In 1992, HVO was awarded a grant by USAID for a national rehabilitation training project in Vietnam. This was well before relations between the U.S. and Vietnam were normalized by President Clinton in 1995, and the U.S. trade embargo, imposed in 1975, was still in effect until 1994, adding an additional layer of complication to the implementation of this grant. The grant was amended and extended numerous times, finally winding down in September 2007. The success of this project was the result of significant time commitment by numerous volunteers including (but not limited to) Jill Derrstine, Elizabeth Kay, Marie O’Toole, Richard Fisher, Kim Dunleavy, Celia Pechak, Sharon DeMuth, and Hugh Watts.
Dr. Jill Derstine began volunteering with HVO over thirty years ago as a nurse specializing in rehabilitation. HVO had received a USAID grant to train heath workers in Vietnam on rehabilitation, and Dr. Derstine jumped at the chance to share her skills. “There were people who needed rehab, but at the time they had no rehab programs at all,” she said. “There were soldiers from the war, and no one was taking care of them. I loved the work so much.” Even after USAID funding ended, the project continued and is still thriving.
While Dr. Derstine split her time among several hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City, Da Nang, Hanoi, and Hue, she came to focus on Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy (HUMP) where she developed relationships with many of the nurses and physicians over the years. “I was doing a rehabilitation workshop in Hue, and that’s when I met Dr. Thai,” she said, speaking of a close friend and colleague. “He was reviewing a patient and saw me and asked for a meeting. He was floundering because the doctors were running the schools and they didn’t know a thing about nursing – they were just looking through textbooks. Dr. Thai was an orthopaedic neurologic surgeon. There were no educated nurses there, hardly any BSN programs. HVO started sending volunteers to his nursing school to teach.” Dr. Derstine and Dr. Thai have remained friends for decades, working closely together through the years to improve nursing education at HUMP. “Here we are now, both old and retired,” Dr. Derstine said. “We are always thrilled to see each other. It’s been a wonderful relationship.”
Dr. Derstine has seen many changes since the early 1990s. She believes the number of students in nursing schools has doubled thanks to curriculum advancements, and the nurses she has worked with have gained the confidence they need to provide quality care for their patients. “I saw nurses growing in that they realized they had a say. Nurses were starting to speak out and would tell me how they were able to effect change by telling the doctors certain things. They had never done that before. But the nurses are with the patients all the time and see more than the doctors. While I was working at Hanoi at Bach Mai Hospital, a nurse came to me on my second to last trip and told me she had spoken up about a side effect and the doctor had acted on her advice. I thought, ‘Wow. We did some good here.’ I think HVO helped a lot. HVO stands for excellence in clinical work, according to them. When they hear someone is from HVO, they pay attention.” Dr. Derstine has seen patient outcomes improve, equipment increase, and new knowledge develop. In many places, master’s and doctoral level programs for nurses have emerged, programs that were non-existent when Dr. Derstine first arrived. At HUMP, the department is actively sharing opportunities by setting up Zoom sessions for other hospitals to join HVO lectures.
Nurses email Dr. Derstine questions, and she is able to guide them even when not physically present. She enjoys hearing from them and being able to provide support from abroad. “One nurse with whom I interacted a lot emails me now and then,” said Dr. Derstine. “She saw some photos I posted on Facebook and wrote me to say, ‘I felt that I was back there with you. I remember how you would teach us and we would hang on your every word.’ That was probably thirty years ago. I was just being me. Just being me is helping people. That’s the best part. My whole life I wanted to do something like this, and I did it. It has been life changing to see the nursing schools become what they are now.”
Dr. Trần Đức Thái shared his perspective:
“Back then, the nursing department was very lonely and vulnerable. Initially, there were only two staff members, myself and Dr. An. We were medical teachers, but we lacked any nursing experience…Everyone dedicated themselves wholeheartedly to building a future for the nursing department. International cooperation needed to be prioritized. I went alone to find partners, inviting everyone I met to join us. As if by fate, on a beautiful morning in early 2000, I went to the rehabilitation department of Hue Central Hospital for a medical examination of my patients. Dr. Khanh, head of the Rehabilitation Department introduced me to the volunteer rehabilitation experts from HVO. A collaboration was born and has continued to expand, with many nursing workshops and training sessions. Dr. Jill was among the first to visit the nursing department; she is still here…During the time I worked, I benefited greatly from these international collaborations, having the opportunity to visit and learn from many countries in the world. I will never forget them. In 2005, a memorable occasion was a gift from HVO, with Professor Jill donating a projector connected to a computer for teaching using PowerPoint. This was the first projector not only for the nursing faculty but also for the entire Hue University of Medicine and Pharmacy. The nursing faculty may not be grand or powerful, but that day everyone looked up to it, wanting to borrow the projector and hoping to have one like it.
I will always remember Dr. Jill, Kathy, Pamela, all of you. You will always be in my heart, in my life, and in the entire nursing faculty. I hope you will always continue to accompany us. I greatly admire Dr. Jill. Even though she is now 89 years old, she still returns to this place with love. We will always remember each other until the end of our lives. Thank you, Jill! Thank you all!”
To read the story of how HVO overcame the challenges of opening a project in Vietnam during a politically fraught time, click here.