I Can Hear the Heart's Voice of Traditional Chinese Medicine

Lin Yongzhen sighed and turned his head to ask:

"By the way, Auntie, did cousin Lu Xuan stay in the province, or did he go to another city?"

Lin Yongzhen knew that Lu Xuan hadn’t returned to his hometown, but whether he stayed in Zhijiang or went to another province or city, he wasn’t sure. This time coming back, he was also hoping to discuss future developments with Lu Xuan.

Compared to Western medicine, trying to make a name in Traditional Chinese Medicine is much more difficult.

On one hand, Traditional Chinese Medicine is really hard to learn and master.

On the other hand, Traditional Chinese Medicine is not mainstream nowadays, and patients are far more likely to see Western doctors. Lin Yongzhen understood this very well.

He has been out of school for several years, and could be up for a chief physician role in the next couple of years, so naturally, he knows more than Lu Xuan.

He’s still quite concerned about his cousin.

"He stayed in Yong City," Lin Fangling said.

"Yong City?"

Lin Yongzhen was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "Yong City isn’t bad, although it’s not the provincial capital, it’s a separately listed city, and if it develops well, it won’t be mediocre. Moreover, Yong City has good economic conditions and is backed by Zhijiang. Frankly speaking, I’ve heard that Traditional Chinese Medicine is developing quite well in Zhijiang.

But how did he end up in Yong City? I thought he would stay at some Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Lingshui. Both the Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital in Lingshui and the Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine are quite good. I’ve heard that there are quite a few national-level famous doctors in these two hospitals. If Lu Xuan could go there, his future development would be secure.

However, Yong City isn’t bad either. There might be only one or two Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospitals, but I’ve heard stories about Yong City. There’s a Traditional Chinese Medicine Institute there, gathering many famous doctors.

If Lu Xuan could practice in that Traditional Chinese Medicine Institute in the future, few could compare to him."

Lin Fangling smiled, "You make it sound so good, but practicing there likely isn’t easy, right?"

Although Lin Fangling hadn’t studied much since childhood, she understood that a Traditional Chinese Medicine Institute with many eminent doctors is not a place just anyone can enter.

Not to mention practicing there, even becoming an assistant to one of them requires extraordinary excellence.

If it were as simple as Lin Yongzhen said, wouldn’t they all be famous doctors?

Hearing this, Lin Yongzhen paused, then nodded and said, "It seems so. I heard you can’t get into that Traditional Chinese Medicine Institute just through connections; it’s all about capability and medical skills. If you’re strong enough and skilled enough, you’ll get an invitation to practice; otherwise, even as a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital director, if you’re not capable, you won’t be invited.

However, given how outstanding cousin Lu Xuan is, after ten or twenty years of accumulation, he’d surely have a chance.

At the very least, with his abilities, he should always be able to become a chief Traditional Chinese Medicine doctor at a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital.

However, the difficulty of mastering Traditional Chinese Medicine is no small issue. Unlike Western medicine, where someone just needs guidance to quickly master their craft, a Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner might study for seven or eight years and then spend four or five years as an assistant before possibly getting a chance to practice. Some might study for a decade and not even be able to take a pulse.

Of course, Western medicine has its challenges too, like surgery and other surgical specialties that require talent. Without talent, no amount of effort will help."

"Is Traditional Chinese Medicine so difficult?" Lin Fangling asked worriedly.

Although the family ran a clinic, it was a Western medicine clinic. Lin Fangling thought that for ordinary Western medicine, as long as one learns a bit, they could generally treat patients.

But she hadn’t expected Traditional Chinese Medicine to be so difficult, with some still unable to take a pulse after a decade of study.

Thinking about this, Lin Fangling grew a bit worried about her son.

Lin Yongzhen didn’t know, but she knew her son had taken up a job at a street health center because of certain matters.

Anyone, even a fool, would know something about a community health center.

Although Lu Xuan told her before that the Ninth Hospital had invited him for surgeries and such, who could guarantee that he wasn’t just trying to comfort her?

Lin Yongzhen’s words left Lin Fangling a bit flustered for a moment.

Without noticing her change in expression, Lin Yongzhen explained, "It is really very difficult. Even in high school, I had two classmates who went to study Traditional Chinese Medicine and are still working as assistants now. After two or three years, they can barely take a pulse and rarely get to see patients, let alone accumulate clinical experience..."

Saying this, seeing Lin Fangling’s worried face, it seemed that Lin Yongzhen noticed he might have said the wrong thing and quickly said, "But Auntie, don’t worry, cousin Lu Xuan is so smart, he’ll surely be fine.

Besides, what I just mentioned is for those without talent in Traditional Chinese Medicine. Those who have it don’t face many problems. Many national-level renowned Traditional Chinese Medicine doctors had no teacher and still became masters of medicine. Traditional Chinese Medicine relies on talent, and cousin Lu Xuan isn’t lacking there.

Auntie, you really don’t need to worry about this."

Lin Yongzhen’s reassurances did not ease Lin Fangling’s anxiety. At this moment, she thought of many things, especially when Lu Xuan mentioned before being transferred to work at a street health center.

Although he was the head of the Traditional Chinese Medicine department at the Health Center, if Lu Xuan had talent, how could he have suddenly moved from a Traditional Chinese Medicine Hospital to a street health center?

Could it be that in Yong City, a health center offers broader prospects?

Thinking about this, Lin Fangling couldn’t help asking, "Yongzhen, how are the street health centers in Yong City?"

"Health center?"

Lin Yongzhen didn’t quite understand why his aunt suddenly asked about the health center but still explained, "I haven’t learned much about Yong City’s street health centers, but they should be similar to ours in the provincial city. Street health centers are the most basic level in the medical system. Even when busy, it is usually the pediatrics department that is hectic, and other departments should be relatively relaxed. After all, even when people fall ill, not many will go to a health center."