Tao Alexandra Swain

I knew I loved travelling and wanted to end my medical school journey with a bang. And what better place to travel to than Vietnam with my best friend?

I was really excited to start my placement, as I was told not to compare it to back home, and I was keen to see the difference, thinking it would be mostly traditional medicine. However, I was surprised to find that while the diseases were different (e.g., lots of dengue and meningitis), many of the treatments remained the same. I liked internal medicine, neurosurgery and emergency medicine - and I loved them all.

I am so good at cannulas that I could cannulate a snake! I have also massively improved my confidence, as I really had to try my best to communicate with patients and doctors. I feel so ready to start 5th year!

CPR: this was a little scary at first, but I wanted to get used to the pressure of A&E. From a purely observational perspective, before needing to get involved, as an FYI. I also watched a patient with trigeminal neuralgia have brain surgery to put a padding between the trigeminal nerve and artery. Also saw mumps parotitis / TB/dengue / pancreatitis tumour / meningitis / Stevens-Johnson syndrome / PUCs

I was surprised to learn that the district hospital's emergency departments were the first point of contact for patients, and that, due to the state's setup, there are no family doctors or GPs. I think the key difference between Vietnam and the UK is that family stay with the patient and play a significant role in their care, including changing/feeding them. They are even called to the site of a traffic accident to collect their loved ones. While this could be pathological trauma, there are major benefits to recovery when surrounded by loved ones, and I think the patient really benefits.

You have to do STEPTOK at the Olympia gym. It was so much fun, and our whole group would go! Our favourite nights were karaoke& BBQ. Everyone came together to celebrate and sing. Cooking classes on Wednesdays are phenomenal. I loved making traditional Vietnamese dishes. I loved teaching English at the University hospital, and I loved learning Vietnamese with Thao. On weekends, everyone travels, but that makes weeknights at the house so precious.

I have learned about multiple theories behind treatments/management that are not just cost-benefit-analysis-based, but also personal/practical/financial decisions. Meeting specialists in their field who have worked in incredible places.

Meeting like-minded students who want to be badass neurosurgeons but also travel the world & drink mango smoothies at the beach club.

Developing your own identity when you are thousands of miles from home for six weeks, and no one knows who you are or where you came from.

You are going to spend the rest of your life working hard. Take the jump, travel the world, explore Vietnam, drink the salty coffee and live your life whilst it's yours. You will never feel safer and more loved than when living with the work the world team in Vietnam.