Years later when Nguyen was in college at the University of California, Irvine, he began working as a medical scribe in an emergency room, which further solidified his calling. His brother was actually enrolled in Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) at the time, so Nguyen decided to apply after attending an Information Seminar in Los Angeles.
“It was hard at first to leave everything – my friends and family – to study medicine in Dominica,” he said. “Over time, however, I gained a lot of new friends and mentors and really enjoyed studying medicine there and am so thankful that Ross provided me with the medical education I needed.”
Now on the brink of starting residency in his specialty of choice – Emergency Medicine – Nguyen feels very prepared for what lies ahead.
“I saw so many different kinds of pathologies and patients during my rotations, I feel very prepared,” he said.
Nguyen fell in love with Emergency Medicine during his days as a scribe, and never even considered another specialty.
“Emergency Medicine puts you on the front lines of treating patients,” he said. “I’m part of the process and often you can see the results of your work immediately. When your patient’s face goes from one of distress to relief right in front of your eyes, there’s no other experience like it. It’s so fulfilling.”
Over the course of the 2020 ©MATCH (the National Resident Matching Program), Nguyen sent out roughly 120 applications and accepted over a dozen interviews in states including California, Florida, and Nevada, and was thrilled to ultimately match at his first choice hospital, Eisenhower Medical Center.
“I still cannot believe I matched into my number #1 choice,” he said. “I am feeling nothing but extremely happy and proud of how far I have come. I can't wait to start utilizing my skills as a physician to provide quality care for my patients. Cali, I'm coming home!”
Looking even further ahead, no matter where his career takes him in the future, Nguyen knows he will have backup.
“The RUSM [alumni] network is so big and I met students from all over – Florida, Texas, New York, California – and no matter where we are we’ll look out for one another,” he said. “I really like that.”
He continued, “I feel ecstatic to be nearly there. It’s the beginning of a new era in my career and feels almost like a metamorphosis to me. I’m ready to start – let’s go!”