What’s It Like for a TCM Student to Perform Cardiac Intervention? — The Diversification Path of TCM Students (1), Vol. 22

🗣️Chatting
,
1

Introduction

Today’s guest, Lei Ge, is my undergraduate classmate. I’ve always watched her diligently pursuing clinical work within our hospital—and her WeChat Moments conversations are filled with professional terminology, leaving a deep impression on me.

When I learned that she, originally trained in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) Internal Medicine, ultimately became an interventional cardiologist, I was astonished—interventional procedures are considered especially challenging even within surgical specialties.

When I further learned why she chose this path, it suddenly made sense: a close friend had died prematurely due to cardiac disease, and ever since, Lei Ge resolved to become an outstanding interventional cardiologist.

As Zhang Xichun wrote in the preface to Repeatedly Tested and Effective Prescriptions:

“Great aspirations give rise to great accomplishments.”

Through this episode, you’ll hear how unwavering determination can generate extraordinary strength.

Where to Listen

Click here to listen on Xiaoyuzhou FM
Click here to listen on Bilibili

Timestamps

00:00 Why launch this new series: “The Diverging Paths of TCM Students” (The Path of Eminent TCM Physicians + Topping the Imperial Exam: The Mystery Behind College Graduates’ Career Divergence)
03:15 Guest introduction by Lei Ge
04:29 The guest’s initial motivation for studying TCM—not a shift from TCM to Western medicine, but rather, a deliberate pursuit of Western medicine, with TCM serving as one step toward that goal
08:16 Meeting many outstanding people and learning vivid, practical knowledge through volunteer work and club activities
11:34 Learning through practice and play—not rote memorization from textbooks
16:13 Discussing “upward socializing”
20:21 How to find a suitable graduate advisor
27:55 A good clinician + a good mentor ≠ a good researcher; choosing an advisor based on your needs (research? clinical practice? independence?)
30:21 Scientific research training cultivates indispensable research thinking
31:50 Concrete methods for selecting an advisor
36:18 After persisting for two years, she finally began interventional training in her third year of graduate studies—only to have her supervising instructor leave after two months, leaving her to independently guide patients through surgery
42:10 Why she outperformed in-house graduate students during her trial period—simply because of her superior ability
47:33 Residency training programs differ widely: some are superficial (“watered-down”), yet still offer valuable learning opportunities—if you proactively seek them out
55:55 Answering listener questions: What role can TCM play before and after Western medical interventional procedures?
59:12 Final advice for listeners

Ending theme song: Lidocaine — Mo Fei Ding Lu Band

Related Episodes