By Vinh Phuc Nguyen – Director of Development
It’s often debated whether nature or nurture makes us who we are. Most of the time, it’s a combination of both.
I’m one of those people.
My journey hasn’t been easy, but every step has shaped who I am — both as a person and as a leader. Here’s my story.
Early years
In 1989, I left Vietnam on a boat with my dad, leaving behind my mom, brother and two sisters in Vietnam. I was 12 years old. I didn’t know it at the time, but my dad and my mom had been struggling to make ends meet, so the only way for them to get a better life for us was to leave Vietnam. The whole family couldn’t go, because that would be too risky on the high seas. We left on a 13-meter-long wooden boat with 35 other people and crossed the South China Sea.
We were out on the ocean for four days when we arrived in Indonesia. We stayed there for three years before the U.S. delegation allowed us to enter the country through a United Nations process called Humanitarian Effort. For us to get to the U.S., we had to travel to Singapore for two weeks, then go to Bataan Philippines for six months to learn English. Then we travelled through Guam, Hawaii and finally landed in San Francisco in 1992.
When we arrived at San Francisco, there was a green card ready. That was the best feeling ever; you’ve arrived in the promised land. I always had a knack to pick up the English language, so by the time I got to the Philippines, I had already become so proficient that I was a translator by age 15.
We lived in San Lorenzo, California for two years before we moved to St Louis, Missouri. After two years in the U.S., my dad was able to apply for a family unification program, and my mother and my siblings were able to come over permanently in 1994. We decided that Texas would be our destination, and we’ve lived here since 1996.
‘The things you learn’
There are so many things in life you can learn along the way. I personally think that learning is a privilege. It is an opportunity through the life cycle that you need to embrace as you make modifications, improvements and continued progress.
Initially, I was to go to medical school because that was my parents’ goal for me. But by the time I got to college, I realized that a medical degree isn’t the only thing in life. I decided to go for Computer Science. I wasn’t the brightest but I was persistent, and I got through school with a bachelor’s degree in computer science. My first lesson was to go for what you want all of the time.
Unfortunately, that was one of the worst recession times in America. Engineers were laid off daily by the thousands. I learned to be persistent and to always give yourself a shot. I still remember that when I got out of school, there was an open job opportunity… a single position that 15 people had applied for. One person told me not to bother going to the interview because I wouldn’t make it; I was fresh out of college, and I was competing against some skilled engineers who were laid off just a few months before.
My wife — then my fiancé at the time — told me to go, because you just never know. I went through the whole interview process, and I got the job! I started off so happy, but then shortly after being in the position, my boss said he would only give me very little time to improve, because the senior guys on the team weren’t happy with me. They said I was too slow.
This led to my second lesson in life: Whenever there’s a chance, no matter how small it is, you must take it. I took that chance and ran with it. In a year from being close to being let go, I became THE employee of the year! All account managers and client success managers voted for me. That feeling when I stood there — and all the Operations team members cheering when I received the award — was simply amazing. I still have that trophy on my desk.
The road to Advantum Health
My initial career lasted me 19 years at the same company as I continued to move upward. I started taking over all technical implementations and all custom development departments. All of the experience I learned led me to Advantum Health. Tammy, Jamie and Chris gave me a chance and I took it. The opportunity to work for Advantum and to be creative is something I always wanted and never had the chance to lead. I have never looked back and just put all of my experience and knowledge into building the best Development organization possible for Advantum Health.
Continued growth
The growth opportunity here and Advantum Health continues to be incredible for me. Our executive team has turned over the development organization to me, and we continue to develop the way our Executive team has visioned out for us. The opportunity to automate and compete with other revenue cycle management companies in service to our customers is what drives me to work every day. We will continue to grow and automate every aspect of the RCM management process. We have laid the foundation and work during my first year, which will propel us to move forward.
Ever upwards
I have been to many countries in the world throughout my lifetime. There is no better opportunity than what we have here in the U.S. This is the land of the free and they protect us at all costs. This is my home, and it will be my children’s home for the rest of our lives. I will take every single opportunity to serve our clients, and to work and raise my children the same way.
