With the implementation and popularization of the 2017 "Interim Measures for the Administration of the Qualification Assessment and Registration of Physicians with Proven Expertise in Traditional Chinese Medicine", more and more experienced folk Chinese medicine practitioners have actively signed up, wanting to realize the "legal practice of medicine" as soon as possible. Can I practice after completing the TCM (Specialty) Physician Qualification Examination? How should the scope of practice be chosen? What is its future prospect? These problems have always been the concerns of folk Chinese medicine, and today we have prepared a number of questions about the practice of new specialties, hoping to solve your doubts. 
01 Can TCM (specialty) physicians be employed in other places?
Generally, if it is necessary to cross provinces, it must be agreed by the provincial competent department of traditional Chinese medicine where the practice is located.
According to the "Interim Measures for the Administration of the Qualification Assessment and Registration of Physicians with Proven Expertise in Traditional Chinese Medicine" (i.e., Order No. 15 of the former Health and Family Planning Commission), traditional Chinese medicine (specialty) physicians practice in the provincial-level administrative area where they are assessed. Traditional Chinese medicine (specialty) physicians who practice across provinces must obtain the consent and registration of the provincial competent department of traditional Chinese medicine in the place where they intend to practice.
That is to say, this qualification certificate can not be used nationwide, if you want to register in other provinces, you must get the consent of the provincial competent department of traditional Chinese medicine where you practice, and what procedures need to be taken here, whether it is assessment or simple registration, it depends on the specific local policy.
Provincial-level departments in charge of traditional Chinese medicine shall organize the qualification assessment of physicians with expertise in traditional Chinese medicine in their provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government; Responsible for the practice management of TCM medical personnel with expertise who have obtained physician qualifications within the administrative area.
The provincial-level competent department of traditional Chinese medicine shall, in accordance with these measures, formulate the implementation rules for the qualification assessment and registration management of physicians with expertise in traditional Chinese medicine in the provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities directly under the Central Government.
The competent departments of traditional Chinese medicine at the city and county levels divided into districts shall be responsible for the declaration, preliminary examination and review of the qualification assessment of physicians with proven expertise in traditional Chinese medicine within their respective administrative regions, and shall be responsible for the daily management of the practice of personnel with proven expertise in traditional Chinese medicine who have obtained physician qualifications within their respective administrative regions.
02 Is the future of TCM (specialty) physicians worrying?
In recent years, with the continuous release of the assessment news of traditional Chinese medicine (specialty) physicians in various provinces and cities, the lower and lower proportion of applicants and the proportion of passing the assessment have made many folk doctors feel more and more "hopeless", the future is bleak, and even the intention of quitting. However, is the future of TCM specialists really worrying? Of course not! Of course not!
From a personal point of view, the rigorous assessment is to screen outstanding talents, and the lower the pass rate, the higher the gold content, and the brighter the prospects of this profession. Why is it said that the future of the TCM (specialty) physician qualification examination is bright, and it can be carefully tasted from the aspects of national policies and market demand.
1) The state attaches great importance to the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine talents
As we all know, in recent years, the state has continuously strengthened its attention to and support for the development of traditional Chinese medicine, including the construction of traditional Chinese medicine and the cultivation of traditional Chinese medicine talents. Especially the latter, in the grassroots field, ** has opened up a green channel for folk Chinese medicine - traditional Chinese medicine (specialty) physician qualification assessment.
Although the passing rate has been low in recent years, as long as the "Traditional Chinese Medicine (Specialty) Physician Qualification Certificate" is successfully obtained, folk Chinese medicine practitioners can legally "hold a certificate" and obtain other advantages such as the qualification to directly open a clinic.
2) The state strengthens the construction of traditional Chinese medicine talents
In 2019, the National Health Commission announced ten health tasks at the regular press conference, one of which is to strengthen the construction of health talents, follow the law of talent growth in the medical and health industry, and build a team with firm politics, excellent technology and noble morality.
In 2022, the "14th Five-Year Plan for the Development of Traditional Chinese Medicine" issued by the General Office of ** clearly pointed out that the construction of a high-quality Chinese medicine talent team should be accelerated with the deepening of the reform of traditional Chinese medicine education through the coordination of medical education and the implementation of the training project for talents with traditional Chinese medicine characteristics (Qihuang Project). Strengthen the cultivation of TCM thinking, establish an early follow-up and early clinical learning system, and run teacher education through the whole process of clinical practice teaching.
The state attaches great importance to the construction of the talent team of traditional Chinese medicine, and naturally in the deepening of the reform of the medical system in the future, the assessment of traditional Chinese medicine (specialty) physicians, as one of the catalysts to promote the development of traditional Chinese medicine, may be able to catch up with the wave of reform and reap the dividends of reform.
3) There are new opportunities for TCM (specialty) physicians
In March 2019, China's first "Standard for Pure Chinese Medicine Hospitals" was released, which put forward standardized requirements in terms of department setting and staffing, which became an epoch-making exploration in the field of Chinese medicine in the new era. It is understood that the "Standards" have innovatively introduced a traditional Chinese medicine characteristic studio, which can include a traditional Chinese medicine specialty physician studio in the setting of the studio. As long as the physician obtains the "Traditional Chinese Medicine Specialty Medical Qualification Certificate", he or she will have the opportunity to settle in the studio of the pure Chinese medicine hospital.
This also means that another new way for TCM (specialty) physicians to develop has been opened, whether they open a personal clinic or settle in a studio, their income will be significantly increased.
4) 2020 will be the first year of TCM (expertise) assessment
After the chaos of the assessment in 2018-2019, will the assessment of TCM (specialty) physicians be assessed in 2020? Is the pass rate still so low? The answer, of course, is no!
The root cause of the chaos stems from the following three points:
The policy has just been implemented, and it is inevitable that there will be implementation deviations and mutual imitation in the implementation process;
The traditional Chinese medicine industry is mixed, and the professional assessment is indeed a benefit, and it is inevitable that some "miracle doctors" in the society will fish in troubled waters with pseudo-Chinese medicine, and the strict material review is also derived from this.
With the liberalization of the policy, there are also some institutions in the society that make arbitrary promises, and the phenomenon of material fraud may also exist, so the competent authorities have to adopt strict review methods.
From the release of the policy in 2017 to the promulgation of the "Pure Chinese Medicine ** Hospital Standard" in 2019, and then to the assessment of at least one time in most provinces in 2020, and more than 30% of the provinces will conduct two assessments, the assessment of traditional Chinese medicine (specialty) physicians is slowly becoming formal and expanding rapidly.