2019 Graduation Gallery

Video Transcript

[Tim Nguyen, class of 2019]: For my intern year, I will be here at Carilion Clinic Internal Medicine and after which I'm headed to University of Florida for Ophthalmology

[Andy Plaster, class of 2019]: We matched in Ophthalmology at San Antonio Military Medical Center.

[Aubrey Knight, senior dean for student affairs]: The class of 2019 is the first class where we've had graduating students to match into ophthalmology and this is the last of the major specialties that that we've not had a student to match in prior to this year so we're very excited about that.

[Tim]: Ophthalmology was the first kind of specialty that introduced me to medicine and when I really like was was smitten by it was when I saw a patient's eyes under using a slit lamp for the first time and it was just it was just incredible. Ever since then it was like I need to see more.

[Andy]: I didn't know coming in that I want to do it. Tim told me "why don't you just try it.  Two weeks of ophthalmology, how bad can it be? Just give it a try." Because I had never even considered it before so I picked a two week elective in ophthalmology and loved it I loved the cataract surgery and just how dramatic that change could be. That was definitely huge draw of ophthalmology is how quickly you can make an impact in so many people's lives.

[Dr. Knight]: Nothing is definite especially when you consider the competitiveness of this particular specialty so our responsibility was that we would do everything in the power of the institution to support that interest.

[Tim]: I felt like vtc would be an environment that would allow me to chase my curiosities and the things that I was interested in you have such a close relationship with the faculty and staff of the school I just felt like they would invest more in me as a student so that I can achieve my my future goals.

[Andy]: Folks at the school helped us create an elective that would teach us some advanced ophthalmology skills prior to residency and then just to watch the ophthalmologists themselves cutting time out of their busy days to teach us these skills in the midst of everything else going on just really spoke to how committed the school was and also all the physicians that were participating in our clerkship.

[Dr. Knight]: Regardless of the specialty that they chose Tim Nguyen and Andy Plaster were out there too to serve and that's the rare thing these days.

[Andy]: There's many qualified folks that could have just as easily had taken this boss that we had we both talked about this and just that the word that came to both our minds was grateful.

[Tim]: That's the type of doctor I want to be.