Persistence in the profession and responsibility of a teacher
Twenty years ago, when he had just graduated and entered Children's Hospital 2, young doctor Tran Thanh Tri still did not imagine that he would be attached to the whole life of the whole child, and did not think about the arduous journey to become a certified pediatric liver transplant specialist. But a simple suggestion from Mr. and Associate Professor, Dr. Tran Dong A - Surgical consultant, former Deputy Director of Children's Hospital 2, opened the path that Dr. Tran Thanh Tri still calls the fate of his life.
I think any profession is the same, as long as I work with all my heart and all my might, I will eventually have results for myself and for the patient, Dr. Tran Thanh Tri shared.
When Mr. Dong A suggested going to the children's parents to have surgery for the children, he immediately nodded. A year later, he received another offer: to go to Belgium to study pediatric liver transplantation, a field that Vietnam had not yet imagined that it could be implemented. In 2002, liver transplantation for children in our country was still something that no one thought of, but for a very young doctor who loved challenges and new things, he chose to take the next step.
When he returned, Dr. Tri's report on liver transplantation techniques made the whole hall... laugh.
It cant be done, many people say. But in 2005, the first pediatric liver transplant in the South became a reality, opening a new milestone for the Vietnamese pediatric industry. And from then on, his path was closely linked to the small, fragile liver like the lives of the children.
Dr. Tran Thanh Tri said that what holds him back is the feeling of having to overcome each difficult milestone, and behind him is the life of a child.
Along with treatment, he also takes on a teaching role. When asked why he still chose to "stand in class" in the middle of a busy schedule, Dr. Tri just laughed: "Teaching is not an extra job. For doctors, it is an obligation, a tradition.
He said that in medicine, teaching is considered part of Hippocrates' oath: passed down knowledge and experience to the next generation. Whether it is a conference or a health room, whether it is an official lecture or a daily check-up, every moment is an opportunity for the person in front to give back what they have learned.
The joy of teachers and young generations of doctors
Referring to unforgettable emotions, Dr. Tri did not tell the story of "achievements", but talked about the changes of young doctors.
"When I went to the clinic, many students were very nervous at first. But then every day, they get more help, more confident, and when I see them saving a child, I feel as happy as I can.
In class, what he wants most is not that students remember each technique, but remember the spirit of the profession: calm, accurate, and always respect the lives of young patients.
Knowledge can be studied for life, but the heart and way of doing the job must be passed down from those who have gone before.
In recent years, liver transplantation at Children's Hospital 2 has become routine: from 1 case/year before 2021, it increased to more than ten cases per year. In particular, the successful implementation of liver transplantation from a brain-dead donor has opened more doors for children to live. Behind those steps is always the shadow of Dr. Tri, who calmly moves through legal difficulties, epidemics, scarce organ resources... to " save more children than last year".
But when asked about his pride, he did not talk about technique or achievements. He said: "The most proud thing is that now the team has more good and stronger young doctors. That is the future.
Amid the pressures of the profession, Dr. Tran Thanh Tri still maintains a quiet, gentle source of energy like his style when teaching. In him, people met a hard-working doctor in the operating room and a patient teacher in the classroom at the same time.
And perhaps, for him, the happiness of the medical profession is simply to see life continue, in each child patient being saved, and in each generation of young doctors following the path that he and his teachers have passed through.
