Resident Spotlight | Continued on page 20 Resident Spotlight Skyler Nguyen, MD Meeting Dr. Nguyen I was born and raised in Saigon, Vietnam and immigrated to the U.S. in 2008 at the age of 15. I moved with my family to the state of Utah at that time and have resided in this wonderful state ever since then. I went to high school at a small charter school in Layton called NUAMES and then did my undergraduate degree in Zoology at Weber State. I had a blast during that time before I received the privilege of being admitted to the University of Utah School of Medicine after graduating with my undergraduate degree. I’m your average dude who loves to be physically active and all things sports. I’m an avid tennis player and enjoy playing as much as my residency schedule allows. I have an interest in international travel and would love to be able to do this more soon (thanks, COVID). I am also a self-proclaimed foodie and love to eat and explore new cuisines and restaurants. The Journey to Family Medicine It took me a while to decide on medicine. Part of me wanted to find an easy career to graduate early and make money to support my family, but another part of me wanted to do something more than just graduate and find an office job. I was never the smartest guy in the room, and being an immigrant, it was exceptionally hard to adapt to the new language (my English capability was probably equal to a first grader when I first arrived in the U.S.). I had to try to perform at a high level to be competitive for med school. It took some deep introspective conversation about what I truly wanted out of a lifelong career to figure out that medicine really was the best fit for me. I wanted to make a difference in the community, change people’s lives for the better, and be in an environment where I could be challenged to be a better person every day. I took a leap of faith in myself and worked as hard as I possibly could. Thankfully it all worked out in the end. It goes without saying that I had some great mentors and a tremendous amount of support from my family to be where I am now. In Vietnam, family medicine physicians play an important role in the health of the community, and I was fortunate enough to come under the care of some outstanding doctors that really made my impression of family medicine a positive one. Being in the U.S. and, more specifically, Utah, the role of family medicine is essential to the medical system and how medical care is delivered to our community. Especially with my background as a Vietnamese American, my experiences with the Vietnamese community here show me how vital it is to have excellent family medicine physicians who possess clinical and cultural competency. Being a first-hand witness of the critical need for this type of physician inspired me to pursue family medicine and keep working to hopefully become one in the future. Residency at St. Mark’s St. Mark’s was always on top of my residency list because they offered everything I was looking for: a community program with a flexible, outpatient-focused curriculum and Being in the U.S. and, more specifically, Utah, the role of family medicine is essential to the medical system and how medical care is delivered to our community. 19 |
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