"Yuan Weihong, has Fang Ziye now almost completed the first training room challenge for the master's level, just short of the final step?"
"We can't speak carelessly about this matter. I've already reported it to the head of the Surgery Department. If it turns out to be false intelligence, I'll send you to the front lines," said Professor Deng Yong. As a full professor, senior physician, and ward director, he had a lot on his plate.
In addition to managing a large number of patients, he had endless academic conferences to attend, surgeries to perform, plus many roles as an expert reviewer, laboratory director, and journal referee for SCI publications. He was extremely busy.
Deng Yong couldn't possibly focus his attention on master's students. Forget master's students - even for outstanding doctoral candidates, he would only glance at them briefly near graduation, mentally asking if they could be retained for his own use.
So whether there were exceptional students in the department was mostly something he heard through the grapevine.
It was only recently when an outstanding eight-year program student like Luo Tingzhu wanted to apply to be his doctoral student in orthopedics that Deng Yong paid special attention.
After all, ever since Luo Tingzhu expressed interest in the trauma surgery specialty, a bunch of old ladies from internal medicine and obstetrics/gynecology had called Deng Yong, asking him to try to dissuade that girl.
After reviewing Luo Tingzhu's foundational skills, Professor Deng had only made a token effort to discourage her.
"Yes, Professor Deng. Ziye has made significant progress in incision, suturing, and debridement. For our trauma surgery training room, at the master's level benchmark for fast-tracking to a PhD, he's only lacking in hemostasis techniques," Yuan Weihong replied, not daring to speak carelessly.
"However, I've observed Ziye's basic hemostasis operations, and they're already quite good."
Zhongnan Hospital was a teaching hospital with an education and research department. Under it were internal medicine, surgery, gynecology, pediatrics, and comprehensive medicine teaching and research offices.
When outstanding students emerged, the major specialty's teaching office could only submit applications to the education department to provide opportunities for doctoral studies. Then it would go through the graduate school of the Second Clinical College for approval before being reported to the graduate school of Hanshi University...
"So you're saying his foundational skills are pretty good. I heard you even received a piece of tofu with carved characters that you sealed in wax?" After bringing Yuan Weihong into his office, Deng Yong sat down at his desk and crossed his legs.
Yuan Weihong took the initiative to boil water and make tea.
"It was a gesture of goodwill from Ziye. Professor Deng, please don't mock me - Brother Yuan has already chastised me many times for it." Yuan Weihong sniffled, appearing extremely humble.
Those who could reach Professor Deng Yong's level were all extremely talented individuals in their day. After years of fierce competition, now at the senior level, a mere master's or doctoral student was like a child to him.
"Our orthopedics department hasn't produced a professionally-oriented talent who completed the training room route to fast-track to a PhD in three or four years. We should cherish this opportunity."
"Little Honghong, go deliver a message to young Fang. Tell him that as long as he completes the training room, he can pursue a PhD. But this is just the Second Clinical College's reward - our department has an additional incentive."
"If he can fully meet the master's level benchmarks for the advanced training room's foundational skills, we'll give him a chance to graduate early. The doctoral program is normally three years, right? We'll allow him to graduate in two years - let's see if he can seize this opportunity."
"Then observe what unexpected reactions this provokes."
Upon hearing Professor Deng's words, Yuan Weihong's face immediately soured, his movements pausing: "Professor Deng, why didn't you think of offering such a good opportunity to me back in the day?"
Deng glanced at him: "You didn't complete the training room during your master's phase, did you?"
"Later on during your doctoral studies when you did complete it, didn't I hand over all my own students to you? What more do you want?"
Pursuing a PhD involves a culture of fierce competition, but there are many paths: application assessments, recommendations, direct PhD admissions, and more.
However, the quota for retaining graduates at one's own institution represents a brutal elimination culture. With only one or two spots each year, even among the most outstanding cohorts, it's a matter of killing the chicken to scare the monkey.
Hearing this, Yuan Weihong immediately changed his tune, grinning: "Professor Deng, the way you put it makes it sound like I'm not your student anymore."
"If others heard that, it would seem so distant..."
"You smooth talker." Deng Yong made a feint as if to kick Yuan Weihong.
"Is there a chance to get into the Ten Thousand Talents Plan?"
"It's probably still lacking a bit of seasoning." Yuan Weihong's head drooped slightly.
The National High-level Talent Special Support Plan, abbreviated as the "National Special Support Plan" and also known as the national "Ten Thousand Talents Plan," is a support program aimed at high-level domestic talent.
The application requirements are extremely stringent.
Candidates must be emerging talents in key fields of natural sciences, engineering technology, philosophy and social sciences, and culture and arts. They should have achieved relatively high academic accomplishments domestically and internationally, demonstrate good potential for innovative development, and have a certain social impact.
Applicants must be under 40 years old. A doctoral degree is just the bare minimum requirement, and it's not limited to the medical field but spans all disciplines and fields.
Basically, in all of Hanshi University, only six or seven individuals could be selected - the elite of the elite.
"This thing is too intensely competitive. It depends on opportunity."
"Your current professional abilities should be up to par, right? When are you planning to apply for rural support and assistance work? The issues of associate and full professorship need to be addressed." Deng Yong's attention to Yuan Weihong was far from ordinary.
Associate professor rank refers to associate chief physician and associate professor.
Full professor rank refers to researcher. Although Yuan Weihong was only a senior attending physician, he already held the title of researcher and would be able to become a doctoral supervisor in two years.
Such an impressive resume wasn't even considered the most outstanding among his age group, which shows just how intense the competition is in medicine and scientific research.
"Professor Deng, isn't there still a year left?"
"It should be the second half of next year. I've only been at the intermediate level for three years, and there's a hard requirement of five years," Yuan Weihong explained, then added: "It's perfect timing - Ziye will be graduating next year."
"That works. If your first student can stay by your side, by the time you're promoted to associate professor, he should be close to graduating. Then when you take the next step to lead a team, he'll be just in time to become an attending physician and help you carry the flag." Deng Yong took the tea handed to him by Yuan Weihong and sipped it slowly.
"Thank you for your guidance, Professor Deng..."
...
That night, at eleven o'clock.
After delivering this news to Fang Ziye and Jie Han, Yuan Weihong rode his electric scooter home.
Jie Han stood dumbfounded: "Huh? Senior?"
"What are you 'huh'-ing about? I'm still far from reaching that level!" Fang Ziye glanced sideways at Jie Han, his heart quietly stirring.
It had taken Fang Ziye over twenty years to go from complete obscurity to being recognized by the big shots.
But Fang Ziye quickly calmed himself down.
This was the "wolf's" temptation - not a direct bestowal, but something he had to fight and compete for himself.
Moreover, according to what the teacher had said, graduating early from the doctoral program wasn't necessarily a good thing. It would be extremely rushed, and to take advantage of this offer, he'd need to prepare the articles required for doctoral graduation during his master's phase.
He'd have to go abroad for a year of advanced studies in his first year, then prepare his graduation project and thesis. Upon returning, he'd immediately need to start the clinical residency required for the doctoral stage.
But having the opportunity to graduate early meant being able to start working and earning money sooner!