WHAT DO VIETNAMESE MEDICAL STUDENTS NEED TO PREPARE IF YOU WANT TO BECOME A DOCTOR IN THE US?
Becoming a doctor in the US is not a distant dream if you have serious preparation and the right strategy.
Especially for medical students at the present time, when they have the opportunity to be exposed to more sources of information and documents than their predecessors in the past. Many people when they know about USMLE are over 40 or 50, have families and many other limitations to be able to pursue this path.
So, with the advantage of youth and time, what can you do right now to realize your dream of practicing medicine in America?
1. Learn English communication
English is the key for you to integrate and study in America. Good communication skills not only help you pass exams more easily, but also assist you in adapting to culture and living environment.
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You can practice every day by watching movies, listening to podcasts and communicating with Native Americans. In addition, I have also designed a completely free English course to communicate with Americans. If you are interested, you can find it on Youtube with the title:American English, not as difficult as you think.
2. Learn English for medical purposes
In addition to daily communication, medical English is a mandatory requirement. Medical English can be divided into two small areas: medical communication English and reading comprehension medical English.
First, about medical communication English. When doing clinical internship in the US and later working in the US, you need to directly examine patients, chat with fellow doctors and other medical staff in English.
Previously, when the USMLE Step 2 CS exam had not been abolished, Vietnamese doctors often did not achieve the desired results in this exam. also because specialized English is still weak.
Next, about medical English reading comprehension: you need to be familiar with medical terminology, how to read and understand scientific documents, professional reports,… These terms appear densely in USMLE exams and medical lectures in English.
Many people often learn these terms by making lists and then memorizing them. However, in the US, people often learn these words through medical lectures and professional contexts, so they will be easier to absorb and remember longer.
Free documents or video lectures on YouTube can be very useful to you.
3. Study well in the Medical program in Vietnam to have solid background knowledge
A solid foundation of medical knowledge from a study program in Vietnam will help you save a lot of time and money when preparing for USMLE exams.
Take advantage of all your time studying at school to master theoretical knowledge and clinical practice.
In particular, don’t try to separate them into two separate things, but try to link them together using appropriate USMLE study resources to support your theoretical/clinical learning in school.
4. Share this wish with your family for material and spiritual support
The journey to becoming a doctor in the US is a long one and requires a lot of investment, in terms of effort, time and not to mention financial aspects.
Therefore, receiving support from your family is also an extremely important factor to help you succeed.
In fact, during the process of instructing young doctors, I realized that: In the early stages of preparation, you may not need much of this support, but the USMLE is a long road, measured in several years.
And certainly, somewhere in the middle of this journey, there will be difficulties that make you stumble and falter, then the mental and financial encouragement will help you stand up and move forward with much more confidence.
5. Join our USMLE community for support and updates on the latest information
I created a community “USMLE and American Medical Residency 2025 – 2026” with the enthusiasm that this will be a very open, very safe school so that everyone in the group is willing to share their own knowledge and experience as well as not hesitate to ask questions about issues they are unclear about.
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We are here to support each other and create a very strong community to develop together, not inferior to the IMG communities of Indians, Paskitans… From there, it is a launching pad for a growing community of Vietnamese doctors in the US.
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Hope that my sharing today will be useful to you.
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Start with small but steady steps to get closer to your goal. I believe that with effort and determination, you will conquer your dreams!
If you have any opinions or questions about this journey, please leave them in the comments section to discuss with us!
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Wish you success!
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Dr. Christina Nguyen
The Phoenix Medical Academy
