I am Doctor Pham Thi Xuan Linh, specialist Pediatric.
My parents often said that when I was little, my father often asked:
"What will you do when you grow up?"
And I answered very innocently:
"I will be a doctor, I will adopt you, Dad."
Time passed, and when I was in high school, I began to think more seriously about my career. The first time I thought about a medical career was on a sunny afternoon, when I was weeding the field with my father. Perhaps my father did not want his daughter to have to work hard in the sun and rain like his parents, so he asked again:
"What do you plan to study in the future?"
I replied:
“I want to be a doctor.”
Because I want to know why do people get sick, How to detect earlier to avoid sequelae, especially when my two younger siblings were often sick. Our house was far from the hospital, and one time my younger sibling was not diagnosed early, leaving him with lifelong consequences — a lasting pain for the whole family.
My father was worried: would this poor land be able to support me to become a doctor? After I finished studying to become a doctor, would I become an “old maid”?… But I finally convinced my father. After three years of hard work, I received Admission notice of Ho Chi Minh City University of Medicine and Pharmacy in 1996 – like a dream come true.
In my third year of medical school, I thought I would choose Cardiology as my major. But then, a 5-year-old baby in Department of Nephrology - Children's Hospital I made me completely change my mind.
That day, I practiced examining and prescribing medicine for children every day. One day, as I was cycling to the parking lot, I heard a clear voice calling from behind:
“Doctor, I looked behind me and recognized you!”
Now, that boy must be around 25 years old. Perhaps he doesn't know that it was that innocent sentence that touched the young heart of the intern student back then, and made her decide to choose Pediatrics – an unexpected turning point in life.
After graduating in 2002, I was lucky to be accepted into Department of Neonatology and Pediatrics, Gia Dinh People's Hospital, where I have the opportunity to take care of babies from birth to adulthood.
From 2007–2009, I continued to study. Pediatrics at University of Medicine and Pharmacy, Ho Chi Minh City.
From 2010–2023, I worked in an environment private healthcare, where there are more favorable conditions for comprehensive health care for children.
Currently, I work at Charis Healthcare, continue the mission of taking care of the health of "little angels".
In the medical field, learning never stops. Along with my daily work, I always improve my knowledge, update evidence-based medicine, and participate in conferences. Pediatric Conference in the US, so that Vietnamese children can access modern treatment methods that meet international standards.
Examining children is not easy. They often cry, do not know how to express their feelings, and the disease progresses very quickly. After each examination, when I get home, I often wonder:
“I wonder how the baby will be tomorrow? Does he need to be hospitalized?”
But just seeing the children healthy again, running and laughing, all worries disappear. That joy is like a tonic specially for doctors.
Until now, I never regret because of my choice - to become a pediatrician, dedicated to bringing knowledge and love to take care of children, with the criteria: Timely diagnosis - Right disease - Right medicine.
