Năm 2014, Thiếu tá Nguyễn Cẩm Vân được chọn thăng cấp Trung tá, hồ sơ đã được chuyển qua Thượng viện xác nhận vào tháng 7 năm 2014.
Theo quy định trong hệ thống thăng cấp của Hải quân Hoa Kỳ thì 80% Thiếu tá trong danh sách được chọn (selections) lên Trung tá, sẽ được thăng cấp (promotions) sau khi danh sách chuyển qua Thượng viện duyệt xét.
Trung tá Josephine Nguyễn Cẩm Vân tốt nghiệp Học viện Hải Quân Hoa Kỳ (U.S. Naval Academy) vào năm 1999, với văn bằng Cử nhân Khoa học. Sau đó cô tốt nghiệp Bác Sĩ y khoa tại Stanford School of Medicine năm 2003, Và hoàn tất thực tập tại Trung tâm Y tế Hải quân Quốc gia (National Naval Medical Center). Bác sĩ Nguyễn Cẩm Vân được huấn luyện Bác sĩ giải phẩu phi hành tại Pensacola, Florida, sau khi tốt nghiệp, cô được thuyên chuyển đến Không đoàn 5 Hàng không mẫu hạm (Carrier Air Wing 5) tại Atsugi, Nhật Bản. Đến năm 2007, cô được đào tạo nội trú chuyên khoa hoa liễu tại Đại học Pennsylvania. Sau đó cô phục vụ tại Bệnh viện Walter Reed National Medical.
Được biết Trung tá Nguyễn Cẩm Vân còn có người chị là Nguyễn Minh Tú cùng thụ huấn tại Học viện Hải Quân Hoa Kỳ, Phụ thân của Vân và Tú là ông Nguyễn Văn Huấn, nguyên là sĩ quan Hải quân VNCH.
Thật hãnh diện cho Cộng đồng người Việt Quốc Gia trước tin Trung tá Josephine Nguyễn Cẩm Vân và các vị Sĩ quan Hải quân Hoa Kỳ gốc Việt khác được đồng loạt thăng cấp, cho thấy họ là những Sĩ quan xuất sắc và ưu tú.
Đính kèm nguồn LINK của bản tin Thiếu tá Bác sĩ Hải quân Hoa Kỳ Josephine Nguyễn Cẩm Vân được thăng cấp Trung tá để tham khảo hay kiểm chứng (Bài vở+tin tức phải đúng và trung thực).
NAVY RESERVE PROMOTIONS TO THE PERMANENT GRADES OF CAPTAIN, COMMANDER, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER, LIEUTENANT, AND CHIEF WARRANT OFFICERS IN THE LINE AND STAFF CORPS8/27/201
ACTIVE-DUTY PROMOTIONS TO THE PERMANENT GRADES OF CAPTAIN, COMMANDER, LIEUTENANT COMMANDER, LIEUTENANT, AND CHIEF WARRANT OFFICERS IN THE LINE AND STAFF CORPS8/27/2015
Physician Profile: Dr. Josephine Nguyen
She received her Bachelor of Science degree from the United States Naval Academy in 1999, and her Doctor of Medicine from Stanford School of Medicine in 2003. She completed a transitional internship at the National Naval Medical Center, then went to flight surgery training in Pensacola, Florida. Upon graduation, she was assigned as a flight surgeon to Carrier Air Wing 5 in Atsugi, Japan. In 2007, she started her dermatology residency training at the University of Pennsylvania. Following residency, she was assigned to Walter Reed National Medical Hospital (WRNMMC) as a staff physician with the Dermatology department.
Dr. Nguyen serves as the Navy’s Young Physician representative to the American Medical Association (AMA), is the military liaison to the Women’s Physician Council in the AMA, and in July 2012 received an appointment to the Military Health Council for Female Physician Recruitment and Retention. She is the Action Officer for Navy Medicine to help improve female recruitment and retention. At her current assignment, she serves as a staff physician for the WRNMMC Dermatology department, runs the Navy Health Professions Scholarship Program (HPSP) and is helping to organize the Navy’s recruiting efforts of the HPSP program across the United States. Her personal goals are to increase the female and minority representation in Navy Medicine.
Dr. Nguyen is a board certified dermatologist and holds an appointment as assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.
When did you decide to go into medicine?
Even as a young child, I loved helping people. My parents came over from Vietnam in 1975, so we grew up with only the bare essentials and money was always very tight. So I decided in 7th grade that I either wanted to be a banker (and make lots of money) or be a doctor. So I went to shadow in a bank for career day. After the day was over, my mind was made: I was going to be a doctor. I realized how empty and boring dealing with money was, and I didn’t want to spend my life focused on money.
How has being in the Navy shaped your view on medicine and service?
People choose to be doctors because of their desire to serve and help others. I chose to be a physician because of my love for people and my desire to alleviate suffering. Being a Navy physician has allowed me to fulfill my calling but also it has allowed me to contribute to and affect medicine in a way I never would have imagined. As the current head of the HPSP board, I have an impact in the quality of students that are granted a Navy scholarship to pay for medical school.
If you practice medicine in the civilian sector, you have to deal with insurance issues. Patients get denied care because of lack of insurance and most physicians can only prescribe medications that are covered by the insurance company. The Navy has allowed me to practice medicine in the way that I have always dreamed: I never have to deny patients care based on their lack of insurance and I am never pressed for time during the patient visits. If I need to see a patient again, the military makes it so easy for me to accommodate them in my schedule.
Can you talk about your experience in medicine overseas?
I was stationed as flight surgeon in Japan from 2007-2010. During my leave time, I traveled twice to Vietnam to do medical mission work, where I saw and treated Vietnamese patients. You often hear that it is in service, when you give of yourself, that you find yourself. I found that statement to be profoundly true. It was in the poorest neighborhoods, amongst the poorest people, that you can find the most content and happiest people. I came to help patients, but it was I that learned: to be content in whatever situation you are placed in, and do the best you can in that situation.
Can you tell me about your work among APA (Asian Pacific Americans)?
Being Asian has impacted who I am, how I approach my patients, and how I approach my life. I grew up watching my parents work hard and sacrifice everything they had to make a better life for their children. At the same time, they were very active in church and loved those around them, always willing to volunteer their time and services to help others. There is an adage, “It takes a village to raise a child.” That was certainly true with me. Asians are known to have close-knit families and communities. I can confidently say that my extended and immediate family helped raise me and make me the person I am today.
People ask if I say that I am Vietnamese or am I an American. I am a Vietnamese-American. I am a doctor in the Navy today because of the opportunities this country has given me. It was a haven of safety for my family when they fled Vietnam, it provided me with a top notch college education at the United States Naval Academy, and gave me a scholarship to go to medical school. I owe everything I have to the United States, and I am excited and honored to serve as a Navy physician. At the same time, I have not forgotten my Vietnamese heritage. I recently returned to Vietnam as a participant of Pacific Partnership 2012, and had the great fortune of seeing patients there.
As the current Director of Medical Student Accessions for the Navy, my goal is to encourage students to apply for the Health Professions Student Program to help pay for medical school. I believe in the scholarship because of phenomenal leadership and life experiences I have had in the Navy, and I want other students to have the same experiences. My experiences in the Navy have made me a better doctor, a better leader, and a better person. In addition, it has allowed me financial independence during medical school so as not to be a burden on my parents. So it is a win-win situation. I get paid to go to medical school, while serving my country and learning how to be a better leader. I have been encouraging more Asian students to apply, because the military is increasing their focus on the Asia Pacific rim. We are hoping to keep up with the ethnic and racial differences by encouraging more diversity within the medical corps.
How has being Asian influenced the way you practice medicine?
I was raised in a very traditional Asian family. My parents taught me the value to hard work simply by the way they lived their lives. They came over to the U.S. without any money, learned English, got college degrees and raised 3 children. They taught us the value of family, of service to others, and faith in God. My parents made sure we didn’t forget our Vietnamese heritage, but rather embrace the Vietnamese culture and use it to enhance our life in the United States. So yes, being raised with the Asian traditions taught me the value of hard work and service to others and affects the way I take care of my patients and how I approach life. When I was at the “pinnacle” of my career, graduating from Stanford medical school, someone said to me, “You must be so happy. You’ve accomplished so many wonderful things.” I nodded my head, but deep down I felt empty. I had spent so much of my life focusing on good grades, getting into the top schools, that I felt empty. In the ensuing years, I gave my life to God, dived into patient care and loving every patient that came to me. That’s when I achieved happiness. I learned that when you lose yourself, is when you find yourself. I stopped focusing on myself and what I wanted, but focused on serving those around me. That’s when I found myself.
