Zhu Yanyi kept her expression calm, wearing a gentle smile that showed her humility. Inside, she was thinking, I must question Gu Jingtian later. Why did she give me this title?
Her results were public. Everyone present, even Yang Jiongming who might feel jealous, knew her skills. With such ability, she was clearly a top-tier doctor. That is why no one objected to her status. However, Zhong Cheng still explained it, just to make sure everyone understood.
"I didn't think too much about it," Zhu Yanyi said with a small smile. "I am still young. The field of Traditional Chinese Medicine is huge, so I did not rush to take the senior exam."
"That is because you, Little Divine Doctor, respect all doctors," Zhong Cheng said seriously.
"Yes," the others agreed, looking at Zhu Yanyi.
"You are too kind, President Zhong," Zhu Yanyi said politely. She never felt forced by such polite words. She just let them enjoy the courtesy.
"Among the eleven candidates, the oldest is fifty-three. The youngest is a student named Zhou Hui, who is forty-one. What do you think?" Zhong Cheng asked.
"No special thoughts. Since they came to take the exam, we should let them take it properly," Yang Jiongming said first.
"Agreed," the others nodded.
Zhu Yanyi stayed silent. She was only thinking about the candidates' ages.
TCM relies heavily on experience. Usually, those taking the senior exam are very old. This was not a good sign.
"What are you thinking, Little Divine Doctor?" Yang Jiongming asked, seeing her silence.
Zhu Yanyi smiled slightly. "Nothing. Just some feelings."
"Oh?" Everyone looked at her.
"I am feeling something about the candidates' ages," Zhu Yanyi said.
"What about their ages? It is normal," someone said. They were used to this situation.
Zhu Yanyi smiled gently. "I know what you mean. But have you thought about this? Western medicine doctors are getting younger. Our TCM has fame, but the experienced doctors with good skills are all old. This is very bad for passing down our tradition."
"You are right, Little Divine Doctor. I noticed this too," Zhong Cheng sighed. "But we have no way to change it now. TCM requires a long time to record medical stories. Also, diagnosing by looking at the face or feeling the pulse needs experience. Without experience, one cannot find the cause of the illness."
Zhu Yanyi nodded. "That is why I feel sad. I wonder when TCM can become younger."
Making TCM younger was hard. Everyone understood this. But they all hoped for it. If TCM became younger, the tradition would continue better. Because it was difficult, many people frowned.
"Let us think about this later. Now, our main job is to handle this exam well," Zhong Cheng said. He also felt sad, but he knew his current duty.
The other eight judges also knew what was most important now.
"President Zhong is right. The current situation is the most important," Gu Jingtian said seriously. "Maybe these candidates will bring us some surprises."
Zhu Yanyi did not speak, but she agreed in her heart. Making TCM younger required everyone's effort. But right now, the candidates in front of them were the priority.
"Regarding the senior TCM qualification exam, among the eleven candidates, two are taking acupuncture, five are internal medicine, one is gynecology, two are surgery, and one is pediatrics. There are no other subjects. Internal medicine is clearly the most popular," Zhong Cheng said seriously.
Senior TCM exams usually allow candidates to choose their specialty. Most TCM doctors study internal medicine.
"The bias is really serious," Gu Jingtian sighed. "We also have flower doctors, witch doctors, and poison doctors. But no one applied for these three."
"Let us not talk about that. Even in traditional TCM, subjects like comprehensive medicine and dermatology have no applicants," Zhong Cheng sighed.
Zhu Yanyi looked at the candidates' information. "We do not need to be too sad. TCM is rising now. I believe more subjects will have applicants every year." In her heart, she thought, I must start a TCM school soon. If this bias continues, many traditional TCM subjects will disappear.
Zhong Cheng also said, "Little Divine Doctor is right. Although it is sad that no one applied for other subjects, this year has four more applicants than last year. This is progress. Next, we need to decide the requirements for testing these eleven candidates."
Zhong Cheng explained some key points of the exam and discussed how to conduct it with everyone.
Soon, half an hour passed. The real exam began. The eleven students were already in place. Then, the nine judges entered the room.
Zhu Yanyi secretly observed the eleven candidates. Except for one, the others were over forty-five years old. Having a forty-one-year-old candidate already lowered the average age significantly for this session.
Zhu Yanyi sat aside. Zhong Cheng was mainly responsible for setting the questions.
"Today's senior TCM exam is a Q&A session. We will not ask questions one by one. Instead, you will listen to our descriptions to determine the illness and write a prescription," Zhong Cheng said seriously.
After speaking, Zhong Cheng began testing the students according to their admission ticket numbers.
After one round of Q&A, Zhu Yanyi found that these candidates were indeed experienced. They were not just show-offs.
The senior exam lasted two days. The first day was Q&A. The second day was practical application at the Capital Hospital.
Gu Jingtian had already selected some patients at the Capital Hospital for these candidates to treat.
These candidates for the senior TCM exam were mostly local doctors. Therefore, they did not panic when facing patients. Instead, they diagnosed, asked questions, and wrote prescriptions very seriously.
Zhu Yanyi had to admit these students were indeed good. Especially the one named Zhou Hui. She had some hope for her.