Day 9.1: Hospital Highlight - General Surgery

As the fourth and final hospital rotation, general surgery consisted of a variety of surgeries for the 7G goers to observe. During this rotation, we scrubbed in and made our way to the six general surgery rooms. In each room, each surgery varied. Ranging from knee arthroscopy to spinal cord repairing, the 7G goers were able to see how each surgery worked from afar. We would be able to see from the perspective of a medical student.

Kieu sports the spiffy crocs that we had to wear prior to going into the surgery rooms.

All scrubbed up, Nick gets ready to go into the operation room.

Before going into the operation room, patients have to wait in the hallway. Once a spot is open in the six operation rooms as scheduled, then they are able to undergo surgery.

In each operation room, there is a different procedure.

Ranging from knee arthroscopy to spinal cord repairing, each operation is different yet essential for each patient.

Dr. Duy acts as the lead surgeon in an endovascular surgery. Dr. Belville watches.

The breath-taking surgery of the spinal cord repairing.

Doctors work together in order to understand the procedure of this case.

Dr. Duy focuses on the surgery at hand.

A breast cancer removal in progress.

Specializing in radiology, Dr. Belville teaches the other surgeons about the imaging from the x-ray during Dr. Duy's performance of the endovascular surgery.

The doctors must work together during these important procedures.

With all of the different surgeries that general surgery rotation had to offer, the 7G goers were able to catch a glimpse into the different procedures of each case. With all of the different branches of medicine, every case is important when it comes to the patient's well-being. As some of the 7G goers are pre-medical, we got to experience and observe first-hand how each surgery is complex yet crucial to a patient's health. Dr. Duy and Dr. Belville's involvement in teaching the hospital staff about endovascular surgery demonstrates the importance of the transfer of knowledge from the United States to Vietnam at the global community. Dr. Belville even noted that this was their third endovascular case since opening the hospital. Even though the medical center has a long way to go before reaching the level of the medical center in the United States, it is definitely progressing in the right direction.

Written by Johnson. All photos were taken by David.