Vianh Hoang is the recipient of the UCI Chancellor’s Award of Distinction, the Undergraduate Research Spotlight, and has been accepted into America’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa.
When Vianh Hoang was a child, a small cut on her leg turned into a serious infection that required hospitalization.
Her family was scared and she was confused. “No one was explaining to me the full severity of my situation. As a young child I thought I might die.”
Then her nurse came along.
“My nurse made me feel reassured and safe. Her compassion and dedication towards my healing process made me forget the pain that I experienced and it gave me hope to resume normalcy.”
Between her mother, a certified nursing assistant, and that special nurse, Hoang knew what she wanted to do with her life.
Today, Hoang is set to graduate from the UCI Sue & Bill Gross School of Nursing to become a nurse herself.
Graduating with impressive recognition
Along the way, she has acquired some impressive distinctions: the UCI Chancellor’s Award of Distinction, the Undergraduate Research Spotlight, and acceptance into America’s most prestigious academic honor society, Phi Beta Kappa.
The Chancellor’s Award is given to graduating seniors for demonstrating academic achievement, cutting-edge research, leadership and service to UCI.
Hoang earned the award for her work reducing bedsores in hospitalized patients at UCI Medical Center.
While accompanying staff on their weekly Wound Wednesday rounds, she and her cohorts discovered that not all patients were being checked the same way. This lead to missed sores and, ultimately, more time in the hospital.
They created an assessment tool for nurses to use. Now it’s standard at the hospital.
“I was back recently doing my clinical hours and I saw our protocol posters up on the units,” she says. “It was very rewarding to see my work up there.”
Caregiver research and education
The Undergraduate Research Spotlight is an honor that goes to just 40 students each year. It’s an opportunity to present their research to the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program committee and their peers.
Hoang was nominated by her mentor, Dr. Jung-Ah Lee, for her work with ethnic minority families and spouses who care for a person with dementia or Alzheimer’s.
In addition to creating dementia education materials and surveys for the families, Vianh took the extra step of getting additional training on dementia care from Alzheimer’s Orange County, Dr. Lee notes in her nomination letter.
“She did it to become a compassionate home visitor in my caregiver research by providing necessary information to family caregivers of persons with dementia,” Lee says.
Serving family caregivers in Orange County
Hoang will present “Telephone Support for Spouse Dementia Family Caregivers During the COVID-19 Stay-At-Home Period” on June 3, 2020.
When Gov. Newsom issued a stay-at-home order for California, Lee recognized it would be an especially great burden on caregivers of people with dementia. Day care centers shuttered after the order. Many caregivers rely on such public support.
“Patients with dementia or Alzheimer’s are a challenging patient population which require enormous sensitivity and care,” Hoang says.
“With the recent changes, caregivers have become the sole source of support as many resources are temporarily suspended.”
Witnessing positive change
With Lee’s mentorship, Hoang called eight spouse caregivers who had previously completed in-person home visit studies.
In the weekly calls, Hoang listens to their concerns and fears and helps them manage their stress with deep-breathing techniques.
Hoang said the changes were remarkable to witness.
At first, the participants were very afraid of COVID-19 and what it would mean for their loved one if the caregiver were to get sick. Over time, the participants missed socializing more than they feared the pandemic.
“They’ve started to recognize how important socialization is to their overall well-being,” Hoang says.
“They began to further appreciate their relationships and make adjustments to maintain their social activities.”
Giving back to the next generation
Eventually, Hoang would love to become a nurse educator to help guide and encourage nursing students like herself.
“I didn’t have a clue what to expect when I began nursing school,” she says.
“As I went through the journey, I gained some valuable lessons and developed a new mentality that I believe would be meaningful to share with incoming nursing students.”
She credits the School of Nursing faculty with the immense support for the students and giving them opportunities to grow into nursing leaders.
“They genuinely care about our futures and the potential we possess,” Hoang says.
“I really want to give back one day and do the same for the future generations of nursing students.”
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