Leader Spotlight: Doan Nguyen
Today’s spotlight is AMSA member and leader Doan Nguyen! Doan is a third-year medical student at Ross University School of Medicine Chapter, pursuing a focus in Critical Care.
Why did you join AMSA?
Medical school is tough and demanding, especially for those who attend foreign medical schools. I had to find extracurricular activities that could help me relieve stress. Beside participating in intramural sports, I joined the local AMSA chapter at my medical school. Among the student clubs at our school, our AMSA chapter offers many events that I find are most meaningful to spend my limited free time participating in. Examples of those events are but not limited to clinical skills workshops, exam review sessions, community health fairs and charity fundraising events.
Why did you become an AMSA leader?
As a medical student, I can easily relate to physicians-in-training in term of struggles, obstacles and concerns. I became an AMSA leader to serve the organization that works on behalf of those medical students and their patients. I believed AMSA could benefit from my personal and professional experience. In addition, I’d like to learn from other extraordinary leaders at AMSA.
What is your favorite AMSA moment?
Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) AMSA has many community health events in which medical students visit elderly patients who missed their required follow-up appointments. Our group was assigned to visit a patient with long history of diabetes, hypertension and high cholesterol who had missed several follow-up appointments. After completing history interviewing and the physical examination, we reviewed her medications. We made sure that she clearly knew about the medications that she was taking and the importance of lifestyle changing. Before leaving her residence, we checked if there were any questions or concerns that she had. She requested to see us for her next follow-up. We explained to her that we were medical students, not her doctor. She replied, “I know but no one treated me like you did.” While letting her know that there might be a miscommunication, we encouraged her to address this concern to her doctors on her next follow-up visit. We also informed her about our next local community health fair at our campus so that she could come.
What advice would you give to current & future AMSA leaders?
If I could give current and future AMSA leaders advice, I would say, “Never underestimate what you can do. Be confident. Be yourself. ”
Do you know of an AMSA Member and Leader who deserves to be recognized? Do you want to share your leadership story with other AMSA members? Share your story for consideration! Selected leaders will be featured on AMSA’s On Call blog.
