Today we’d like to introduce you to Vicken Zeitjian.
Alright, so thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, can you tell us a bit about how you got started?
I moved to San Antonio in July of 2019 to complete the final stretch of my medical training as an interventional cardiologist.
My journey started in CA where I completed undergraduate education at UC San Diego, then moved to St Maarten to complete medical school at the American University of the Caribbean. Next, I landed an internal medicine residency position in Phoenix at Maricopa Medical Center (now called Valleywise) and finally made my way to San Antonio for cardiovascular diseases and interventional cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center. I’ve lived here for just over 3 years and have loved every second of it.
As a California boy, I never anticipated having the opportunity to live in Texas but am so grateful I did. I’ve learned so much here, made lifelong friends, eaten incredible food, and learned a thing or two about saving lives. The only thing missing in my life is my fiancé, Taline, but she plans to move here full-time in November after our wedding.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way? Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road to becoming a physician is a challenging one full of obstacles. The biggest challenge has always been the distance. I moved out of Los Angeles when I was 18. Since then I’ve had to sacrifice time and holidays with my family and friends due to school, residency, and fellowship. Instead of dwelling on the situation, I like to think of the positives. One of which is that I’ve been able to live in and see so many different cities and be a part of so many communities.
Another challenge I’ve had to overcome along with many of my peers is securing a residency program. Medical school admissions are quite rigorous, and there is a certain stigma attached to Caribbean medical schools. I attended the American University of the Caribbean in St Maarten and could not recommend it enough, both in its curriculum and the gorgeous island I had the privilege of living on for 2 years. What many people don’t realize about Caribbean grads is that we have to work 10 times as hard on our USMLEs and board exams to be considered for residency programs. With this in mind, I worked day and night preparing for my boards and ended up scoring higher than some of my U.S. school peers. I feel so fortunate to have secured a spot in my residency program in Phoenix.
The last, and most important challenge I had was my long-distance relationship with my beloved Taline. We started our relationship long distance, but both of us were fully in it from the beginning. We knew it would not be easy, but both were two feet in the whole time. Some weeks are harder than others. We chat on the phone and on FaceTime multiple times per week and do our best to visit each other as often as possible. We also watch movies and shows together, pressing play at the same time and texting our thoughts throughout the episode. We understood the limitations that existed, but we trusted each other and were okay with it knowing that the distance would only be temporary. Finally, I get to marry the love of my life on November 12th of this year.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I am a cardiologist by training, and currently completing my interventional cardiology fellowship at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. I love my job and go in every day excited to face new challenges. While this field is a demanding one, I could not see myself doing anything else.
I’m blessed with patients who entrust their lives to my hands and get to work on them to get them out of their most vulnerable states. If I’m not at the hospital or the cath lab, I’m doing telehealth consults. Since the start of the pandemic, I’ve seen about 30,000 virtual consults. It excites me to be able to treat patients and give them some peace of mind from the comfort of their homes.
We’d love to hear what you think about risk-taking.
In my eyes, life is all about calculated risk-taking. I emphasize calculated because overall the benefits need to be greater than the risk if we are to proceed with a decision (my medical mind has trained me this way.) In my life, I always try to see the pros and cons of any decision I make and see if it makes sense to proceed.
I also do this daily with my patients when I decide to do a cardiac angiogram or place a stent. A life with no risk means setting very strict limitations and one with too much risk could mean losing it all. Finding the middle ground is key and finding that in each situation is unique.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/vickenzeitjian/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/vicken.zeitjian
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/vzeitjian
- Other: https://linktr.ee/dr_vicken_zeitjian
Image Credits
Taline Postajian
