Narrow specialty with specific requirements
At Match Day 2026 of Hanoi Medical University, the Human Anatomy major has a total of 2 resident doctor quotas. It was not until near the end of the Match Day 2026 registration session that these 2 quotas were successively selected by the contestants.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Xuan Khoa - Head of Department of Anatomy, Hanoi Medical University, and also Deputy Head of Department of Plastic Surgery, Hanoi Medical University Hospital calmly sat waiting until near the end of the registration session. Then he happily welcomed 2 new resident doctors to his specialty.
Sharing with Lao Dong reporters after Matching Day, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Xuan Khoa said: Every year, Match Day is a day that teachers look forward to. Human surgery is a narrow specialty, the main job is associated with teaching activities at medical universities.
During the training process, students must practice dissection on the bodies of donors to medicine; learn how to make specimens and teach students on bodies, models, and human skeletons.
These characteristics may make some young doctors initially not fully understand the specialty or feel hesitant when considering choosing.
You may think that later you will only teach anatomy simply. The work must practice dissection on bodies, teach on bodies, models and human skeletons, so it may be seen as a bit monotonous. Even shy students feel scared" - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Xuan Khoa shared.
According to him, this is one of the reasons why the Human Anatomy major often has to wait until near the end of the registration process to have students choose it.
Besides the specific nature of the job, the amount of knowledge is also a big challenge for learners. "Analysis is a very difficult subject, difficult for both teachers and learners" - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Xuan Khoa assessed.
According to him, learners must access about 4,500, even over 5,000 professional words and phrases. These terms not only need to be remembered but also must be used proficiently to serve professional work and teaching students.
During the three years of training, the resident doctor of Human Anatomy also has to practice the skills of dissecting corpses, making specimens and teaching. The job requires perseverance, adaptability and a serious attitude throughout the learning process, for a foundational field of medicine.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Xuan Khoa expects that resident doctor students who choose the Human Anatomy major will be trained to become lecturers at medical universities in the future, including Hanoi Medical University.
Prospects for owning a "double job
Although it is a narrow major with a challenging training roadmap, Human Anatomy still opens up notable career development directions.
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Xuan Khoa said that after completing the residency program and becoming a lecturer in Anatomy, doctors can continue to study further to work in clinical fields such as surgery, otolaryngology, obstetrics or plastic surgery.
However, he especially noted that graduating as a resident doctor in Human Anatomy does not mean that students can immediately practice in these specialties.
If you want to have cosmetic plastic surgery and go through Anatomy, you have to go a roundabout path. For the first three years, students have to study Anatomy. After that, if you want to have plastic surgery, surgery or otolaryngology, you must continue to study training courses in the corresponding majors" - Mr. Khoa explained.
While resident surgeons in Plastic Surgery are directly trained in this specialty for three years, resident students in Human Anatomy must first spend time mastering anatomy knowledge, dissection skills, making specimens and teaching.
Only after mastering the main major can the doctor continue to study another suitable clinical major. Therefore, this roadmap takes more time than directly choosing a clinical major from the beginning.
In return, people who persistently go through the journey can have the advantage of a "double job".
If you choose Anatomy, you will have two professions in a person. One is teaching Anatomy to students at Medical Universities. Two is being able to study another major to become a doctor treating patients" - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Ngo Xuan Khoa said.
