"I was very determined that if I was ever given a chance, I would become a doctor so I could make people well and return the individual back to the family," said Xa Xiong, who was just 7 years old when his brother Pao died of pneumonia, and perhaps malaria as well, due to no medical treatment at a refugee camp in Thailand. It was for this reason that Xa Xavier decided to enter medicine. "That has stuck in my heart all this time, and given me the motivation to finish chiropractic school, medical college and my residency program," said Xa Xiong.
Xa Xavier came to the United States in 1980 at the age of 12 after fleeing his homeland of Laos and living for five years in a refugee camp. After completing his degree in chiropractics and medicine, he left his wife and five children to complete several internships in such faraway places as: Mexico, Arizona, and Alaska. In July he joined Aurora's Manitowoc Clinic in Minnesota and is excited to begin his career and realizing his dream of helping people. Xa Xavier's story is really "a journey of achievement from Laos to Manitowoc".
For those interested in medicine, there are many internship and volunteer opportunities available. All over the world there is a need for quality medical care and many opportunities exist abroad as well as here in the United States.
As an undergraduate, students can get experience working in a doctor’s office or hospital while more clinical experience is available for those attending a chiropractic or school of medicine or other healcare programs. Initially as undergraduates, students can get exposure to the healthcare environment by working in an office or shadowing a doctor (or other professional) at a hospital or clinic with patient care experience available for those further along in the process who are working on getting their degree in one of the various areas of the healthcare field.
Aurora’s Manitowoc Clinic isn’t in Minnesota it is located in Manitowac, WI