Medical Training (6/28) || Jeffrey Nguyen

Here we are, medical training day! The day is extremely hot it feels like it is truly in preparation for Vietnam. Luckily, we are training inside the MemorialCare building. I begin to slowly meet some of the members coming along the trip. There are some familiar faces from my previous trip (14G) and lots of new. I am super excited and it is interesting that for many it is their second or third mission trip– it feels like we have genuinely a great team. It is an energetic crowd that enjoys laughing and collaborating together, yet all very hard working.

Upon entering the training room— ah I couldn’t help but feel a bit of a wave of nostalgia, as this is always where it starts. We have been having our training in this room for the past three mission trips. We have stations set up to train for several things including: vitals, CPR refresher, pharmacy, and Vietnamese terminology. It was important to refresh ourselves on the vitals such as blood pressure, cholesterol, and also blood sugar as they will be a crucial part of our clinic day. It was helpful and insightful having providers and advisors come rotate along with us through the stations because they also provided their advice. I was happy to be able to lead the blood pressure station and always enjoyed giving refreshers on it. My favorite part of the day was the presentation that the Board of Directors and advisors gave. We get to go over the itinerary and game plan for the mission trip, as well as meet the advisors. The speeches always gets to me and I am reminded each time how special and impactful the mission trip is– and how this type of opportunity is one of the best you can ever have. Dr. Lanh Phung I especially enjoyed listening to his experiences during the presentation and how he came to also love MEMO over the years. It reminded me of how much history and work has been built to this very moment.

Every now and then I would proudly tell the nearest member, “It already has begun. The mission trip already started.” They would laugh and dismiss it as a joke. But the trip does truly goes by so fast and ever since even packing/training day, we work very hard. I look forward to a very memo-rable trip.

Medical Training