Student of the Week: Oanh Nguyen

Oanh Nguyen is a first-generation Vietnamese immigrant currently in her fourth year of pharmacy school. Though she is extremely busy, she still finds time to help out in the community.

Nguyen volunteers as a translator for new Vietnamese immigrants trying to establish themselves in the local community in her hometown of Binghamton, New York. Here at Wilkes, she decided that she wanted to continue helping others by taking an independent study class in whih she volunteers at a local clinic helping less fortunate people receive free medical care.

In addition to volunteering, Nguyen also helped organize drives to raise funds for the community and obtain supplies for the clinic. Because of the volunteer work she does for Vietnamese immigrants in her hometown and for the people here in the Wilkes community, The Beacon has chosen Nguyen as its Student of the Week.

The Beacon: Why did you decide to come to Wilkes? Nguyen: My decision in coming to Wilkes dates back to when I was child. Initially, I made the decision of becoming a pharmacist at the age ten years old when I first came to the United States.

With my unique background, I have seen through fresh eyes how health care can affect people's lives, especially those who are new to this country. The healthcare system is a mystery for the general public with its convoluted language, extensive procedures, and confusing traditions, which only become more frustrating for people who do not speak English. I witnessed first hand how nurses and physicians have treated Vietnamese immigrants. They can be unprofessional, careless, and inappropriate in failing to honor their promises to provide quality patient care.

For example, the Vietnamese elderly use traditional creams and lotions that have scents unfamiliar to health care professionals of the Western world. As a result, physicians and nurses would assume that these patients are unkempt and unsanitary. They would then speak to these patients from the hallway or use sticks to perform physical examinations. The patient was left feeling inhuman and unfit to be in the presence of the doctor. To make things worse, even the pharmacists treated them with indifference. Consequently, so many of these Vietnamese immigrants would take their medications incorrectly and were discouraged from obtaining further medical assistance and advice.

I wanted to become a pharmacist to serve as a communicational bridge between the health care system and patients. I chose to attend Wilkes because its pharmacy program was still developing, which would allow for a more dynamic learning experience. I knew that by getting involved in such a school, my comments and concerns would be taken more seriously and have more influence than going to other more established schools. I know that decisions made because of my class will affect the future of graduating Wilkes pharmacists.

The Beacon: Explain this volunteer program that you are involved in. Nguyen:The volunteer program in Binghamton, New York, has many services. Since the new immigrants are not accustomed to life in the United States and do not speak English, they need help with many things. We help with all facets of everyday living: explaining cultural differences, translating paperwork for health insurance claims, accompanying patients to physician visits, and even getting a prescription refilled at the local pharmacy. As a pharmacist, I will have that much more knowledge to impart on the community, hopefully making life easier for a few more people.

The Beacon: Why did you decide to volunteer? Nguyen:Volunteering was not a hard decision. I was once an immigrant to this country and also needed help. I was fortunate enough to learn English and advance in society. I remember how hard acclimating to society was. Volunteer work is a rewarding experience because I know that I am offering a helping hand that no one did for our family.

The Beacon: What do you plan to do after graduating? Do you plan to do more volunteer work in the future? Nguyen:The program is experiencing new changes to the population. We have a decreasing number of actual immigrants to the area; however, new complex issues have arisen. These issues include alcoholism and drug addiction. Therefore, the program needs a different type of volunteer because solely time and effort is not sufficient. Last year, I decided go to the University of Utah School of Alcoholism and other Drug Dependencies. Not only did I learn about addiction to drugs, but I also realized that addiction is much more complicated than it seems. Addiction can arise from not only poor choices but also genetic predisposition and just plain unfortunate circumstances.

I also learned a lot about myself on this trip. I learned how obsession could be a form of addiction and that blaming yourself or others is not a healthy way to deal with addiction. Blame is an active way to ignore a difficult situation. The only real method to deal with addiction is to accept it and actively pursue those steps towards resolving the true problem at hand. Hopefully, when I graduate, I can return to New York to start a service to help as many people as I can find those steps.