope is that patients will experience better surgical outcomes due to improved anesthesia care. This population was chosen because they are directly responsible for delivering anesthesia services in a system facing faculty shortages and resource constraints, making their education and training critical for long-term healthcare improvements.
The expected impact of this project is a significant improvement in the quality of anesthesia education and clinical training at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy (HUMP) Hospital. By providing hands-on instruction, case-based discussions, and continuing education for nurse anesthesia students, Level 1 anesthesia residents, and practicing anesthesia providers, this project will enhance their knowledge, technical skills, and confidence in patient management. Improved training will lead to safer anesthesia practices, better perioperative care, and ultimately, improved patient outcomes.
The learnings from this project will carry forward after my return through the educational materials, workshops, and protocols introduced during my time at HUMP. By collaborating with faculty and integrating best practices into the existing curriculum, the knowledge shared will continue to benefit future trainees. The continuing education courses will provide a foundation for long-term learning, equipping providers with updated anesthesia techniques. Additionally, by fostering relationships with HUMP faculty and supporting faculty development, I hope to contribute to the hospital’s goal of establishing a Level 2 anesthesia training program. This project will create a ripple effect, strengthening anesthesia education in Vietnam and improving surgical care well beyond my time there.
And finally, this experience will deepen my clinical teaching skills, enhance my ability to adapt anesthesia practices to resource-limited settings, and broaden my perspective on global healthcare challenges. By working alongside local providers, I will gain invaluable insight into different approaches to anesthesia care, strengthening my ability to collaborate across diverse medical environments and preparing me to be a more effective educator and clinician in the future.
Over the past four weeks, I had the privilege of volunteering as a senior anesthesiology resident at Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy in central Vietnam. This opportunity, made possible through the generous support of the Doximity Foundation, allowed me to engage deeply in global health education while sharing knowledge and my experience with future healthcare providers in an incredibly vibrant and welcoming community.
Each week, I led lectures for anesthesia residents, anesthesia masters, and anesthesia specialist on a range of anesthesiology topics, from arrythmias to myasthenia crisis to bedside POCUS. Additionally, there were many thoughtful discussions about practice differences between Vietnam and the United States while working in the operating room together. It was inspiring to witness the students’ eagerness to learn and ask questions about other ways to practice anesthesiology.
Working alongside the faculty and residents at Hue University was both humbling and energizing. Despite limited resources, their commitment to excellence and their deep care for patients was evident every day. This experience reaffirmed my belief in the power of global medical education and cross-cultural collaboration.
I’m immensely grateful to the Doximity Foundation for making this opportunity possible. Their support enabled me to not only travel and volunteer, but to grow as a clinician, educator, and global citizen.
To anyone considering a similar path: say yes. The impact you make—and the impact it has on you—will stay with you throughout your career.
