Thank you speech

This evening Emily (My successor) and I were the guest of honor at a baci hosted by the IM residents and teachers to welcome Emily and wish me a safe journey home. I was expecting to be asked to make a speach, so I prepared this. However, only Dr. Som Ok, the former President of the University of Health Sciences and the current Vice Minister of Health for medical education and human resources was asked to speak (which is OK with me.) But I will post what I had written here.

I came to Laos because I wanted to live and work outside America, and I had good mentors (Dr. Rosemary and Dr. Jon) who said it was a very nice place to live and work.

When I arrived here almost 16 months ago, I knew very little about Lao people or about Laos. I knew Lao people gin khaw niaw, (eat sticky rice) love spicy food, and that Beer Lao was “the beer of the wholehearted people.” That was about all I knew.

I want to thank you all for truly being the wholehearted people. You have welcomed me with open arms and showed me what that phrase means.

Thank you, Teachers. You have listened politely to my suggestions, even when they may not have been good ideas. You have gently guided me in the right direction when I got too far astray. You have supported me and helped me get things done for the residents and patients. You have taken me seriously, and thought about my suggestions when we did not agree. I want to thank you for recognizing which areas I could help you in and letting me help. And I want to thank you for not changing things solely out of politeness when my ideas were not good.

Thank you, Residents. Thank you for welcoming me to your hospital rounds, your lectures, and free time in the resident room. Thank you for trying to understand my lectures when they were too complicated, and for politely listening when they were too simple. Thank you for staying when my lectures go past 7:30, which they almost always do. You have supported each other well in learning from someone who does not speak Lao, not only translating for each other but also explaining and making sure everyone understands.

Thank you for welcoming visitors with the same warmth you show me, even if sometimes they do clinical teaching or lectures that are hard to understand, or tell you to do things that are not currently possible in Lao. Thank you for teaching me about diseases I knew little about, like Melioidosis or typhus, and guiding me through culturally complex patient interactions. Thank you for taking extra time to learn from me – to present patients in English, make a differential diagnosis even when you already knew what the patient had, and discuss what to do next, even if you had a plan with your Lao teachers that would not change based on our discussion.

I am very proud and lucky to be part of an organization like Health Frontiers. It is amazing to see what a group of dedicated volunteers can do with a little bit of money, a lot of time, and willing colleagues and students. I have a new way to judge NGOs and international health projects. I will look not only at how much they spend, or how many people they help directly, but whether they help local people create independent, sustainable changes. Health Frontiers projects in Laos have been successful because we are working with you, not telling you what to do or doing it for you, and because we have been able to commit far more human resources tha money -21 years of volunteers now.

However, I am even more proud and truly humbled by how hard you all work, and how committed you are to improving yourselves and healthcare for Lao people. You are all very smart people, and there are surely easier jobs, less stressful jobs, and better-paid jobs you could do. But you are committed to the health of the Lao people. The teachers show this commitment – you spend extra time on clinical teaching, lectures, organization of the program, and mentorship, without any extra compensation. And the residents show this commitment – you leave your practice, private clinics, and sometimes your home and family, to come study. Being a student is not easy, especially as an adult. I am very proud that you all chose to become residents and improve your knowledge and skills. You all give so much to your patients, students, and studies, even when you may feel like you have little time or energy for yourselves.

I know that as I go home to new challenges, you will all continue to rise to the challenge of teaching and learning. I am confident that our decision to make the IM residency more independent of day-to-day teaching by Health Frontiers volunteers will not decrease the amount or quality of teaching you get. I hope the residents all continue to work hard and improve their knowledge and skills. Do not get distracted by all the changes around you, but stay focused on becoming great doctors for all the Lao people. I know the teachers will continue to work hard for you, and I hope they will continue to improve their mentorship, teaching skills, assessment and feedback as new resource become available. And I hope the Lao government, University of Health Sciences, and Ministry of Health will continue to support the residents, teachers, and hospitals more and better with equipment, access to tests and treatments, improvements to curriculum and teaching skills, and improvements in undergraduate medical education.

Lao is changing – I have seen it just in the short time I have been here. Many of the changes are improvements. But the Lao people, especially young people like our residents, need to be careful about what parts of Laos you allow to change. I hope the things I have come to love will not change: your openness, gentle politeness, kindness, and honesty. Your willingness to work hard when needed and your appreciation of rest and relaxation, and your love of the Lao country and culture. I will miss these things very much when I go home.

So in conclusion, thank you again for a wonderful year of learning and teaching. I wish you all the best of luck, good health in the coming years, good learning and strong teaching in the future, and much happiness in your personal lives and professional fulfillment. Being a good doctor is hard, but it is also one of the best jobs in the world, and we are all lucky to be able to work together in this wonderful profession.

Now all that's left is writing and giving a goodbye lecture on Tuesday, a few meetings with Emily, Hakon, and Karen, some last minute shopping if my weight allowance permits, and eating as many yellow mangos as possible before Wednesday.