Providence Catholic Senior Zinn Amos Takes Medical Trip to Vietnam
Over the summer, Providence Catholic senior Zinn Amos took a two-week trip to Hué, Vietnam. This trip, however, wasn’t your typical vacation; it was a medical trip for 17 to 19 year old students who have an interest in a career in medicine. Amos spent his time there as an intern at the Hué University of Medicine and Pharmacy.
“The purpose was to give us some in-depth insight into what a medical career looks like,” says Amos. “And to give us the chance to experience live surgeries, learn from doctors in various specialties, and learn about all of the different fields of medicine.”
While there, Zinn participated in daily rotations where he spent each day in two different departments of the hospital. The departments varied, and included Surgery, Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, Dentistry, Cardiology, Anesthesiology, Neurology, Traditional Medicine, and Pharmacy, in addition to others.
“In each department, I learned about the educational requirements to pursue a career in that field and spent the day interacting with patients to learn about their symptoms, the ailments they suffered from, and how the treatments that were used worked,” says Amos. “I saw live procedures and surgeries like colonoscopies, laryngoscopies, a root canal, and childbirth. Also, I received a lot of hands-on experience as I had the opportunity to perform acupuncture and cupping, break down lemon grass and boil it to create essential oils, learn how to suture, learn how to perform intubation and CPR, and explore the anatomy of the body with a cadaver.”
In his internship and in his free time, Amos was also able to immerse himself in a completely different culture and language, try new food, learn about the vast history of Vietnam, explore the Forbidden City and the beautiful Vietnamese temples, and make friends from diverse backgrounds.
“The most important thing I learned during this trip is how incredibly different and unique the people and cultures of the world are and how important it is that we celebrate and embrace our diversity,” he adds.
Some of the best moments of his trip were exploring the city at night with friends, learning some Vietnamese phrases, eating the traditional food (especially the Pho, he says), learning how to suture, and studying the cadaver. For Zinn, one of the most difficult aspects of the trip was getting accustomed to the completely different environment and language there.
“I had to re-learn how to cross the streets because of the drastically different traffic and driving there,” he says. “I will definitely plan on studying abroad again because I was able to experience a new culture while pursuing my interests and learning more about myself. I hope to use everything I learned on this trip about medicine to help me in my pursuit of a medical career. In college I plan to study Biomedical Engineering and later attend Medical School, with the ultimate goal of becoming an Orthopedic Surgeon.”
“Zinn is a student leader with tremendous initiative, one who is always planning and preparing for what may come, and one who always seems to find a way to succeed and excel,” says Kyle Murphy, Junior and Senior Counselor at Providence Catholic. “I would place Zinn among the top one percent of all students I have known in my 13 years in education. He is that remarkable.”
Zinn is the son of Walter Amos and Karen Zinn-Amos. A graduate of Naperville Christian Academy, he is a member of many clubs and organizations at Providence including Student Council, Science Club, Math Team, Scholastic Bowl. He serves as both a Student Ambassador and a Sacristan. In addition, he is an honor roll student and member of both the National Honor Society – for which he serves as President – and the French National Honor Society. Amos also founded the Medical Club his junior year at Providence. As an athlete, he is a member of the basketball and track and field teams. He plans to student Biomedical Engineering on a Pre-Med Track in college, and minor in Africana Studies.